Ireland

The big question – will Brexit happen – is addressed in several of the media.  The Times says:

Britain and the European Union have agreed to intensify discussions over a Brexit deal this weekend after the prime minister said that there was now a “way forward”.
The progress followed talks between Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister, on Thursday.
However, he has insisted that Northern Ireland be able to take “full advantage” of new trade deals Britain signs after it leaves the bloc.
Under the plans Britain would collect tariffs on behalf of the EU for goods ending up in Northern Ireland and companies could claim rebates.
“Northern Ireland effectively stays in the EU’s customs union but for the purposes of trade it’s in the UK’s customs union,” a source familiar with the plans said. “It’s a fudge.”

The Guardian says the Prime Minister has made a U-turn.

Boris Johnson has signalled that he will make a last-ditch U-turn on his plans for the Irish border, setting up 48 hours of intense negotiations that will make or break a Brexit deal.
On a day of rapid movement in talks, EU sources said the prime minister had conceded that there could not be a customs border on the island of Ireland – a critical step away from his previous position.
That came after European ambassadors prompted tentative hope of a deal by giving the green light for what some diplomats described as a “tunnel” discussion in which a small team of negotiators meet for intensive talks to find a break-through moment.

The Telegraph points out that the negotiations will now enter an intensive phase.

Britain and the EU will spend the weekend in intensive talks over a new customs plan for Ireland that could lead to Boris Johnson securing a Brexit deal at this week’s crucial Brussels summit.
Amid growing speculation that a deal may finally be possible, the pound and stock markets rose sharply on Friday after it emerged that the Prime Minister had offered to compromise on his initial Brexit proposal.
Downing Street is understood to have shared details of the proposed compromise privately with EU negotiators, which paved the way for detailed formal talks to begin ahead of next week’s meeting of EU leaders.

And the Independent uses the term now becoming familiar to we Brexit-watchers.

Brexit negotiations will now enter the “tunnel” phase of intensive and secretive talks in a boost for Boris Johnson’s prospects of brokering a fresh deal.
Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, held what he called a “constructive” meeting with the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels, raising hopes of a breakthrough on a withdrawal deal.
As the EU27 ambassadors approved talks moving into the “tunnel” phase, EU Council president Donald Tusk said the UK had still not delivered anything workable, but conceded there were “promising signals”.
Mr Johnson hinted at a major concession to rescue a deal by refusing to rule out Northern Ireland staying in the EU’s customs union.

Customs union

But the PM has to secure the agreement of the DUP, says the Independent.

Unionists have vowed to kill off any Brexit deal which keeps Northern Ireland in the EU’s customs union, amid fears that Boris Johnson is ready to make the province a “sacrificial lamb” to secure an agreement with Brussels.
The prime minister refused to confirm that Northern Ireland would be leaving the customs union, in his first public comments after the EU agreed to intensify talks ahead of next week’s make-or-break summit.
Mr Johnson didn’t comment on what compromises he had made to coax the EU into deepening talks over the coming weekend, stating only that “nothing that will damage the ability of the whole of the UK to take full advantage of Brexit”.
Northern Irish unionists immediately pledged to kill any agreement that kept the territory in the EU’s customs union, with former Ulster Unionist Party MP Jim Nicholson warning that “Northern Ireland is being offered up by Boris Johnson as the sacrificial lamb to save Brexit”.

The Guardian reports the DUP may agree.

The Democratic Unionist party has given a guarded response to Boris Johnson’s apparent U-turn on the Irish border, saying it will judge any Brexit deal on how it affects Northern Ireland’s long-term economic and constitutional interests.
In a statement on Friday night Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, reiterated the party’s opposition to the backstop but did not criticise the prime minister’s reported acceptance that there could not be a customs border on the island of Ireland.
“The DUP has always indicated that the United Kingdom must leave the EU as one nation and in so doing that no barriers to trade are erected within the UK,” said Foster, warning against any measure that would “trap” Northern Ireland in the EU’s single market or customs union.

Is a deal possible?  It wasn’t earlier in the week, reports Sky News.

Downing Street appears to have a credible Brexit proposal after a week which began with a Number 10 aide calling a deal “essentially impossible”.
The proposal thrashed out between Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar, in theory, deals with the main of the outstanding intractable issues.
The nascent plan, revealed by leaks to Sky News and others, appears clever because it creates the illusion of victory for both sides on the most difficult issue of all – customs.
Under the plan, the whole of the United Kingdom leaves the EU customs union, in a big and important win for Boris Johnson.
However, the EU tariff regime will continue to be applied on the whole of the island of Ireland.

BBC News reports the unionists won’t give in easily.

The Democratic Unionist Party has warned that it will use its “considerable influence” to “stand up for Northern Ireland” as Brexit talks enter a new phase.
Party leader Arlene Foster said she was regularly in touch with Boris Johnson and he is “aware of our views”.
She said the party would not support any Brexit offer that traps NI in the EU single market or customs union
The EU has agreed to “intensify” talks with the UK over the next few days.
It is the first time the DUP has spoken since Mr Johnson met with the Taoiseach (Irish PM) Leo Varadkar on Thursday.

Has the DUP made a ‘major climbdown’?  The Sun thinks so.

BREAKNECK negotiations for a last-minute Brexit deal began last night after Boris Johnson seemed to have talked the DUP into a major climbdown.
The Ulster unionist party — whose votes prop up the PM’s minority government — previously refused to accept any new customs checks down the Irish Sea.
But in what looked like a major shift last night, its boss Arlene Foster refused to torpedo the plan that was brainstormed by Mr Johnson and Ireland’s Leo Varadkar on Thursday.

The Mirror points out that the deal will have to get through Parliament.

Boris Johnson has refused to rule out Northern Ireland remaining in the EU’s customs union as negotiations with Brussels intensify.
Earlier today EU chief negotiator Michael Barnier confirmed that the UK and EU were entering ‘tunnel negotiations’ – meaning an intense period of discussion.
It came among rumours that Mr Johnson was shifting his offer to Brussels, potentially abandoning opposition to a Northern Irish backstop arrangement that would keep it in the EU for customs purposes.
If true this would mean the border between Britain and EU would be in the Irish Sea – a solution long opposed by Unionists in Ireland like the DUP and many Brexiteer Tories.

And Huffington Post says he might just get away with it.

Backbench Tory Eurosceptics who rejected Theresa May’s Brexit deal could vote for new concessions for Northern Ireland being negotiated by Boris Johnson.
Nigel Evans, a key member of the Eurosceptic European Research Group (ERG), said hardline Conservative Brexiteers are prepared to vote for a fresh deal if the DUP was in favour.
“I think it is very difficult to get it through without the DUP, but we have seen a shift from the DUP already,” Evans told the BBC in an interview on Friday.

EU

The Express reports a poll indicating voters’ lack of confidence in the talks.

BORIS JOHNSON’s breakthrough with the EU has been rubbished by voters in an exclusive Express.co.uk poll who are adamant talks will break down between Britain and the bloc.
The Prime Minister’s negotiating stance with the relentless EU has sparked scepticism from 75 percent of those who took part. Mr Johnson has been accused of recycling Remainer Theresa May’s tired, old deal and whitewashing it as his own in order to secure a breakthrough with Ireland’s Leo Varadkar. Around 2,695 believe talks with Brussels will collapse as the Brexit deadline is now just 20 days away.

And the EU’s own negotiators are not too optimistic says the Independent.

The UK’s proposals for the Irish border are still neither “workable” nor “realistic”, the EU has said, following hours of last-ditch talks in Brussels on Friday aimed at striking a deal.
Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay had hoped to break months of deadlock at a breakfast meeting with his counterpart Michel Barnier in the EU capital.
But talks broke up after two hours with little to show, despite both sides describing them as “constructive”. European Council president Donald Tusk said there had been “promising signals” and that a deal was still possible, but that the UK needed to move further.

The Guardian also puts a downer on the talks.

European Council President Donald Tusk said Britain’s offer still isn’t workable but that there are “promising signals” that parties could secure a deal – after the Irish PM threw Boris Johnson’s government a lifeline in private talks yesterday.
Mr Tusk said he had received a positive message from Leo Varadkar that a deal was “still possible” after the meeting yesterday.
In a tweet he said: “The UK has still not come forward with a workable, realistic proposal.

However, the EU negotiators have graciously given us their permission to intensify the talks, says Sky News.

Boris Johnson’s latest proposals for a Brexit deal have been given the green light by the EU for “intense negotiations”.
Michel Barnier, the bloc’s chief negotiator, got the go-ahead from EU27 ambassadors to enter the critical phase of talks, a source inside the room confirmed to Sky News.
It came immediately after Mr Barnier held private talks with Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay, which he called “constructive”.
EU Council President Donald Tusk also revealed that, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson met his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar yesterday, “both saw for the first time a pathway to a deal”.
He cautioned there was “no guarantee of success and the time is practically up” but insisted “even the slightest chance must be used”.

Across the Channel, Europeans are welcoming the news that the PM has caved in, says the Express.

EVEN across the Channel the real prospect of Boris Johnson’s Brexit happening by October 31 was being welcomed among real people.
Philippe Bernard, London bureau journalist for leading French newspaper Le Monde, even claimed “Brexit in sight” after Mr Johnson and Irish leader Leo Varadkar emerged from a Wirral wedding venue after hours of wrangling over border and customs issues claiming they could see a “pathway to a possible deal.”
The five crucial words “pathway to a possible deal” were being seen around the world – and across Europe – as the first sign that the EU, and the Irish and British Governments were finally preparing to shift entrenched positions and moving forward on a possible Brexit deal.
Mr Bernard tweeted: “Boris Johnson yields on the Irish backstop. To keep his Brexit promise to 31/10, he agrees to keep Northern Ireland in the EU’s customs union.

Queen’s Speech

On Monday, Her Majesty will go to the House of Commons to deliver a speech at the beginning of the next session of Parliament.  The Mail reports:

Boris Johnson has confirmed his first Queen’s Speech as Prime Minister will commit the Government to legally binding targets to reduce air pollution.
Mr Johnson said the Environment Bill – to be announced on Monday – would be a successor to the 1956 Clean Air Act passed in response to London‘s Great Smog.
He said the Government was determined to ‘improve our environment and the quality of the air we breathe’ and ‘leave our country in a better state than we found it’.

The Times claims the Government is backing its campaign.

Boris Johnson has backed the Times clean air campaign and committed himself to legally binding targets to reduce pollution as part of his first Queen’s Speech on Monday.
The prime minister pledged that a new environment bill would succeed the 1956 Clean Air Act, introduced in response to London’s Great Smog.
Praising this newspaper’s Clean Air for All campaign, Mr Johnson said that ministers would “improve our environment and the quality of the air we all breathe”.
The Times revealed in May that 2.6 million pupils attend schools in areas where the level of fine particles in the air exceeds the limit set by the World Health Organisation.

But a key policy has been scrapped, reports the Telegraph.

A planned “amnesty” for troops has been jettisoned from the Queen’s Speech in favour of laws on “sustainable cat litter”, in a bitter blow to Northern Ireland veterans facing prosecution.
Boris Johnson had promised to end the witch hunt of soldiers over historic allegations during the Troubles as well as in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But to the disgust of former soldiers, many of them in their 60s and 70s, a new law that would have given them protection from prosecution has been omitted from Monday’s Queen’s Speech.

Parliament

Next Saturday, Parliament will sit to discuss whatever deal the PM manages to agree.  The Times says:

Boris Johnson will challenge MPs to back any deal he secures from Brussels within 24 hours of a crunch European summit next week when parliament sits on a Saturday for the first time in nearly 40 years.
The prime minister is preparing to hold a vote on his deal on a “Super Saturday” sitting of parliament as he challenges members to endorse his approach or force through a Brexit delay.
If the vote passes, parliament will sit for seven days a week, late into the night, as he seeks to push legislation through the Commons and the Lords with less than a fortnight to go before the October 31 Brexit date.

But Remainers are planning an ambush, reports the Express.

REMAINER rebels are plotting to defy the will of the people by ambushing Prime Minister Boris Johnson to force through a second Brexit referendum.
Labour’s Hillary Benn said he was looking at ways to overthrow Brexit and get MPs to support a so-called People’s Vote when the Commons return or a special sitting on Saturday, October 19. Labour and Tory rebels are calling for a Brexit extension and new vote by March next year. He told BBC2’s Newsnight on Wednesday: “We have shown our capacity to take control of the order paper, so we won’t be waiting just to see what the Prime Minister has in store for us.

Labour Party

The official Opposition party is in trouble, reports the Times.

Labour lost more than half a million pounds last year, official figures show, amid fears among its MPs that it is ill-prepared for a general election.
The party suffered a shortfall of £655,000 in 2018, compared with a surplus of £1.45 million the previous year, according to Labour’s annual report.
The loss was caused in part by rising staff numbers and a dip in membership. In August it was revealed that 45,784 people had left the party in the year to December 2018, leaving it with just above 518,000 members.
Earlier this week Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, said that his party was “ready” for a general election.

Extinction rebellion

The protests in London continue, says the Mail.

Extinction Rebellion protesters are camping out ahead of fresh action over the weekend with a ‘ceremony of grief’ due to be held today followed by a funeral procession through the streets of London.
The eco-anarchists are due to meet outside the Imperial War Museum in Lambeth, south-east London at around 1.30pm today where they will ‘unite in grief, rage and love for life on Earth’.
It comes as Paralympic cyclist James Brown was last night charged with causing a public nuisance after climbing on a jet as part of Extinction Rebellion protests.

NHS

Our health service is going green, says the Telegraph.

The NHS is pledging to cut more than 100 million plastic straws, cups and cutlery items from hospitals across England each year.
The use of single-use plastic across all catering will be cut as part of a drive to reduce waste and help the environment.
The move will affect staff and patient canteens, on-ward catering and plastics handed out by on-site retailers including Boots, M&S and WH Smith.
These major retailers have signed up to the pledge and promised to get rid of straws and stirrers from April 2020, with cutlery, plates and cups phased out over the following 12 months.

The Times also has the story.

The NHS has promised to cut around 100 million items of plastic a year from hospitals in England to reduce the amount of single-use items including straws, cups and cutlery.
Last year the NHS bought 163 million plastic cups, 16 million pieces of plastic cutlery, 15 million straws and two million plastic stirrers.
NHS England has said that it will aim to halve these numbers which would lead to a cut of about 98 million single-use items each year.

MMR

Too few children are being inoculated, reports ITV News.

School gates can be a breeding ground for harmful myths about the MMR vaccine, NHS England’s chief executive has warned.
This can causes the spread of misinformation and infect parents’ judgement,
Simon Stevens said.
It is worrying that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced the UK is no longer measles-free, he writes in a column in Saturday’s Daily Mail.
“Last week it was confirmed that the vaccination rate for two-year-olds getting their first MMR dose has dropped for the fifth consecutive year, hitting 90.3 per cent, leaving one in ten children at risk.
“Crucially, this rate is below the 95 per cent threshold where a critical mass of people is protected, creating a ‘herd immunity’ that keeps the whole population safe.”

Print Friendly, PDF & Email