EU

The bloc is making more demands of the UK, says the Express.

THE EUROPEAN Union has been told to keep its hands off the Channel Tunnel after Brussels attempted a power grab over the link between England and France.
The late move by Michel Barnier’s negotiating team has been seen as “a trojan horse” to impose EU jurisdiction over British territory which could also be used to block trade deals with other countries. It comes as Lord Frost’s negotiating team have accused the EU of “politicising” the negotiations and “overreaching” with their threats to ban UK food exports to Europe.
There have also been allegations that the EU is trying to stop former international trade secretary Liam Fox from becoming the new director of the World Trade Organisation.
The demand that the EU has governance over the Channel Tunnel was added to the process in August late in the negotiations and would have given Brussels and the European Court of Justice control of the line through Kent to St Pancras station in London.
The Channel has for decades been governed via a bilateral agreement between Britain and France in the Treaty of Canterbury.
But in a hands off response from the UK government a spokeswoman told the Sunday Express: “We have put in place a number of robust measures to ensure critical services continue through the Channel Tunnel at the end of the transition period, and are now in discussions with France to agree long-term arrangements that will give operators long-term certainty.

And the Sun says EU bosses have had a fit of pique over the WTO leadership.

BITTER EU chiefs tried to block Liam Fox’s bid to become head of the World Trade Organisation, it was revealed.
Leaders of the 27 member states ganged up against the former British Defence Secretary – despite him being the only European in the race.
The countries cast their votes as a bloc and pointedly refused to choose him as one of the four candidates they are allowed to nominate.
But despite their best efforts to nobble him, Dr Fox made it through to the last five.
It is clear he is getting support from a range of other countries around the world.
Officials say it proves Britain can get along without its old partners.

The Express reports a demand from a German that the bloc should not be blackmailed.

THE EU has been told by German politicians to prepare for a no deal Brexit outcome with the UK, with one warning: “We must not allow ourselves to be blackmailed.”
Britain left the EU on January 31, with both sides entering into an 11-month transition period that has seen the UK continue to be bound to the bloc’s single market and customs union rules and regulations. Negotiations on a post-Brexit trade deal have been ongoing for six months in the hope of striking an agreement before the transition period deadline on December 31, 2020.

And the Express also reveals a problem in the bloc over the City of London.

A DANGEROUS weakness at the heart of the European Union means it could face a financial crisis if it fails to agree a deal with the UK or engages in a trade war, leading Brexit-supporting business figures have warned.
It comes as the EU this week gave permission to companies based in Europe to continue to use the City of London for financing. Former Brexit minister David Jones said: “This is because they cannot raise the capital themselves and they need the City of London. “The problem they have is that the euro is a massive ponzi scheme and they have no real means of underpinning it.”

Immigration

Is the Home Secretary finally getting tough with illegal immigrants?  The Guardian reports.

Thousands of asylum seekers currently accommodated in hotels are facing removal from the UK, the Home Office has announced.
A letter from the Home Office, seen by the Independent, states that evictions of refused asylum seekers will take place “with immediate effect” and charities have reported an increase in people being held in immigration detention centres.
Asylum seekers whose cases have been refused and who do not have an outstanding appeal will begin receiving notices to leave the UK within 21 days from this week. This group generally have no recourse to public funds.

And Tory party members are demanding that illegal migrants are not allowed to claim asylum, says the Express.

A MAJOR survey of more than 10,000 Conservative Party members and supporters has revealed overwhelming support for banning illegal migrants from claiming asylum.
The poll conducted by Conservative Progress of 10,075 Tories shows that 93.2 percent believe those who enter the UK illegally should not be allowed to apply for asylum. The survey was carried out in the wake of a summer of problems across the English Channel where hundreds of illegal migrants have been sent over from France by human traffickers.

But the Home Office is being thwarted by judges, reports Breitbart.

Judges have blocked another entire deportation flight of illegal migrants, agreeing with lawyers that the first world EU member-state Spain could not be trusted to treat them as lavishly as Britain.
Illegal migrants have been reaching England in increasingly large numbers via small boats in recent months, with the UK Border Force turning back none of those it intercepts in British waters and the French authorities turning back only a small minority of those detected in French waters.
Virtually none will have any right to asylum in Britain, given they are travelling to it from an advanced and wealthy democracy where they face no war-related deprivations or state persecution.

Fisheries

‘Hands off our fish’ is the message from Jersey reported in the Express.

JERSEY has spoken out insisting Boris Johnson cannot give its territorial waters to the EU in the hope of securing a deal on fishing after the transition period, following a “misunderstanding” which sparked a huge debate.
In a stark warning to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the EU, Deputy Ian Gorst said that Jersey was in control of its own fishing territory. Reports this week quoted EU sources who urged Britain to cede control of fishing waters to the EU in a desperate hope of securing a deal.

Lockdown

What now for the pandemic?  A former member of SAGE says we need another lockdown, reports the Guardian.

The epidemiologist whose modelling helped shape Britain’s coronavirus lockdown strategy has said new restrictions will be needed in England “sooner rather than later” if the government is to prevent infections surging again.
Prof Neil Ferguson, who resigned from the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said the country was facing a “perfect storm” after controls were eased over summer.
On Friday, Boris Johnson admitted in a speech that Britain was entering a second wave of coronavirus. It is understood he is preparing to impose nationwide measures to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The PM is musing on the situation, says the Metro.

Boris Johnson is reportedly spending the weekend considering whether to impose national lockdown restrictions after scientists and opposition leaders urged him to ‘act now’. The PM admitted yesterday that the UK was seeing a second wave and that it was inevitable coronavirus would hit the country again.
Professor Neil Ferguson – whose modelling led the government to order the lockdown in March – said the UK is facing a ‘perfect storm’ following the easing of controls over the summer.

And the Mirror says he’ll tell us his plans for the winter this week.

Boris Johnson will address the nation on TV this week to reveal plans of a winter lockdown, according to reports.
The Prime Minister could issue tougher lockdown restrictions for Brits for the rest of the year as the number of new coronavirus cases continues to rise.
New rules could see households banned from mixing, cutting opening hours at pubs and issuing tougher penalties for those who flout them.

Lockdown?  No lockdown?  You think the rules are confusing at the moment?  The Mail says they’ll get worse.

Britain could face on-off lockdowns for the next six months as rising Covid cases show a second wave of the virus is taking hold with 4,422 new cases recorded today.
Government scientists have spooked Boris Johnson with warnings of hundreds of daily coronavirus deaths ‘within weeks’ as they told the panicking Prime Minister ‘there is no alternative’ to strict new measures.
Mr Johnson is now threatening to ‘intensify’ coronavirus restrictions as he blames the British public for the rise in cases – despite his repeated pleas for people to return to their desks and eat out at pubs and restaurants in a bid to resuscitate Britain’s economy.

And London is likely to be hardest hit, says Huffington Post.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has warned Boris Johnson that the capital needs fresh Covid restrictions as early as Monday if it is to avoid a big spike in the spread of the virus.
Khan is also preparing to urge the public to work from home if they can do so, in a switch back to the message used by the government at the height of the lockdown.
New modelling shown to the Mayor suggests that London is no longer two weeks behind hotspots like the north east and greater Manchester, but is instead “two or three days behind”, insiders told HuffPost UK.

Isolation

The big story of the day is about the fines that could be imposed on those who break lockdown.  The Telegraph reports:

People who break coronavirus rules will be fined up to £10,000 from next week after Boris Johnson’s most senior scientific advisers warned him that the public’s failure to follow lockdown rules was allowing the pandemic to spiral out of control again.
As deaths and infections continued to mount this weekend, Prof Chris Whitty, England’s Chief Medical Officer, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the Chief Scientific Adviser, told the Prime Minister that compliance with the rules was among the worst in Europe.
The new fines – starting at £1,000 for a breach and rising sharply to £10,000 for repeat offenders – apply to anyone who fails to self-isolate after being contacted by the NHS’s Test and Trace teams from Monday next week.

BBC News outlines the sanctions that could be imposed.

People in England who refuse an order to self-isolate could be fined up to £10,000, the government has said.
The new legal duty requires people to self-isolate if they test positive for coronavirus, or are traced as a close contact, from 28 September.
New measures also include a one-off £500 support payment for those on lower incomes, and a penalty for employers who punish those told to self-isolate.

And all because of the second wave, says the Guardian.

People in England who refuse to self-isolate when required to do so will face fines of up to £10,000 under an emergency “carrot and stick” plan to control the second wave of Covid-19 sweeping the country.
With infections rising at rates last seen before the full lockdown in March, around four million people on low incomes and in receipt of benefits, who cannot work from home, will also be given special “stay home” payments of £500 to compensate for lost earnings over their two-week isolation periods.
Many regional leaders – including the mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, and public health officials – have been arguing for months that such support was needed because people struggling to get by on low earnings believed they could not afford to self-isolate, and were not doing so.

And the restrictions could last for six months, says the Sun.

BORIS Johnson is set to unveil £10,000 fines for Brits suffering from coronavirus who defy orders to stay at home.
The PM will brace families for fresh curbs, which could be in place for the next six months, in a sombre TV address to the nation.
He is looking at cutting pub opening hours, a ban on households mixing and tough penalties for those who flout the rules.
New laws will be rushed through to enforce self-isolation, with fines of up to £10,000 for anyone who defies orders to stay at home.

The Times says there’ll be a payment for those who will be hurt financially by such a lockdown.

The government is set to introduce fines of up to £10,000 for people who breach self-isolation rules as Britain steps up preparations for a second wave of Covid-19.
People on low incomes will be paid £500 to self-isolate at home in a “carrot and stick” approach to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The fines for breaching self-isolation rules will start at £1,000 — in line with the penalty for breaking quarantine after international travel — but could increase to £10,000 for repeat offences.

Working from home

There’s confusion over whether or not WFH is a good idea, says the Mail.

Business leaders are railing against Government proposals to impose a second national lockdown as they claim that working from home is bad for productivity, fuels loneliness and would finish the UK economy.
Bosses grappling with the shift by millions of people towards working from home fear the model could stifle creativity and wreck productivity over the long-term.
Some chief executives have reported being able to save money on rent for office space in expensive cities like London, while office staff who hate commuting enjoy working from the comfort of their own homes – or back gardens.

Anti-mask protest

But a rebellion against the restrictions is growing.  The Mail reports on a protest yesterday.

More than 30 people have been arrested after violent scuffles between protesters and police at a large anti-vax, anti-lockdown protest in central London.
Hundreds descended on Trafalgar Square on Saturday afternoon for a “Resist And Act For Freedom” rally, including some bearing 5G conspiracy placards and signs declaring Covid-19 a “hoax”, with police repelled by human blockades as they tried to clear the area around Nelson’s column.
Dozens of officers, including some on horseback and in riot gear, were pushed back by crowds who chanted and cheered, with some throwing missiles.

The Metro also has the story.

More than 30 people have been arrested after violent scuffles broke out between police and protesters at an anti-vaxx rally. Hundreds of demonstrators clashed with riot police in London as they raged against coronavirus restrictions and mass vaccinations. Protesters chanted ‘freedom’ and ‘save our rights, no mandated vaccines’ as they dismissed the coronavirus pandemic as a ‘scam’. Scenes at Trafalgar Square became violent as police tried to disperse the crowd with their batons drawn.
Protesters formed human blockades as officers went to make arrests. One wave of officers were outnumbered and pushed back by the angry crowd.

And the Sun points out that the mob did not wear face coverings.

A MOB of maskless demonstrators clashed with riot cops in London today during a huge rally against virus vaccinations and lockdowns.
The chaotic protests saw crowds of coronavirus  sceptics and so-called “anti-vaxxers” causing mayhem after descending on Trafalgar Square.
At one point, scuffles broke out between protesters and the uniformed cops trying to keep them in order.
Metropolitan Police officers then moved in on the crowds as they massed around Nelson’s column.
However, the police were later seen retreating with their batons drawn after realising they were outnumbered.

Some are calling the restrictions ‘tyranny’, says Breitbart.

Police in London have clashed with protesters at a rally organized by opponents of restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus.
Scuffles broke out Saturday as police moved in to disperse hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in London’s central Trafalgar Square. Some protesters formed blockades to stop officers from making arrests, and traffic was brought to a halt in the busy area.
The ‘Resist and Act for Freedom’ rally saw dozens of people holding banners and placards such as one reading “This is now Tyranny” and chanting “Freedom!” Police said there were “pockets of hostility and outbreaks of violence towards officers.”

Parliament

Some MPs are calling for the new rules to be agreed in the House, rather than just imposed by the PM, says the Telegraph.

Senior Tories are planning to stop Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposing limits on people’s freedoms without scrutiny by forcing Parliament to have the final say on new lockdown measures, The Telegraph can reveal.
MPs vote next week on “the renewal of temporary provisions” of lockdown measures under the Coronavirus Act 2020 to reauthorise the Government’s use of the powers.
Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Conservative MPs, is planning to use this opportunity to amend this legislation to require ministers to put all new measures to a vote of MPs first.

And the Independent claims an amendment to the Bill will be tabled

Backbench Tory MPs are plotting to reign in the government’s ability to implement lockdown rules  without parliamentary scrutiny in a Commons showdown, it has been reported.
The government is set to vote to renew the Coronavirus Bill – which gives the state its power to implement lockdown measures – in a house vote in the coming week as part of a six-month renewal built into the legislation.
However, a prominent Conservative backbencher is expected to table an amendment to the bill that will ensure the government can not add additional lockdown rules without the consent of parliament.

Education

Schoolchildren are still unable to get tests, says the Mail.

Four out of five schools in England have absent pupils who cannot get a coronavirus test, according to a survey of head teachers.
And almost half (45 per cent) also have staff currently not at work because they cannot access a test to rule out Covid-19, found the poll, carried out over the past 24 hours by the NAHT union.
NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said the system for getting pupils tested was “in chaos”, leaving schools struggling with staffing and children’s education “needlessly disrupted”.

Flu

Meanwhile, across the world, it seems ordinary influenza is rare, says the Times.

Britain has received a welcome boost from the other side of the world. Countries in the southern hemisphere are experiencing record low levels of flu and some have hardly any cases.
In New Zealand, some GPs have not seen a single patient with the flu in months. In Australia, a tracking system that monitors tens of thousands of people for symptoms last week declared “flu-like illness activity is historically low”.

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