United Kingdom

    Christmas plans for millions of families were in the balance last night as ministers and devolved leaders held talks on curtailing freedoms over the festive period amid warnings that the NHS would be overwhelmed. At a crisis meeting with Michael Gove, leaders discussed cutting the number of days families can meet from five to three; reducing the number of households mixing from three to two; and introducing travel restrictions or a combination of measures. The four nations will meet again today to agree a joint approach. The decision described as “incredibly difficult” and heart-rending comes after many families have spent months unable to see or hug one another during the coronavirus pandemic, and just a week before the reunions are due to start. NHS Providers, wh...

    Hopes of normal family gatherings over Christmas have been thrown into doubt by health secretary Matt Hancock, who said he could not rule out further action after plunging millions of people in London and the southeast into the toughest tier 3 restrictions. Chief medical officer Chris Whitty appealed for families to have a minimalist Christmas, warning that even a modest relaxation of social distancing rules over the festive period will put upward pressure on the virus and increase pressure on the NHS as it enters the busy winter months. The warnings came as Mr Hancock revealed the discovery of a new variant of the Covid-19 virus, which he told MPs may be associated with the faster spread in the south-east of England where infections have spiked fast in recent days....

    Boris Johnson claimed a no-deal Brexit would be “wonderful” as the EU agreed it was now the most likely outcome and the bloc’s leaders refused to take the prime minister’s phone calls. With just two days left for a breakthrough, relations between the two sides instead appeared to be deteriorating as they remained far apart on the flashpoints of fair competition rules and fishing rights. In Brussels, the prime minister was strongly criticised for attempting to bypass the European Commission by offering to fly to Paris and Berlin for talks with Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel. It was revealed that both the French president and German chancellor had also snubbed him by refusing a three-way call on Monday – and Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, lashed out at the ...

    There is a strong possibility no free trade deal will be struck with the EU and the UK should be prepare to crash out with no-deal, Boris Johnson has warned. The prime minister told British citizens and businesses to make proper preparations for that scenario, which would come into effect on 1 January 2021 adding that the deal currently on the table isn't right for the UK. He insisted he would keep going and go the extra mile to try to strike a trade agreement with Brussels, but added he told cabinet ministers this afternoon to get on and make those preparations for no-deal. It came after Ursula von der Leyen said it would be difficult to reach a post-Brexit trade agreement, the European Union’s top official said as she stepped up no-deal planning. Ms von der Leye...

    Boris Johnson has arrived in Brussels for crunch Brexit talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. In a tweet, the prime minister insisted the UK will prosper mightily as an independent nation irrespective of whether the two sides agree trading arrangements resembling those of Australia or Canada. His message was accompanied by a photo of him waving and holding a red despatch box as he boarded a plane in London. Before leaving Downing Street, the prime minister told the Commons that a good deal is there to be done with the EU on trade but says the bloc is currently insisting on terms which no prime minister could accept. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said there is some chance that a deal could be reached, but warned it is unlikely that a ...

    The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's decision to tour the UK despite coronavirus restrictions was further questioned today when Downing Street repeatedly refused to endorse the trip. The Prime Minister's official spokesman was asked five times whether he believed the three day rail journey was necessary or Covid-compliant. Each time, he simply replied that it was a matter for the palace, elaborating only to highlight the current guidelines by which the public had been asked to abide. Downing Street later appeared to backtrack, only adding to the confusion, insisting that Boris Johnson welcomed the morale boost the royal would provide. A No 10 spokesman swiftly added: The PM is delighted to see the warm reception the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have received on th...

    Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have agreed to hold face-to-face talks within days in a bid to find a way through the Brexit deadlock. In a joint statement both sides said the conditions for a post-Brexit trade agreement were not there and that significant differences remained on fishing, the level playing field and governance. The announcement followed a lengthy phone call between the two, their second in as many days. Each side has asked their chief negotiators and their teams to prepare an outline of the remaining differences. These will be discussed in a physical meeting in Brussels in the coming days, they said. The decision paves the way for a final showdown between the two leaders later this week. A senior government so...

    The EU backed down over post-Brexit fishing arrangements on Sunday night – but the chances of a trade deal remained on a knife edge, with other key issues unresolved. Sources in Brussels said talks on fish were closing in on a political agreement, but there were warnings that no progress had been made on the far bigger problem of the level playing field, meaning the two sides could still end the talks without a deal as early as Monday night. On Monday evening, Boris Johnson will speak to Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, for the second time in 48 hours to decide whether to allow negotiations to continue into Tuesday or if there is no prospect of agreement to walk away for good. On Sunday night Michael Martin, the Irish prime minister, put the...

    Brexit trade talks have been paused after negotiators in London and Brussels failed to reach an agreement, insisting that significant divergences still remain. Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, will discuss the state of play in a telephone call on Saturday with just weeks remaining until the end of the transition period. Despite suggestions of an “imminent” agreement, the UK government’s negotiator, Lord David Frost, and his EU counterpart, Michel Barnier, issued a joint statement on Friday evening offering a pessimistic assessment of the negotiations. We agreed today that the conditions for an agreement are not met, due to significant divergences on a level playing field, governance and fisheries, they said. We agre...

    Talks on a post-Brexit trade deal have suffered a blow, with the UK accusing the European Union of making fresh demands at the 11th hour. The UK’s current trading arrangements with the bloc expire at the end of the month, leaving little time to get a deal agreed by negotiators and approved by the EU’s leaders, Westminster and the European Parliament. Hopes of an imminent deal appear to be fading after Thursday’s negotiations in London between the teams led by Lord Frost and the EU’s Michel Barnier. A senior UK Government source said: At the 11th hour, the EU is bringing new elements into the negotiation. A breakthrough is still possible in the next few days but that prospect is receding. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson will press ahead with plans allowing ministers to te...