Kamis, 31 Desember 2020

COVID-19: Mass gatherings and New Year's Eve parties broken up by police in Birmingham - Sky News

New Year's Eve in Birmingham, and the impact of Tier 4 COVID restrictions is all too apparent.

Occasional fireworks, and a rainbow of lasers, light up the sky, and optimistic taxi drivers line up on ranks in the city centre.

But the bars are closed, the restaurants have their shutters down, and the nightclubs are quiet. Only the takeaways are open, their customers walking home with familiar white plastic bags through the eerily quiet streets.

On any other New Year's Eve, these same streets would be thronging with people. The city centre would entertain tens of thousands of party-goers. The bars and restaurants taking hundreds of thousands of pounds on one of their busiest nights of the year.

And bubbles would only be mentioned when talking about champagne.

But not in 2020.

Tier 4 means "stay at home". No one can meet with any other people indoors, unless they live with them, or are part of a support bubble.

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That means any celebrations have to be small, and private.

If anyone breaks the rules, they can be fined, and West Midlands Police, like forces up and down the country, is tasked with enforcing the restrictions.

Inspector Richard Cox is Bronze Commander for the evening, co-ordinating around a hundred officers. Many of them are part of the Operational Support Unit, or OSU, trained in dealing with public order incidents, home searches and football matches.

NYE party
Image: Birmingham is under strict Tier 4 coronavirus measures

"Our main aim is to utilise the four E's which have been devised in response to the pandemic," he says.

"Firstly to engage with the public, then to explain the rules, to educate people about how they should behave, and only finally to enforce the legislation with fines."

We're on patrol with PC Dave Grossett.

Closing down parties might not have been what he signed up for, but he knows it's an important job, as the country continues to record higher and higher rates of infection.

"Nobody joins the police to keep families apart, we'd rather be bringing people together," he says.

"But these are very difficult times, and we know that the rules aren't there to victimise people, they're there to protect the most vulnerable."

NYE party
Image: Some people are not abiding by the Tier 4 rules in Birmingham this New Year's Eve

Within minutes of leaving the police station, the radio is chattering with information about a number of locations where the restrictions are potentially being breached.

Every incident, COVID-related or not, is given a "P" number from one to nine to indicate the severity of the offence. P1 is the highest level, and requires attendance within 15 minutes.

The first call we head for is classified as P3, with information to the police suggesting a gathering of over 30 people in the garden of a property in Tividale, near Dudley.

NYE party
Image: Police attended and checked the reported gatherings, before dispersing people found not following rules

We arrive at the same time as another team of four officers, only to discover the party had already been dispersed by Community Support Officers, with no action taken.

The digital running log is constantly being updated with incidents: a pub in West Bromwich where lights and music have been reported; 12 people celebrating in the front garden and on the road outside a house in Solihull; a house party in Birmingham city centre that's been reported by several neighbours; a group of men having a barbecue inside an industrial unit.

By 10pm there have been more than 100 recorded. Nearly all are small house parties which are quickly dispersed. Some are legitimate gatherings. Some have been falsely or maliciously reported. But all still have to be attended and checked.

We head to the city centre to follow up reports that a group of 40 to 50 young people have gathered.

They soon disperse, and a group of stragglers, some wearing sequinned party dresses ill-suited for the sub-zero temperatures, are given face masks by police before they make use of one the taxis whose driver's optimism has paid off.

It's not clear whether they were heading to, or from, a party. The next call suggests it was the former.

At an apartment block nearby, we arrive to find a dozen or more officers attending a party of at least 35 young people.

Names, ages and addresses are taken, some given more readily than others, then the youths are given dispersal notices and sent home. Their ages will determine whether or not they receive fixed penalty notices in the coming days.

NYE party
Image: Almost 300 incidents were reported before midnight

As we continue to drive around the residential streets, it seems that the vast majority of people are sticking to the rules.

But almost 300 reported incidents by midnight suggest that not everyone was prepared to observe the restrictions.

Some don't believe in compliance, others don't believe in COVID. Some simply believe they'll get away with it.

All of them though have chosen to behave in a way that according to the health professionals, could ultimately cost lives.

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2021-01-01 02:54:13Z
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Brexit: 'We welcomed the trade deal like a Christmas present' - BBC News

Image shows Tyurkyan in London
Courtesy of Tyurkyan Osmanova

It's a new year and a new chapter for the UK's relationship with Europe. How millions of people live, work and travel will look very different in 2021.

That's because the transition period - when the UK continued to follow the EU's rules - ended on 31 December. Now a post-Brexit trade deal, reached just before the deadline, has come into force.

So, with this historic change looming, the BBC spoke to Europeans in the UK, and British people in Europe, about what Brexit could mean for them.

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Image shows Catalina at her graduation in London
Courtesy of Catalina Anca Toader

Catalina-Anca Toader from Onesti, Romania... now living in London

I came to the UK more than five years ago when I was accepted by the University of Westminster. I graduated with a first-class degree in 2018, and now work for a digital advertising agency in London.

I hold settled status and plan to apply for UK citizenship in 2021.

During the Brexit negotiations, I was concerned about the exchange rates as well as potential longer queues at airports. But I was mainly worried about whether the UK would impose stricter rules for citizenship and if my student loan repayments would be affected.

I was ultimately left counting down the days until the end of the transition period, worrying that the UK and the EU wouldn't reach an agreement.

So I'm happy with the deal at this stage and, hopefully, I'll soon be able to have dual citizenship. But I do think people may need more time to prepare for the sudden changes.

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Image shows Jason Carter and his wife at his citizenships ceremony in 2016
Courtesy of Jason Carter

Jason Carter from the UK's Isle of Wight... now living in Stockholm, Sweden

I first arrived in Sweden as a student in 1999. I met my wife, Jessica, in Stockholm around that time but only moved here permanently in 2006. I live here with Jessica and our 11-year-old son, Ulf.

I became a Swedish citizen in 2016 and have dual citizenship. I applied in April ahead of the Brexit vote because I wanted to ensure I remained an EU citizen afterwards.

As someone whose life has been altered by the opportunities and rights that being a member of the EU gave, I was concerned what would happen to those rights. In particular, the right for my family to resettle in the UK one day.

When I married Jessica we both had the right to live and work in the UK or Sweden. Any attempt to return to the UK would likely be extremely difficult now - so the future we had planned is now no longer easily available.

I had also hoped that my son would one day be able to spend time on the Isle Of Wight, working summer jobs and living in the UK. But this is not as easy as it once would have been.

I don't think this is the deal that anyone wanted. But the fact a no-deal Brexit was averted at the 11th hour is perhaps more of a cause for celebration.

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The basics

A Brexit deal was agreed, days before a deadline. It means that the UK and the EU can continue to trade without extra taxes being put on goods.

What took so long? The UK voted to leave the EU in 2016 and actually left on 31 January 2020, but leaders had until the end of 2020 to work out a trade deal.

There are big changes ahead. Although it's a trade deal that has been agreed, there will also be changes to how people travel between the EU and UK, and to the way they live and work.

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Image shows Tyurkyan Osmanova
Courtesy of Tyurkyan Osmanova

Tyurkyan Osmanova from Shumen, Bulgaria... now living in Cambridge, England

Back home, I was a journalist for Bulgarian National Radio and had two university degrees. But I followed my husband to the UK eight years ago.

Usually, when somebody moves to a different country it's for study, work or to seek a better future. For me, it was a mixture of all of them.

It hasn't been easy, but I started a business offering accounting services and now I have an office in Cambridge and a good portfolio. A few months ago, I applied for British citizenship because I'd like to spend the rest of my life here and provide a future for my children in this country.

We were worried about the uncertainty of a no-deal Brexit, so we welcomed the trade deal like a Christmas present. Many people are breathing a sigh of relief over that!

But we still don't know the real parameters of the deal and I think it will take time for it to settle and be put into action.

My husband has a food business, and he's worried about how the deal will affect the prices of goods and supplies. Sadly, lots of small businesses are giving up because they feel double pressure from Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic.

It will be a challenging time for all of us.

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Image shows Alyson Sheldrake and her husband, David
Courtesy of Dave Sheldrake

Alyson Sheldrake from Devon, England... now living in the Algarve, Portugal

I'm a former director of education at the Church of England and my husband, Dave, is a retired police officer. We bought a house in the Algarve in 2006 while still living and working in the UK, but once Dave retired in 2011 we moved here permanently.

One of our main concerns was that everything was left unresolved for so long. It left everyone in limbo, not knowing what might happen or what the future might look like.

We've had to accept that whatever deal was struck would negatively influence us and our financial position. The pound-to-euro rate plummeted as soon as the Brexit vote was announced, and it hasn't moved much since.

There are broader concerns than just our own lives to consider, though. As a former educator, I'm aware of the benefits programmes like the Erasmus scheme bring to young people.

I guess it's better to have a trade deal in place than not having one, but people are already talking about tariff wars in the future and they haven't even started sorting out what this means in terms of transporting goods.

Personally, I'm intent on bringing my Portuguese language skills up to the required level to apply for citizenship. We're settled and very happy here.

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Image shows Bibiana Jordan-Horvath
Courtesy of Bibiana Jordan-Horvath

Bibiana Jordan-Horvath from Krompachy, Slovakia... now living in Sheffield, England

I've been living in the UK since the 1990s, when I first came to study English as a foreign language in Salisbury.

I now teach English and work with Czech and Slovak communities in Sheffield and elsewhere. I've definitely noticed panic over Brexit among many people who thought of themselves as established Europeans in this country.

All of us were anxious about jobs, living costs, and how businesses and free movement could be affected.

But I'm definitely pleased a trade deal was agreed. I felt prolonged anxiety during the negotiations, and the coronavirus pandemic didn't help with this! I also think it showed the importance of countries standing together.

We'll have to turn this moment into opportunities and advantages. Let's embrace this change.

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2021-01-01 00:26:00Z
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UK welcomes New Year with drone display, fireworks and indoor parties - Metro.co.uk

London's drone display
The UK has kicked off the New Year with a futuristic drone display (Picture: Getty; Reuters)

London has bid farewell to 2020 with a futuristic drone display, which highlighted key moments from the year the pandemic changed the world.

The pre-recorded display, which was filmed during the early hours of Tuesday, saw the NHS enclosed in a heart, Black Lives Matter fists raised into the air and Sir Captain Tom Moore’s created out of light.

As Big Ben rang out to signal the start of the New Year, the drones formed a giant 2021 and fireworks went off by the Millenium Dome.

A male voice could then be heard reciting a poem that began: ‘In the year of 2020 a new virus came our way. We knew what must be done, and so to help we hid away.

Drone display still
An ode to the failures of 2020 (Picture: BBC)

‘Old habits became extinct and they made way for the new. And every simple act of kindness was now given its due.’

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In a nod to some of 2020’s failures, the drones also poked fun at the year’s endless Zoom calls, creating the words ‘you’re on mute’ above the giant image of a microphone turned off.

Captain Tom Moore
Captain Tom Moore, who was made a Sir earlier this year, was immortalised with drones (Picture: BBC)
Fireworks and drones illuminate the night sky over London as they form a light display as London's normal New Year's Eve fireworks display was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. PA Photo. Picture date: Thursday December 31, 2020. Photo credit should read: Victoria Jones/PA Wire
A giant bird took flight shortly after midnight (Picture: PA)
NHs in a heaert
The NHS was placed inside a heart (Picture: BBC)

The display also featured the sound of the British public applauding NHS workers, clips from national news reports, and music by Stormzy and David Bowie. It ended with Sir David Attenborough calling for people to work in 2021 to help our ‘fragile’ planet.

The 10-minute show used more than 300 drones which were flown around the Millenium Dome after the annual fireworks display at the London Eye was cancelled. Last year, more than 100,000 people gathered around Victoria Embankment for the New Year’s Eve tradition.

This year’s display did not take place due to the virus, with three-quarters of England currently in tier four, which prevents people from leaving their homes unless for exercise, work or education purposes.

Elsewhere in the UK, large fireworks displays were also cancelled in Edinburgh, Manchester and Liverpool in a bid to disperse crowds amid Covid restrictions.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - DECEMBER 31: A man holds a sparkler in front of the London Eye, in what would normally be a ticket-only area filled to capacity waiting for the annual fireworks display, on December 31, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. New Year's Eve Celebrations have been curtailed in the UK this year dues to Coronavirus pandemic restrictions. With most of the UK in tiers three and four, socialising is off limits. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
The fireworks were smaller this year (Picture: Getty Images)
Police officers stand guard during the New Year's Eve amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain December 31, 2020. REUTERS/Simon Dawson
The streets looked empty in London this evening (Picture: Reuters)
Police officers and stewards mingle with members of the public at Piccadilly Circus in a near-deserted London on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2020, as authorities in the Tier 4 city hope the message to stay at home is obeyed. (Photo by Tolga Akmen / AFP) (Photo by TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images)
Coronavirus has seen many New Year’s events cancelled (Picture: Getty Images)
Police officers speak to pedestrians near the embankment opposite the London Eye ferris wheel in London, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020. The London Eye is one of the traditional sites for New Year's Eve firework display, but it has been cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions in place to try and stop its spread. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Police officers speak to pedestrians by the London Eye before midnight (Picture: AP)

However several groups of people could be seen gathered on Primrose Hill in London to watch fireworks go off across the capital’s skyline, despite restrictions not allowing more than two people to meet up outside together in tier four.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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2021-01-01 00:01:00Z
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Brexit: New era for UK as it completes separation from European Union - BBC News

Union Jack flag outside European Parliament in Brussels
Reuters

A new era has begun for the United Kingdom after it completed its formal separation from the European Union.

The UK stopped following EU rules at 23:00 GMT, as replacement arrangements for travel, trade, immigration and security co-operation came into force.

Boris Johnson said the UK had "freedom in our hands" and the ability to do things "differently and better" now the long Brexit process was over.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the UK remained a "friend and ally".

UK ministers have warned there will be some disruption in the coming days and weeks, as new rules bed in and British firms trading with the continent come to terms with the changes.

Officials have insisted new border systems are "ready to go" amid fears of hold-ups at ports.

  • What happens now that a deal's been done?
  • A quick guide to what's in the Brexit deal
  • Brexit: Seven things that will change

The UK officially left the 27-member political and economic bloc on 31 January, three and half years after the UK public voted to leave in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

But it has stuck to the EU's trading rules for the past 11 months while the two sides negotiated their future economic partnership.

After trade talks went down to the wire, a landmark treaty was finally agreed on Christmas Eve. It became law in the UK on Wednesday after it was approved by Parliament.

Under the new arrangements, which came into force at 24.00 CET, UK manufacturers will have tariff-free access to the EU's internal market, meaning there will be no import taxes on goods crossing between Britain and the continent.

But it does mean more paperwork for businesses and people travelling to EU countries while there is still uncertainty about what it will happen to banking and services, which are a major part of the UK economy.

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Analysis box by Jessica Parker, political correspondent

It a moment that some will regard with huge optimism, others with deep regret.

And while this historic move happens at a moment in time, the impact, in some areas, may be less instant or obvious than others - for example, it's expected there'll be relatively little traffic at Dover on the first day of 2021 as new border checks kick in.

Nevertheless, significant changes are here - whether on trade, travel, security or immigration.

And while coronavirus continues - for now - to shut down much of society those changes could well become more apparent in the months ahead.

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PM hails 'amazing moment'

Mr Johnson - who was a key figure in the Leave campaign during the 2016 referendum and who took the UK out of the EU in January six months after becoming prime minister - said it was an "amazing moment" for the UK.

In his New Year message, the PM said the UK was now "free to do things differently, and if necessary better, than our friends in the EU".

"We have our freedom in our hands and it is up to us to make the most of it," he said.

Lord Frost, the UK's chief negotiator, tweeted that Britain had become a "fully independent country again" while veteran Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash said the outcome was a "victory for sovereignty and democracy".

But opponents of Brexit maintain the country will be worse off than it was while in the EU.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, whose ambition it is to take an independent Scotland back into the EU, tweeted: "Scotland will be back soon, Europe. Keep the light on."

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Analysis box by Katya Adler, Europe editor

In Brussels, there is a sense of relief the Brexit process is over, but there is regret still at Brexit itself.

Basically, the European Union thinks that Brexit makes it - the EU - and the UK weaker.

But they think this is less bye-bye Britain and more au revoir, because there are so many loose ends between the two sides.

The two sides still need to talk about the practicalities. We still have to find out what access Brussels is going to give to UK financial services to the single market, there's that cooperation on climate change, and in this new trade deal there is a renewal clause every five years.

For all of those reasons and more, the EU thinks this is not an end to its conversation with the UK for the foreseeable future.

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What is changing?

The culmination of the Brexit process means major changes in different areas. These include:

  • The free movement of people between the UK and EU countries has ended - and has been replaced in the UK by a "points-based" immigration system
  • Anyone from the UK who wants to stay in most of the EU for more than 90 days in any 180-day period now needs a visa
  • Duty-free shopping has returned, with people coming back to the UK from the EU able to bring up to 42 litres of beer, 18 litres of wine, four litres of spirits and 200 cigarettes without paying tax
  • EU citizens wanting to move to the UK (except those from Ireland) face the same points-based system as people elsewhere in the world
  • UK police have lost instant access to EU-wide databases on criminal records, fingerprints and wanted persons
  • Traders in England, Scotland and Wales must complete more paperwork when dealing with EU countries

British firms exporting goods to the continent will have to fill out customs declarations straight away.

But checks on goods entering Britain from the continent will be phased in over a six-month period up to July 2021, although some new customs procedures have already come into force, on imports of alcohol, tobacco, chemicals and controlled drugs.

The first customs checks at the Eurotunnel following the UK's departure from the single market went smoothly, the company said.

Spokesman John Keefe said: "It all went fine, everything's running just as it was before 11pm. It's very, very quiet, there are very few trucks around, as we predicted."

In other major breaks from the past, the European Court of Justice will cease to have any role in deciding disputes between the UK and EU.

And the UK will gradually be able to keep more of the fish caught in its own waters.

Unlike the rest of the UK, Northern Ireland will continue to follow many of the EU's rules, as its border with the Republic of Ireland remains all but invisible. The UK government said on Thursday online retailers in Britain will not have to make customs declarations when sending parcels to customers in Northern Ireland.

How prepared is the UK?

Intensive preparations have been taking place over the past two weeks to ready the UK for the coming changes, although concerns remain many small business are not ready.

The UK's Countdown Plan has involved operational testing of infrastructure at the border and close co-operation with France, Holland and Belgium.

A government spokesman said: "The border systems and infrastructure we need are in place, and we are ready for the UK's new start."

Lorries arriving at the Port of Dover
EPA

Vehicles trying to take goods across the channel without the correct documentation face being turned back while drivers of HGVs weighing more than 7.5 tonnes who do not have permits to enter Kent risk being fined.

Traffic volumes are expected to be lower than normal on 1 January due to the pandemic but are expected to pick up from Monday, when the new procedures and the UK's contingency measures are expected to be tested.

The government said 450 "Kent access" permits had been issued to HGV lorries intending to cross the channel at Dover on 1 January and hauliers arriving without them would be identified and subject to a £300 fine.

Meanwhile, the UK and Spain have reached an agreement meaning the border between Gibraltar and Spain will remain open.

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2020-12-31 23:57:00Z
CBMiL2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLXBvbGl0aWNzLTU1NTAyNzgx0gEzaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvYW1wL3VrLXBvbGl0aWNzLTU1NTAyNzgx

The Brexit transition is ending - but we still don't know the destination of our journey - Sky News

Heralding the end of the transition phase and a new chapter of UK-EU relations, Boris Johnson told the country correctly that "this is the beginning." 

But tonight, despite 1,246 pages of legal agreement with the EU, plus annexes, nobody actually knows the destination of the journey that we start tonight.

There are some certainties. From 1 January 2021 the UK will have finally broken the legal link with the EU first established on 1 January 1973 when it joined the European Economic Community, and hence there is no need to automatically follow EU law.

The UK will be outside the single market, which it was part of since the creation in 1993, and the customs union which it has been part of throughout.

The UK will control its own migration system, no longer giving automatic or even preferential entry to EU citizens. It will be able to make limited changes to its taxation system, like removing VAT on sanitary products.

There will be more paperwork for exporting goods to the EU. There is even a new trade border between the Surrey and Kent borders, to stop lorries trying to travel to the continent without necessary paperwork.

Beyond that, much less is clear. The text may be printed and passed into law with the support of the main political parties, but that isn't the end of the process.

More from Brexit

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PM signs Brexit trade deal

Indeed practical details about people's lives have even been changing today.

At lunchtime there was a provisional agreement over how to handle Gibraltar.

And this evening, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced via his legendary Twitter feed that the UK has now secured agreement with all 27 EU member states to recognise UK licences without the need for an International Drivers Permit.

Expect a lot of this - small but important changes to our lives.

Former Brexit Secretary David Davis explained why the talking isn't over - because there will be a desire to weaponise the fine print of the treaty by both sides.

David Davis
Image: David Davis has warned the talking with the EU is not over

He told me: "What we know from history is that Europe is very determined to make the most of its trade deals from its own point of view, so we have to negotiate or navigate all of that.

"You should remember - sovereignty is not absolute power - every sovereign country has to negotiate with its neighbours and people who have shared interests and opposing interests and resolve the best for themselves and we've got to do that."

There will also be movement because MPs will change their mind - that's the view of DUP Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson.

He told me: "The government should have learned from last year. They had a withdrawal agreement they put through on a Saturday morning, they now have a future relationship agreement they put through on a Thursday morning and when you do things in haste, sometimes you repent at leisure."

But there's a bigger challenge. Brexit is likely to cement permanent structural change in our system of democracy.

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What will be the economic impact of Brexit?

Politics - and political parties - will now adapt and morph to the new changed circumstances. Take one example. Labour will likely over time advocate a closer relationship than the one currently created by Mr Johnson - casting it as practical improvements to problems caused by Brexit, but whose solutions tiptoe towards closer integration.

The Tories meanwhile will do the opposite, and are likely want something looser; to do more things differently. The "freedom clause" deliberately allows Mr Johnson's potential successors to offer a negotiation of an even more distant relationship in return for accepting tariffs on some sectors.

This could quite possibly seem attractive to Tory leadership contenders when they are trying to woo the Tory faithful.

And all of this means we could well be trapped in a new, different cycle of neurosis over our relationship with the EU - and in many ways the detail of the new agreement actively encourages us to do this.

The fine print gives us three months to get a deal on financial services and four on data transfer. There's a review on whether we've been playing by the rules in four years, and the transition period on fish ends in five-and-a-half. Last week's deal is just the beginning - but nobody can at the turn of the year say what the destination or when the end might be.

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2020-12-31 22:18:54Z
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