Thursday's national newspaper front pages Sky News
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Boris Johnson clearly doesn't like appearing before the Commons Liaison Committee.
Earlier this year he cancelled three scheduled appearances and then nobbled the committee by installing a Brexiteer crony, Sir Bernard Jenkin, as chairman, overriding the convention that the committee's members elect their own chair.
And when the PM did finally turn up, in May, it was a tetchy affair dominated by questions about his maverick adviser Dominic Cummings's lockdown-busting trip to Durham. Several times Mr Johnson said people should "move on".
This was the PM's second appearance at the committee and it was always likely to be dominated by questions on the two big issues currently confronting him: Coronavirus, in particular its economic impact, and Brexit. No pressure, then.
Image:Tom Tugendhat has clashed with Boris Johnson before
The bad news for the PM was that his interrogators would include some of the most vocal Tory backbench critics of his Internal Market Bill: Tobias Ellwood, Sir Bob Neill and Tom Tugendhat, plus Mel Stride, whose Treasury Select Committee had backed calls by Labour and trade unions for a targeted extension of the furlough scheme.
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The proceedings got off to a fairly gentle start for the prime minister, however, as the always-courteous Greg Clark, who chairs the Science and Technology Committee, opened the bowling for the Liaison Committee on coronavirus.
No bouncers or googlies and the PM responded with a pretty straight bat and saw out the opening overs with a series of dot balls.
More from Boris Johnson
There were tougher questions when William Wragg, who chairs the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, came on as first change and asked some cryptic questions about ministerial accountability and when ministers should resign.
Looking uncomfortable, the PM was clearly thinking: "Where is this going?" but he managed to see off this line of attack without much trouble, too.
Image:The first openly hostile questions came from Labour's Cat McKinnell
The first openly hostile questions came from Labour's Cat McKinnell, who chairs the Petitions Committee, on coronavirus anomalies.
She complained that a man could go the pub or go grouse shooting but not attend hospital with a pregnant partner or new mum for a scan.
The PM shut down that line of questioning by saying he would write to her.
Then she switched her attack to testing and the PM's "rule of six" and asked what he would say to those people who say the government can break the law in a limited and specific way, so why couldn't they do the same?
This time the PM dodged the question by addressing the committee chairman, his Brexit ally Sir Bernard, instead of the tenacious Ms McKinnell. Rather discourteous.
There were good probing questions too from Julian Knight, who chairs the Culture select committee and complained that theatres were shut because of the government's rules.
"Hold on," the PM appeared to be thinking, "I got my whips to tell Tory MPs to vote for this dude and defeat the pesky Remainer Damian Collins in the election for chair of his committee and this is how he repays me."
But the doughty Mr Knight showed he was no stooge and ploughed on by asking about a second national lockdown.
On this there was no obfuscation from the prime minister. No, he said. That would be disastrous.
Image:The PM had a bruising clash with Labour's Meg Hillier
Then came a bruising clash for the PM with Labour's Meg Hillier, who chairs the Public Accounts Committee and asked about testing in a brusque manner. "I'm surprised you have taken such a hostile tone," said the PM, feigning offence. "You set the target!" she shot back at him. A bone-crunching exchange.
Another Tory, Neil Parish, a Somerset farmer with a West Country accent as fruity as a strong cider, went into bat for farmers with detailed questions about tariffs.
The PM tried the chummy approach with him, calling the Environment Committee chairman "Neil" a few times, in contrast with his terse exchanges with the Labour MPs on the committee.
Image:Hilary Benn got the PM to admit he could be mistaken
In part two, on Brexit, the questions immediately started to get trickier for the PM, as Hilary Benn lured him into a trap by asking if the EU was negotiating in good faith.
Not any more, the PM suggested, which contradicted what the Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis had said at a committee hearing earlier.
Challenged by Mr Benn on the contradiction, the PM then admitted he could be mistaken! A rare admission for this prime minister.
Then came relief for Mr Johnson as the Brexit veteran Sir Bill Cash launched into a long monologue which enabled the PM to sit back in his chair and smile, rolling his eyes at the same time, while the old eurosceptic warhorse used up valuable time, until Sir Bernard Jenkin hurried him along.
A filibuster in a committee hearing? Now there's a novelty.
Boris Johnson clashes with Angus MacNeil over whether there should be an Indyref2
After some slapstick exchanges with the SNP's cheeky chappie Angus MacNeil on Scottish independence, it was the turn of the Internal Market Bill rebel-in-chief Sir Bob Neill.
Would he plunge the dagger on the "law-breaking" Bill? As it turned out, no, and we now know why.
Dapper Sir Bob was certainly razor sharp, but he chose to quiz the PM on the UK losing access to the European Arrest Warrant after Brexit, with the threat of bombers and other terrorists escaping justice.
Not an easy cross-examination from barrister Bob for the PM to deal with. He sounded as though he wasn't expecting those questions.
The reason Sir Bob avoided the Internal Market Bill became clear an hour after the Liaison Committee meeting ended, when Downing Street hoisted the white flag.
And Number 10 announced it would, after talks with rebel Tory MPs, table government amendments giving MPs a parliamentary lock - effectively a veto - on the overriding of the Withdrawal Agreement, which is exactly what Sir Bob's own amendment proposes. Big climbdown.
Image:There is no love lost between Tom Tugendhat and Boris Johnson
There's no love lost between the PM and Tom Tugendhat, however.
They have a disdain for each other that dates back to when Mr Johnson was foreign secretary and the former Army officer chaired the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.
Here they clashed over boycotting sports events to punish Russia and Foreign Office advice on the Internal Market Bill. If he had received advice, he wouldn't tell his tormentor Tom, the PM said with a menacing smile.
The last scheduled question was from another Johnson critic, Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the Defence Committee.
Yet he too launched into a long monologue that earned him a rebuke from an impatient Sir Bernard. There was a bit of a frisson between those two!
Eventually Mr Ellwood urged the PM to "set out what our vision is", which was an easy question for him to deal with - an opportunity to talk a lot about "global Britain" - as the meeting drew to a close, with Mr Ellwood unwisely treating their exchanges as a debate rather than questions.
Image:Sir Bernard Jenkin chairs the Liaison Committee
The verdict on the session: the prime minister was clearly so desperate to escape that he was on his feet, out of his chair and making a bolt for the door before Sir Bernard had even finished thanking him for turning up.
He comfortably survived his interrogation, however, and - true to form - answered questions when he wanted to and dodged them when he didn't.
It was also clear which MPs on the committee he respects and those he doesn't.
And the highlights: the PM claiming the EU is not negotiating in good faith, a second coronavirus lockdown would be disastrous and, finally and bizarrely, his inability to confirm whether a government minister, Scottish law officer Lord Keen, had resigned or not. Conversations were ongoing, said the PM.
Not for long, however. Half an hour after the meeting ended, Number 10 confirmed that Lord Keen had indeed resigned. "Chaos!" screamed the government's political opponents. Many Tory MPs would probably agree.
Large parts of the North East are set to be subjected to tighter lockdown restrictions that will be announced tomorrow, Sky News understands.
The fresh coronavirus restrictions are expected to come into force on Friday.
An MP present at the meeting told Sky News that the areas affected are likely to be Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead, County Durham and Sunderland.
NE to get drastic lockdown restrictions
It comes after health minister Nadine Dorries met with 22 MPs from NE England earlier today.
According to the Chronicle Live, measures will include a curfew of 10pm on pubs, restaurants and other licensed venues, as well as banning people from socialising with anyone outside their household.
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Other restrictions, which are set to be announced but have not yet been confirmed, include people being told not to travel on holiday with other households and sports fans being advised not to attend games.
The paper adds that only essential visitors will be able to visit care homes and, except for essential journeys, public transport use and car-sharing will be discouraged at peak times.
More from Covid-19
Newcastle City Council leader Nick Forbes tweeted: "Some additional, temporary restrictions are being planned to prevent another full lockdown."
In a reply to another Twitter user, Mr Forbes added: "We are waiting confirmation from Government on the final version of the regulations; I am expecting an announcement by the Health Secretary at 11am tomorrow."
Up to the 13 September, the two-week infection rate per 100,000 in the areas facing new restrictions, according to Sky News data, are:
Sunderland: 155.7
South Tyneside: 155.1
Gateshead: 139.7
Newcastle Upon Tyne: 116.3
North Tyneside: 85
County Durham: 70.2
Northumberland: 47.1
Labour MP for North Durham Kevan Jones told Sky News: "It's added to the farcical way the government has handled this. The issue in the North East needs to be addressed as numbers are rising but testing in the North East is a shambles."
Mr Jones added that local authorities should be given control of the test and trace service.
The move comes as the UK recorded its highest number of daily coronavirus infections since May.
Boris Johnson has partially climbed down on his controversial new Brexit bill in the face of a Tory rebellion.
Downing Street offered a compromise to try and win over the dozens of Conservatives who abstained or voted against the draft legislation that would override the withdrawal agreement - breaking international law.
The prime minister has promised to give MPs another vote before any of the powers are used, as long as they pass the Internal Market Bill when it is due to complete its Commons journey next week.
Image:A fresh Brexit row has blown up ahead of the end of the transition period
A statement was released "following talks" between Number 10 and disgruntled backbenchers, agreeing that the amendment will provide a "clearer, more explicit democratic mandate for the use of these powers".
And ministers have agreed to another amendment that "sets clear limits on the scope and timeliness of judicial review" of the bill.
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But it came too late to stop the resignation of a justice minister, Lord Keen, who is the third government figure to quit over the issue - after the head of the government legal department and a special envoy.
And Labour's shadow attorney general, Lord Falconer, said the concession "doesn't remedy the breaches of international law which arise from the bill", adding: "Honestly it's getting worse not better."
More from Brexit
Image:Lord Keen has quit as advocate general for Scotland
Earlier, Mr Johnson accused Brussels of not acting in "good faith" during trade negotiations.
Asked if he thought the EU was, he said "I don't believe that" - flatly contradicting Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis, whose answer to the same question earlier was "yes".
Before the U-turn, Mr Johnson said his approach was only "protection" against "extreme interpretations" of the part of the divorce deal concerning Northern Ireland.
He was supported by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said during a news conference: "I trust the UK... I have great confidence that they will get this right in a way that treats everyone fairly."
But Mr Johnson had been scorned by senior US Democrats threatening to block a US trade deal if the UK did break international law.
Meanwhile, the EU had threatened legal action and said it could threaten ongoing trade talks with the bloc.
Image:The PM said a no trade deal divorce was 'not what this country wants'
Mr Johnson sought to play down the prospect there will be no-deal to replace the existing trading arrangements that will expire at the end of 2020 when the transition period runs out.
He said that was "not what this country wants" and added: "I have every hope and expectation that that won't be the outcome."
Brussels has not yet responded to the latest move by Downing Street.
Analysis: This move won't totally quell disharmony with EU By Adam Parsons, Europe correspondent
The EU has been vociferous in its anger about the Internal Market Bill. This concession may mollify that slightly, but the disharmony won't go away.
The withdrawal agreement is seen as an absolutely fundamental document and any threat to it will continue to set off some very loud alarm bells.
The prime minister commands such a large parliamentary majority that some in Brussels think this safeguard is, to an extent meaningless - that if he calls a vote, he'll win it.
The flip side is that Brussels diplomats can now see that their fears and uncertainty are, to an extent, being mirrored in Westminster.
But until details are clear - particularly about the movement of goods - then this will remain a very contentious point. Trust in the UK is running low.
Boris Johnson has partially climbed down on his controversial new Brexit bill in the face of a Tory rebellion.
Downing Street offered a compromise to try and win over the dozens of Conservatives who abstained or voted against the draft legislation that would override the withdrawal agreement - breaking international law.
The prime minister has promised to give MPs another vote before any of the powers are used, as long as they pass the Internal Market Bill when it is due to complete its Commons journey next week.
Image:A fresh Brexit row has blown up ahead of the end of the transition period
A statement was released "following talks" between Number 10 and disgruntled backbenchers, agreeing that the amendment will provide a "clearer, more explicit democratic mandate for the use of these powers".
And ministers have agreed to another amendment that "sets clear limits on the scope and timeliness of judicial review" of the bill.
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But it came too late to stop the resignation of a justice minister, Lord Keen, who is the third government figure to quit over the issue - after the head of the government legal department and a special envoy.
And Labour's shadow attorney general, Lord Falconer, said the concession "doesn't remedy the breaches of international law which arise from the bill", adding: "Honestly it's getting worse not better."
More from Brexit
Image:Lord Keen has quit as advocate general for Scotland
Earlier, Mr Johnson accused Brussels of not acting in "good faith" during trade negotiations.
Asked if he thought the EU was, he said "I don't believe that" - flatly contradicting Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis, who's answer to the same question earlier was "yes".
Before the U-turn, Mr Johnson said his approach was only "protection" against "extreme interpretations" of the part of the divorce deal concerning Northern Ireland.
He was supported by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said during a news conference: "I trust the UK... I have great confidence that they will get this right in a way that treats everyone fairly."
But Mr Johnson had been scorned by senior US Democrats threatening to block a US trade deal if the UK did break international law.
Meanwhile, the EU had threatened legal action and said it could threaten ongoing trade talks with the bloc.
Image:The PM said a no trade deal divorce was 'not what this country wants'
Mr Johnson sought to play down the prospect there will be no-deal to replace the existing trading arrangements that will expire at the end of 2020 when the transition period runs out.
He said that was "not what this country wants" and added: "I have every hope and expectation that that won't be the outcome."
Brussels has not yet responded to the latest move by Downing Street.
Boris Johnson has partially climbed down on his controversial new Brexit bill in the face of a Tory rebellion.
Downing Street has offered a compromise to try and win over the dozens of Conservatives who either abstained or voted against the draft legislation that would override the withdrawal agreement - breaking international law.
The prime minister has promised to give MPs another vote before any of the powers are used, as long as they pass the Internal Market Bill when it is due to complete its Commons journey early next week.
A statement was released "following talks" between Number 10 and disgruntled backbenchers, agreeing that the amendment will provide a "clearer, more explicit democratic mandate for the use of these powers".
But it came too late to stop the resignation of a justice minister, Lord Keen, who is the third government figure to quit over the issue - after the head of the government legal department and a special envoy.
