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Boris Johnson will today announce whether he is walking away from post-Brexit trade talks with the EU after the bloc said it was up to the UK to compromise and mocked the Prime Minister's negotiating deadline.
Mr Johnson said he wanted the outline of a deal to be in place by yesterday's meeting of the European Council but the two sides remain deadlocked on a number of key issues.
The summit concluded with EU leaders agreeing that talks should continue but insisting it is the UK which needs to make the next move if there is to be a deal.
The apparent inflexibility shown by the bloc prompted anger in Westminster as Lord Frost, the UK's chief negotiator, said he was 'disappointed' by the outcome of the summit.
If Mr Johnson does decide to quit the talks it will put the UK and the EU on course to split at the end of the post-Brexit transition period in December without a trade accord.
If he decides to continue with negotiations, despite having set the summit as his deadline, he risks a backlash from Tory Brexiteers who want him to play hardball with the EU.
Boris Johnson will today set out whether he is walking away from trade talks with the EU after his negotiating deadline came and went
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte appeared to mock Mr Johnson as he said: 'Britain has already imposed so many deadlines that came and went.'
Mr Johnson suggested last month that both sides should walk away from the talks and prepare for a no deal divorce if there was no agreement by the summit on October 15.
EU leaders refused to bow to the deadline as they signalled their willingness for discussions to continue but gave no ground.
In a text adopted by the leaders on the day of the PM's deadline, they 'invited' the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier to continue talks while urging the UK to 'make the necessary moves to make an agreement possible'.
Lord Frost branded the response agreed by Brussels 'unusual' and said Mr Johnson will set out next steps today.
He tweeted: 'Disappointed by the European Council conclusions on UK/EU negotiations.
'(I'm) surprised the EU is no longer committed to working "intensively" to reach a future partnership as agreed with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on October 3.
'Also surprised by the suggestion that to get an agreement all future moves must come from the UK.
'It's an unusual approach to conducting a negotiation. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out UK reactions and approach tomorrow in the light of his statement of September 7.'
In a call with Ms von der Leyen and European Council president Charles Michel on the eve of the summit, Mr Johnson expressed 'disappointment' that the talks had not made more progress.
However, there is scepticism in Brussels that Mr Johnson will deliver on his threat to pull the plug on the negotiations.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte appeared to mock his counterpart as he said: 'Britain has already imposed so many deadlines that came and went.'
Meanwhile, Mr Michel told a press conference that Brussels would decide in the coming days, based on the UK's next proposals, whether a deal is possible.
'We are clear that we are determined to negotiate, we are determined to reach an agreement but we know there are some difficult topics,' he said.
'It is the case for fisheries, certainly, and also for level playing field and also governance.
Emmanuel Macron said he will not allow French fishermen to be 'sacrificed to Brexit' as he stuck to his negotiating red line on access to UK waters
This map shows the extent of the UK's Exclusive Economic Zone - the waters Britain will take back control of after Brexit. At the moment the EEZ of every EU member state is merged into one large zone which can be accessed by fishermen from all over Europe.
'We are united and we will make an assessment in the next days, we will see if it is possible to complete a negotiation, what will be the country's (the UK's) proposal and based on that we will make an assessment.'
Both sides want a deal to be agreed before the winter in order to allow time for it to be ratified and implemented before the end of the transition period.
Should no agreement be struck then the UK will trade with the bloc on World Trade Organisation terms from January 2021.
The Government has described this approach as an Australia-style arrangement.
Australia has no comprehensive trade deal with the EU but it also does far less business with Brussels than the UK.
A no deal split would see the EU impose tariffs on UK goods, with business groups warning this would damage British firms at a time when they can least afford it because of the coronavirus crisis.
The UK and the EU have acknowledged that the question of post-Brexit fishing rights remains among the most difficult issues to be resolved.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who is under pressure from fishermen in his country who fear losing access to British waters, yesterday stuck to his hardline on the issue.
'Under any circumstance, our fishermen should not be sacrificed for Brexit,' he said.
'If these conditions are not met, it's possible we won't have a deal. If the right terms can't be found at the end of these discussions, we're ready for a no-deal for our future relations.'
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab today urged the EU to show more 'flexibility'.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'There's a deal to be done, but there needs to be flexibility on both sides, energy and goodwill and political will on both sides, and the Prime Minister will say more (today).'
He said the Government was 'surprised by the attitude and the disposition' of the European Council.
He added: 'I'm surprised and disappointed by the lack of flexibility and will that at least seems to have come out of the European Council.'
Meanwhile, Lancashire has agreed to move to Tier 3, the "very high" alert level which includes pub closures and bans on household mixing indoors, in private gardens and most outdoor venues.
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A series of two-week circuit-breaker lockdowns around school holidays could help put the brakes on the spread of coronavirus until a vaccine is developed, a top professor and SAGE expert has said today.
Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who is on the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) committee, said the short lockdowns would best be imposed around school holidays - to minimise the impact on children.
He said the upcoming October half-term, the Christmas holiday, and next year's February break could all be used as dates to base the circuit-breaker lockdowns around.
But he stopped short of backing the mini-lockdowns, which he said were simply proposals.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘So the basic idea, and it is an idea, people say I’m calling for it, but we are not calling for it, it’s work between myself and Professor Matt Keeling and his team, is a proposal.
'It’s a way of reducing prevalence and having some control over the virus without having to go into severe restrictions before you have to.
Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine also warned some parts of the country could be back to where the country was in March - when national lockdown measures were imposed
He also warned some parts of the country (pictured: Liverpool, which is in the highest tier of an alert system) could be back to where the country was in March - when national lockdown measures were imposed
‘Potentially if you can do it half-term, can do it around Christmas holidays and February half term.'
Asked how long the circuit-breaker lockdowns would have to be, he told BBC Radio Four: ‘Well a week isn’t long enough, because it takes somebody infected a day before you go into that break, who will still be infected before you come back, so it would need to be two weeks.’
‘People have said it is kicking the can down the road, but treatment is getting better and there is a prospect of a vaccine and a low prevalence is effective because it makes everything in the system work better.'
Professor Medley also warned some parts of the country were heading back to where the country was in March - when national lockdown measures were introduced.
He said: ‘All the evidence is that prevalence is increasing and we are going into a situation where the focus is very much going back on to hospitals and health care.
‘Within a couple of weeks some areas are going to be back to the position they were at the end of March beginning of February.
‘So we are struggling at the moment to understand how we are balancing that imperative of having to prevent healthcare being completely overwhelmed and yet how to mitigate against the damage caused by the prevention, which of cause is huge.'
It comes as a senior government official last night said coronavirus 'circuit breakers' should be pencilled in around the school holidays.
Three weeks ago the Sage group of scientists advising ministers recommended a short lockdown to halt the rise in Covid-19 cases, which the Government chose not to follow.
But yesterday the senior government adviser argued for a 'whole series' of circuit breakers planned around when schools break up.
The idea is aimed at causing minimum disruption to schoolchildren while allowing families to plan ahead – although the cost of a temporary lockdown to the economy has been estimated at £2billion a day.
The expert, who did not want to be named, said: 'One of the things we think would be good would be to plan to have a whole series of these, probably placed around the school holidays so that they didn't disrupt education – or perhaps add a week to existing holidays.
'Tell people they're coming, so everybody can plan for them. And then if you don't need them well fine, we'll cancel them. It seems to us that one of the damages of lockdown is that they arrived right out of the blue.
'Now obviously, you would need to make sure people didn't all have massive parties the week before the circuit break came into being.'
The suggestion follows a political row after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called for a time-limited circuit breaker across the whole of England to try to bring the disease under control.
A government advisor has argued for a 'whole series' of circuit breakers planned around when schools break up to cause minimum disruption to students (stock photo)
Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer previously called for a time-limited circuit breaker across the whole of England to try to bring the disease under control
Some experts have suggested a two-week lockdown involving shutting bars, restaurants and non-essential shops and banning unnecessary travel could buy time to get cases of coronavirus under control.
A circuit breaker similar to this is still being discussed by some academics as an option for next week.
But the Government adviser said that if such a move was implemented, ministers will have 'lost the benefit of giving people a lot of notice'.
Planned breaks, however, would 'show to people that we can get on top of this'.
It comes as fellow SAGE member, Professor Jeremy Farrar, said the current base level of restrictions, which includes a 10pm curfew, were the 'worst of all worlds' as they inflicted economic damage while not going far enough to suppress the virus
The official went on to criticise current measures, describing them as 'useless' and adding: 'Not sure I dare say it – the rule of six was actually a loosening of measures for mixing inside households.'
It comes as fellow SAGE member, Professor Jeremy Farrar, said the current base level of restrictions, which includes a 10pm curfew, were the 'worst of all worlds' as they inflicted economic damage while not going far enough to suppress the virus.
The director of the Wellcome Trust told the BBC's Newscast podcast a short 'circuit-break' should have been introduced in September and implored ministers to 'act' as soon as possible.
He added that national restrictions were a better option – and making the row over the three-tier system a north-south or party political issue was 'a very dangerous route'.
Professor Farrar also said that countries had controlled Covid-19 well so far such as South Korea and New Zealand had a 'national consensus about the way forward'.
He added: 'I think we've got to come together as a country, this fragmentation, and frankly making this either a north-south or a party political issue, that's a very dangerous route to go on.
'What we don't want now is a fragmentation or confusion - one area or region or city pitched against another. I think that would be very, very damaging to public health and the country's ability to respond.'
Today Boris Johnson is preparing to force Greater Manchester into a Tier Three lockdown despite a furious rebellion from local leaders and Tory 'Red Wall' MPs.
A slew of senior Conservative MPs are siding with Manchester mayor Andy Burnham who accused the Government of making Manchester a 'sacrificial lamb' by slapping on the toughest lockdown measures - so far only imposed on Liverpool.
He said the North was being treated like a 'canary in the coalmine' with experimental restrictions, claiming that if London was in the same position there would be a nationwide clampdown.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) is set to put Greater Manchester on the Government's Tier 3 list with or without Andy Burnham's go-ahead - even though the mayor threatened legal action if it was imposed
But there is mounting speculation the PM will put Greater Manchester on the Tier Three list regardless of Mr Burnham's opposition.
Lancashire - the other area that the Joint Biosecurity Centre's 'Gold Command' agreed should be upgraded - could be plunged into the restrictions first to set an example, with local leaders admitting the move is 'inevitable' given high infection rates.
Talks to thrash out the details and support package for Lancashire went late into the night and are set to resume this morning.
Tier Three lockdown would see all bars and pubs who do not serve meals shut - as well as a ban on household mixing indoors and in gardens.
In a round of broadcast interviews this morning, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab insisted the government would rather vote with local leaders 'if possible'.
But he accused Mr Burnham of trying to 'hold the Government over a barrel' by resisting tougher coronavirus restrictions.
'Ultimately we need to take action – we can't have a situation as we have seen in Manchester where Andy Burnham is effectively trying to hold the Government over a barrel over money and politics when actually we need to take action,' he told BBC Breakfast.
'The cases there are 470 per 100,000 so it is very serious, and we must take action in the interest of the people of Manchester and the wider area, and if we take those targeted actions in those areas most affected… we get through this and we avoid the national level lockdown.'
Mr Raab urged Mr Burnham to 'do the right thing by the people of Manchester'.
Wales could be just days away from a full 'circuit-breaker' lockdown in an effort to stop the growing spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
The government is speaking with the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies about what further action it can take as the crisis enters the crucial winter months.
It comes after the Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford announced he intends to bar entry from English regions with high levels of Covid-19 if Boris Johnson fails to impose UK-wide travel restrictions.
News of a possible circuit-breaker came after businesses trying to operate in the hospitality sector pleaded for information on future plans.
First Minister Mark Drakeford said the Welsh Government is talking about circuit breaker
The circuit-breaker would see the whole of Wales put into strict lockdown measures
Deaths in Wales have begun rising since the summer months saw infections plateau
A Welsh Government spokesman said: 'The measures we have put in place at both a local and a national level, with help from the public, have kept the spread of the virus under check.
'However, there is a growing consensus that we now need to introduce a different set of measures and actions to respond to the virus as it is spreading across Wales more quickly through the autumn and winter.
'We are actively considering advice from Sage and our own group.
'A "fire break" set of measures to control Covid-19, similar to that described in the Sage papers, is under consideration in Wales. But no decisions have been made.'
It is thought any strict lockdown decision would not be announced before the weekend.
The key problem facing the government is how they would be able to support people who would no longer be able to go to work.
Minister Eluned Morgan told BBC Radio Cymru: 'We need to think about several factors when considering this because people are worried about their jobs, and we would have to make sure there was an economic package in place'.
Yesterday the Welsh First Minister threatened to use number plate recognition cameras to fine English drivers entering his country despite police saying his ban is 'unenforceable.'
Mark Drakeford announced on Thursday he intended to bar entry from English regions with high levels of Covid-19 if Boris Johnson fails to impose UK-wide travel restrictions.
But the Police Federation of England and Wales said 'policing in Wales is already over-stretched due to the pandemic' and the new measures would add 'yet another level of complexity to policing'.
Mr Drakeford defended his proposals on Thursday morning, arguing that the police could use ANPR technology to catch visitors crossing the frontier.
The Labour Party leader also said holiday providers in Wales should not accept bookings from people in hotspot areas of the UK as he warned existing getaway plans 'will no longer be able to be honoured'.
In Wales, there are 17 areas under higher local lockdowns, which include rules against entering or leaving the area without a reasonable excuse such as work or education.
However, currently people living in Covid-19 hotspots elsewhere in the UK are free to enter areas of Wales not under restrictions where levels of the virus are low.
Under regulations being prepared, people living in areas with high levels of coronavirus in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland will not be able to travel to Wales.
The chief executive of the Welsh NHS, Dr Andrew Goodall, said he would also 'welcome any actions that help us have a control of the levels of community transmission' when asked if he was in favour of the travel ban.
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Covid: Andy Burnham holding the government 'over a barrel', says Raab BBC NewsView Full coverage on Google NewsManchester could have a Tier 3 coronavirus lockdown imposed on it if negotiations fail, Dominic Raab has told Sky News.
The foreign secretary said ministers have "the power to proceed" with putting the city into England's highest band of measures to stem the spread of COVID-19.
After a furious row blew up with Manchester politicians and Westminster following talks yesterday, Mr Raab said a deal "ought to be possible".
Live coronavirus updates from the UK and around the world
"We'd much rather work with the local leaders if possible," he told Kay Burley.
But the leader of Manchester City Council Sir Richard Leese said there were no more discussions scheduled with the government today.
As breakthrough seems imminent with Lancashire leaders about the county moving into Tier 2, Mr Raab sought to pile the pressure on Manchester politicians to also accept new restrictions.
"We will keep talking and we'll keep working," he said.
"Obviously in the last resort the government has the powers to proceed in any event."
Mr Raab added the "right thing" for the country was to "avoid a second national lockdown" in the face of coronavirus cases rising a further 18,980 and deaths by 138 on Thursday.
"The way to do it is with a tiered approach that we've advocated," he said.
"That will only work, the scientists tell us, if everyone really leans in and implements it to the maximum."
But at least one politician was unimpressed with Mr Raab's message on Friday.
Labour's Jim McMahon, MP for Oldham, tweeted that "less posturing and more practical solutions to reduce the spread of the virus and prevent economic harm... might just work".
And John Edmunds, a scientist who sits on the government's science advisory group known as SAGE, has called for ministers in England to follow the lead of Northern Ireland and impose a "circuit breaker".
Mr Johnson laid out his plans for a three-tier system to suppress a coronavirus second spike on Monday.
In Tier 1, known as Medium, areas must follow the national restrictions - meaning people are only allowed social gatherings of up to six people inside or out, with a 10pm curfew for pubs bars and restaurants.
In Tier 2, people are banned from mixing with others they don't live with inside, but the Rule of Six still applies outside. Pubs and restaurants can remain open.
And in Tier 3, you cannot meet anyone you don't live with inside or out, pubs and bars must close unless they can operate as restaurants and no wedding receptions are allowed. People should avoid non-essential travel and staying overnight in another part of the UK, and local politicians will decide if gyms, betting shops, casinos, hairdressers and beauty salons should close.
