COVID-19: William and Kate to set off on Royal Train journey to thank UK's coronavirus heroes - Sky News

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will set off on a festive train journey across the UK to bring some Christmas cheer as they say thanks to coronavirus heroes.

Prince William and Kate will be using the Royal Train to travel to Scotland, England and Wales, stopping in to pay tribute to individuals and organisations that have gone above and beyond in response to the pandemic.

Between Sunday 6 and Tuesday 8 December, they will travel 1,250 miles, meeting frontline workers, volunteers, care home staff, teachers, schoolchildren and young people to hear about their experiences.

Image: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will thank the UK's coronavirus heroes on the tour

A spokesperson for Kensington Palace said: "The Duke and Duchess are very much looking forward to shining a spotlight on the incredible work that has been done across the country throughout this difficult year and to sharing their gratitude on behalf of the nation for all those supporting their local communities ahead of the Christmas holidays."

It is understood they want the nationwide tour to tell a poignant story of the year, but in an uplifting way.

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Along the way their engagements will feature several festive performances by local artists, helping to showcase the UK's arts, heritage and performance sector, which has been supported by the government's £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund.

Ahead of the trip, 10-year-old British artist Joe Whale, also known as the Doodle Boy, has created a doodle to bring the journey to life.

More from Covid-19

Image: Schoolboy artist Joe Whale has created a doodle to mark the trip

The Queen is a known to be a huge fan of travelling by train, but in recent decades the Royal Train has not been used in this way for such an ambitious national tour over several days.

Queen Victoria was the first reigning British sovereign to use it in June 1842.

The journey was from Slough, the closest train station to Windsor Castle, to London Paddington.

For Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee in 1977 a single set of "Royal Train" carriages were formed for the first time and have remained in service ever since.

The locomotives that power the train are capable of speeds up to 125mph, but when they are on Royal duty they are restricted to 100mph.

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2020-12-05 22:31:48Z
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Brexit: UK-EU trade talks to resume over 'critical issues' - BBC News

The UK and EU have decided to return to the negotiating table to try to agree a post-Brexit trade deal, despite "significant differences".

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen made the decision during a phone call on Saturday.

A statement said there were three "critical issues" to address.

Negotiating teams will reconvene in Brussels on Sunday, and the leaders will speak again on Monday evening.

In the joint statement from Mr Johnson and Ms Von der Leyen, they said fishing rights, competition rules and how any deal is enforced were still causing problems, with the statement adding: "Both sides underlined that no agreement is feasible if these issues are not resolved."

But the leaders continued: "Whilst recognising the seriousness of these differences, we agreed that a further effort should be undertaken by our negotiating teams to assess whether they can be resolved."

The BBC's political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, said the next meeting "feels like a last roll of the dice, rather than ironing out a few last minute glitches", and the next 48 hours would be "critical".

• LIVE: Leaders agree to resume post-Brexit trade talks
• What are the sticking points in Brexit trade talks?
• Brexit: What is a level playing field?

The UK left the EU on 31 January but remains under EU trading rules until the end of the year.

The two sides have been holding talks since March in an attempt to secure a deal before this time, which is called the transition period, ends on 31 December.

If a deal is not agreed by that point, tariffs - or taxes on goods - could come into force.

But the same three sticking points have stopped negotiating teams coming to an agreement, and on Friday, talks came to an end with both sides saying "significant divergences" remained.

In their statement, Mr Johnson and Ms Von der Leyen said they "welcomed the fact that progress has been achieved in many areas".

But, they added: "Nevertheless, significant differences remain on three critical issues: level playing field, governance and fisheries. Both sides underlined that no agreement is feasible if these issues are not resolved.

"Whilst recognising the seriousness of these differences, we agreed that a further effort should be undertaken by our negotiating teams to assess whether they can be resolved."

Brexit - The basics

• Brexit happened but rules didn't change at once: The UK left the European Union on 31 January but leaders needed time to negotiate a deal for life afterwards - they got 11 months.
• Talks are on again: The UK and the EU have until 31 December to agree a trade deal as well as other things, such as fishing rights.
• If there is no deal: Border checks and taxes will be introduced for goods travelling between the UK and the EU. But deal or no deal, we will still see changes.

What happens next with Brexit?

The EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, tweeted after the statement was published, saying: "We will see if there is a way forward."

Ireland's Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheal Martin also took to Twitter, welcoming the news that the teams would resume trade talks.

He said: "An agreement is in everyone's best interests. Every effort should be made to reach a deal."

Labour's shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves said: "The British people were promised a deal and, with time running out, we urge both sides to get on with reaching an agreement."

It's not over, not yet.

The two sides in this complicated and drawn out process have agreed that it is worth trying one last time to find a way through their profound differences.

But the statements from the prime minister and the EU chief, Ursula von der Leyen, signal clearly that a trade deal is out of reach right now - spelling out that if no-one budges in the next few days, it's simply not going to happen.

A feature of Brexit negotiations has often been the last minute stand off, the political emergency, before suddenly, lo and behold, a deal emerges from the wreckage.

By Monday night, that tradition may have been proven again.

Yet it seems there is a lot more to be done than ironing out a few last minute glitches.

Read more from Laura here.

If an agreement is reached it will need to be turned into legal text and translated into all EU languages, then ratified by the European Parliament.

The UK government is likely to introduce legislation implementing parts of any deal reached, which MPs will be able to vote on.

And the 27 EU national parliaments could also need to ratify an agreement - depending on the actual contents of the deal.

But before that, there are even more hurdles to overcome.

The week to come

After the talks between the teams on Sunday and the further leaders' call on Monday, the UK Internal Market Bill will return to the Commons.

Certain clauses allow the government to override elements of the original treaty with the EU for Brexit - the withdrawal agreement - which, if implemented, would break international law.

The EU are unhappy with it, as are the House of Lords, who voted to scrap those clauses of the bill.

But the government is still backing its measures, which could cause tensions in the trade talks, and they are expected to push them through on Monday night.

Another bill with similar provisions - the Taxation (Post-Transition Period) Bill - will also return to the Commons this week.

In addition, EU leaders will be meeting in Brussels on Thursday.

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2020-12-05 20:04:00Z
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Brexit: UK-EU trade talks to resume over 'critical issues' - BBC News

The UK and EU have decided to return to the negotiating table to try to agree a post-Brexit trade deal, despite "significant differences".

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen made the decision during a phone call on Saturday.

A statement said there were three "critical issues" to address.

Negotiating teams will reconvene in Brussels on Sunday, and the leaders will speak again on Monday evening.

In the joint statement from Mr Johnson and Ms Von der Leyen, they said fishing rights, competition rules and how any deal is enforced were still causing problems, with the statement adding: "Both sides underlined that no agreement is feasible if these issues are not resolved."

But the leaders continued: "Whilst recognising the seriousness of these differences, we agreed that a further effort should be undertaken by our negotiating teams to assess whether they can be resolved."

The BBC's political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, said the next meeting "feels like a last roll of the dice, rather than ironing out a few last minute glitches", and the next 48 hours would be "critical".

• LIVE: Leaders agree to resume post-Brexit trade talks
• What are the sticking points in Brexit trade talks?
• Brexit: What is a level playing field?

The UK left the EU on 31 January but remains under EU trading rules until the end of the year.

The two sides have been holding talks since March in an attempt to secure a deal before this time, which is called the transition period, ends on 31 December.

If a deal is not agreed by that point, tariffs - or taxes on goods - could come into force.

But the same three sticking points have stopped negotiating teams coming to an agreement, and on Friday, talks came to an end with both sides saying "significant divergences" remained.

Brexit - The basics

• Brexit happened but rules didn't change at once: The UK left the European Union on 31 January but leaders needed time to negotiate a deal for life afterwards - they got 11 months.
• Talks are on again: The UK and the EU have until 31 December to agree a trade deal as well as other things, such as fishing rights.
• If there is no deal: Border checks and taxes will be introduced for goods travelling between the UK and the EU. But deal or no deal, we will still see changes.

What happens next with Brexit?

The EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, tweeted after the statement was published, saying: "We will see if there is a way forward."

Ireland's Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheal Martin also took to Twitter, welcoming the news that the teams would resume trade talks.

He said: "An agreement is in everyone's best interests. Every effort should be made to reach a deal."

Labour's shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves said: "The British people were promised a deal and, with time running out, we urge both sides to get on with reaching an agreement."

It's not over, not yet.

The two sides in this complicated and drawn out process have agreed that it is worth trying one last time to find a way through their profound differences.

But the statements from the prime minister and the EU chief, Ursula von der Leyen, signal clearly that a trade deal is out of reach right now - spelling out that if no-one budges in the next few days, it's simply not going to happen.

A feature of Brexit negotiations has often been the last minute stand off, the political emergency, before suddenly, lo and behold, a deal emerges from the wreckage.

By Monday night, that tradition may have been proven again.

Yet it seems there is a lot more to be done than ironing out a few last minute glitches.

Read more from Laura here.

If an agreement is reached it will need to be turned into legal text and translated into all EU languages, then ratified by the European Parliament.

The UK government is likely to introduce legislation implementing parts of any deal reached, which MPs will be able to vote on.

And the 27 EU national parliaments could also need to ratify an agreement - depending on the actual contents of the deal.

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2020-12-05 19:12:00Z
52781222921133

Brexit: UK-EU trade talks to resume over 'critical issues' - BBC News

The UK and EU have decided to return to the negotiating table to try to agree a post-Brexit trade deal, despite "significant differences".

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen made the decision during a phone call on Saturday.

A statement from the pair said there were "critical issues" to address.

Negotiating teams will reconvene in Brussels on Sunday, and the leaders will speak again on Monday evening.

In the joint statement from Mr Johnson and Ms Von der Leyen, they said fishing rights, competition rules and how any deal is enforced were still causing problems, with the statement adding: "Both sides underlined that no agreement is feasible if these issues are not resolved."

But the leaders continued: "Whilst recognising the seriousness of these differences, we agreed that a further effort should be undertaken by our negotiating teams to assess whether they can be resolved."

• What are the sticking points in Brexit trade talks?
• Brexit: What is a level playing field?
• Brexit: Will the borders be ready?

The UK left the EU on 31 January but remains under EU trading rules until the end of the year.

The two sides have been holding talks since March in an attempt to secure a deal before this time, which is called the transition period, ends on 31 December.

If a deal is not agreed by that point, tariffs - or taxes on goods - could come into force.

But the same three sticking points have stopped negotiating teams coming to an agreement, and on Friday, talks came to an end with both sides saying "significant divergences" remained.

The BBC's political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, said the next meeting "feels like a last roll of the dice, rather than ironing out a few last minute glitches", and the next 48 hours would be "critical".

'Every effort'

The EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, tweeted after the statement was published, saying: "We will see if there is a way forward."

Ireland's Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheal Martin also took to Twitter, welcoming the news that the teams would resume trade talks.

He said: "An agreement is in everyone's best interests. Every effort should be made to reach a deal."

Brexit - The basics

• Brexit happened but rules didn't change at once: The UK left the European Union on 31 January but leaders needed time to negotiate a deal for life afterwards - they got 11 months.
• Talks are on again: The UK and the EU have until 31 December to agree a trade deal as well as other things, such as fishing rights.
• If there is no deal: Border checks and taxes will be introduced for goods travelling between the UK and the EU. But deal or no deal, we will still see changes.

What happens next with Brexit?

If an agreement is reached it will need to be turned into legal text and translated into all EU languages, then ratified by the European Parliament.

The UK government is likely to introduce legislation implementing parts of any deal reached, which MPs will be able to vote on.

And the 27 EU national parliaments could also need to ratify an agreement - depending on the actual contents of the deal.

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2020-12-05 18:35:00Z
52781222921133

UK-EU Brexit trade talks back on, say leaders - BBC News

The UK and EU have decided to return to the negotiating table to try to agree a post-Brexit trade deal.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen made the decision during a phone call on Saturday.

Negotiating teams will reconvene in Brussels on Sunday, and the leaders will speak again on Monday evening.

A joint statement from Mr Johnson and Ms Von der Leyen said "significant differences" remain between them.

The "three critical issues" that need to be agreed are fishing rights, competition rules and how any deal is enforced, with the statement adding: "Both sides underlined that no agreement is feasible if these issues are not resolved."

But the leaders continued: "Whilst recognising the seriousness of these differences, we agreed that a further effort should be undertaken by our negotiating teams to assess whether they can be resolved."

• What are the sticking points in Brexit trade talks?
• Brexit: What is a level playing field?
• Brexit: Will the borders be ready?

The UK left the EU on 31 January but remains under EU trading rules until the end of the year.

If a deal is not agreed by that point, tariffs - or taxes on goods - could come into force.

The two sides have been holding talks since March in an attempt to secure a deal before the transition period ends on 31 December.

But the same three sticking points have stopped negotiating teams coming to an agreement.

The BBC's political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, said it "feels like a last roll of the dice, rather than ironing out a few last minute glitches", and the next 48 hours would be "critical".

'Every effort'

The EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, tweeted after the statement was published, saying: "We will see if there is a way forward."

Ireland's Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheal Martin also took to Twitter, welcoming the news that the teams would resume trade talks.

He said: "An agreement is in everyone's best interests. Every effort should be made to reach a deal."

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2020-12-05 18:23:00Z
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COVID-19: UK coronavirus deaths rise by 397 as another 15,539 cases announced - Sky News

Another 397 coronavirus deaths have been reported in the UK - compared to 504 on Friday.

A further 15,539 cases were reported on Saturday compared to 16,298 the day before.

The latest figures have been published after the number of UK deaths passed 60,000 on Thursday.

Public Health Wales reported another 24 deaths on Saturday, taking the total in Wales since the start of the pandemic to 2,695.

There have been a further 1,645 cases of coronavirus in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 87,077.

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The rise in deaths comes as the UK's chief medical officers warned the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine would only have a "marginal impact" on hospital numbers over the winter, as each of the four nations prepares to start administering the first doses next week.

Festive gatherings are likely to put additional pressure on healthcare services, with a tough few months still ahead, experts said.

More from Covid-19

Preparations are continuing for the vaccine to be rolled out next week in what has been described as "one of the greatest challenges the NHS has ever faced".

The first jabs will be administered in each of the UK nations on Tuesday.

In Northern Ireland it will be administered at a mass vaccination centre at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, while in Wales, frontline NHS and social care staff will receive the country's first coronavirus vaccine.

The first vaccinations will also take place in Scotland next week, while jabs will be administered at hospital hubs in England.

GP surgeries in England have been told to be ready to start staffing COVID-19 vaccination centres by December 14.

In a letter to colleagues, the chief medical officers of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, said this winter would be "especially hard" for the health service due to coronavirus.

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They said: "Although the very welcome news about vaccines means that we can look forward to 2021 with greater optimism, vaccine deployment will have only a marginal impact in reducing numbers coming into the health service with COVID over the next three months.

"The actions and self-discipline of the whole population during lockdowns and other restrictions have helped reduce the peak and in most parts of the four nations hospital numbers are likely to fall over the next few weeks, but not everywhere.

"The social mixing which occurs around Christmas may well put additional pressure on hospitals and general practice in the New Year and we need to be ready for that."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was forced back into self-isolation on Saturday after a member of his staff tested positive for coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has said most of his theatres will be open again by early next summer.

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2020-12-05 16:13:52Z
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Labour leader Keir Starmer is forced to self-isolate and work from home until mid-December - Daily Mail

Labour leader Keir Starmer is forced to self-isolate and work from home until mid-December after a member of his private office tests positive for coronavirus

• Keir Starmer, 58, is self-isolating after member of private office tested positive
• Politician must stay at home for 14 days since last contact with infected person
• Spokesman for the Labour leader said he is 'well and not showing any symptoms'

By Katie Weston For Mailonline and James Tapsfield Political Editor For Mailonline

Published: 14:40 GMT, 5 December 2020 | Updated: 15:15 GMT, 5 December 2020

Labour leader Keir Starmer has been forced to self-isolate and work from home until mid-December after a member of his private office tested positive for coronavirus, the party has said.  

In line with government advice, the 58-year-old must stay at home for 14 days since Tuesday - when he was last in contact with the infected person. 

He is 'well and not showing any symptoms' and will be out of self-isolation by December 16. 

Labour leader Keir Starmer, 58, has been forced to self-isolate and work from home until mid-December after a member of his private office tested positive for coronavirus

A spokesperson for the politician said: 'This afternoon Keir Starmer was advised to self isolate after a member of his private office staff tested positive for the coronavirus. 

'Keir is well and not showing any symptoms. He will now be working from home.'

It is understood that several people in Sir Keir’s team are having to self-isolate, although a rota system is operated in his office to ensure that contacts are limited.

A source said it was an ‘irritant’ but they were ‘used to it’. Sir Keir had to isolate in September when a member of his own household needed a test.

A decision has yet to be taken on whether Sir Keir will participate in Commons proceedings next week virtually, or hand duties to deputy leader Angela Rayner. 

There are crucial debates and votes on the internal Market Bill as well as PMQs. It is thought that he would prefer to take PMQ's virtually.

Sir Keir pictured arriving for a visit to Portsmouth Gin Distillery in Southsea, Portsmouth, on Thursday. He saw gin production and also how the company has been producing hand sanitiser during the Covid-19 pandemic 

‘We will ask the Speaker to see what we can do,’ a source said. ‘Then we will decide.’

Ms Rayner deputised for Sir Keir when he had to self isolate in September, but Boris Johnson recently took the session by video link when he was forced to quarantine.

It follows Boris Johnson also self-isolating recently alongside six other Tory MPs, following a Downing Street meeting on November 12. 

The Prime Minister was told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace after Lee Anderson, the MP for Ashfield, tested positive for coronavirus.

At the time, Sir Keir said Mr Johnson was right to self-isolate, adding: 'It is important for all of us to say that we have got to comply with the advice and guidance.' 

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2020-12-05 14:40:00Z
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