Brexit: PM says 'sweet reason' can get UK and EU to trade deal - BBC News

Boris Johnson has said he hopes the "power of sweet reason" will allow the UK and EU to reach a post-Brexit trade deal this week.

The prime minister is to meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels in the coming days, as the deadline for agreement nears.

He told the BBC the situation was "very tricky" but "hope springs eternal".

The two sides still disagree on fishing rights, business competition rules and how any deal would be enforced.

If an agreement is not reached and ratified by 31 December, the UK and EU could introduce import charges on each other's goods.

• What happens if there's no trade deal?
• Why is fishing important in Brexit trade talks?
• Brexit: What is a level playing field?

A 40-minute phone call between Mr Johnson and Ms von der Leyen on Monday failed to produce a breakthrough, but they agreed to hold a face-to-face meeting, expected to happen on Wednesday or Friday.

They promised to discuss "remaining differences", which the UK and EU negotiating teams - led by Lord Frost and Michel Barnier - have not been able to bridge despite a week of intense talks.

The leaders of the 27 EU member states will also discuss future UK-EU trade at a Brussels summit on Thursday.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Johnson said: "I'm always hopeful, but I've got to be honest with you, the situation at the moment is very tricky."

But he added that "hope springs eternal" and said: "You've got to be optimistic. You've got to believe there's the power of sweet reason."

• Fears of Brexit 'food supply disruption growing'

Mr Johnson also warned: "We will see where we get to in the course of the next two days, but I think the UK government's position is that we are willing to engage at any level, political or otherwise, we are willing to try anything.

"But there are just limits beyond which no sensible, independent government or country could go and people have got to understand that."

He later told his cabinet that an agreement "must maintain the core principles of sovereignty and control" and the UK would thrive whatever the outcome.

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 happening: 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?

Mr Barnier and Lord Frost met earlier on Tuesday in Brussels to draw up a list of outstanding differences. The UK negotiator will return to London to update the prime minister.

After briefing ambassadors from the EU's 27 member states, Mr Barnier tweeted: "Full unity. We will never sacrifice our future for the present. Access to our market comes with conditions."

The European Commission said the talks were in "unchartered territory" and the purpose of the meeting later this week was to "try and lift substantial impasses so that the other negotiators can continue their work".

"It is very difficult to speculate what might be the outcome of the meeting," its chief spokesman said.

Asked if the EU was preparing for a no deal, he said this was "not on the agenda at the moment".

The EU has suggested negotiations could continue after 1 January if no deal was agreed by then but Downing Street insisted the process had to finish this month.

Labour welcomed the decision to keep talking, but shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves said the prime minister should have been "more engaged in these negotiations months ago rather than leaving it to the 11th hour".

What are they arguing about?

The UK and EU are at loggerheads over the so-called "level playing field" - a set of shared rules and standards to ensure businesses in one country do not have an unfair advantage over their competitors in others.

Brussels wants the UK to follow EU rules closely in areas such as workers' rights and environmental regulations, but the UK says the goal of Brexit is to break free from following common rules and reassert national sovereignty.

And the two sides disagree on how any future trading disputes should be resolved.

On fishing, the EU is warning that, without ongoing access to UK waters for its fleets, UK fishermen will no longer have special access to EU markets to sell their goods.

But the UK argues that what goes on in its own waters should be under its control as a sovereign country.

The UK's Office for Budget Responsibility has said leaving the EU customs union and single market without a trade deal could lead to a 2% reduction in national income next year.

• TRAVEL RULES: How your holidays will change in 2021
• NO DEAL YET: What are the sticking points in trade talks?
• BREXIT: Seven things that will change on 1 January

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2020-12-08 13:59:00Z
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Brexit: UK to ditch Internal Market Bill clauses after reaching agreement in principle on Northern Ireland Protocol - Sky News

The government will drop parts of legislation that could have seen the UK break international law after reaching an "agreement in principle" on Brexit divorce issues.

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said he was "delighted" to have reached an agreement, including on post-Brexit arrangements for the Irish border, following talks with European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic.

As a result, the government said it would withdraw the most controversial parts of its Internal Market Bill.

The proposed legislation had seen the EU launch legal action against the UK as part of a bitter row.

The government also promised not to introduce any similar measures in its Taxation Bill, which is due to be debated by MPs in the House of Commons later on Tuesday.

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Mr Gove and Mr Sefcovic are co-chairs of the EU-UK Joint Committee, which oversees the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement - the divorce deal Britain agreed with the bloc last year - and the accompanying Northern Ireland Protocol for post-Brexit border arrangements on the island of Ireland.

Their discussions are separate from the ongoing negotiations on a post-Brexit trade deal, which are still deadlocked ahead of the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December.

More from Brexit

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are due to meet in Brussels "in the coming days" in a bid to try and break the impasse on a EU-UK trade agreement.

A joint EU-UK statement announcing the agreement between Mr Gove and Mr Sefcovic said: "Following intensive and constructive work over the past weeks by the EU and the UK, the two co-chairs can now announce their agreement in principle on all issues, in particular with regard to the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland.

"An agreement in principle has been found in the following areas, amongst others: border control posts/entry points specifically for checks on animals, plants and derived products, export declarations, the supply of medicines, the supply of chilled meats, and other food products to supermarkets, and a clarification on the application of State aid under the terms of the Protocol."

The two sides have also reached an agreement on how goods will be considered "not at risk" of entering the EU when moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, as well as on parts of state aid rules, and the make-up of an arbitration panel for settling disputes after the Brexit transition period ends.

The statement added: "In view of these mutually agreed solutions, the UK will withdraw clauses 44, 45 and 47 of the UK Internal Market Bill, and not introduce any similar provisions in the Taxation Bill."

The agreement in principle and draft texts are subject to final approval from both sides, before being formally adopted.

Analysis: Agreement shows the UK is willing to compromise - but is it enough?

By Kate McCann, political correspondent

In agreeing to remove law-breaking clauses in the Internal Market Bill, the UK Government has drawn a line under a controversial and - some critics say - damaging chapter in the Brexit negotiations.

The decision to include them was, UK sources say, a result of a promise to protect Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement whether the UK and EU agree a deal or not.

But including them drew derision from around the world, as well as MPs and peers from across the political spectrum.

So what does this agreement by the Joint Committee mean for a Brexit trade deal?

You could argue it changes everything and nothing at the same time. In one sense it could be seen as a concession to the EU which had warned the clauses were completely unacceptable.

But the UK government gave a clear indication it was prepared to drop or neuter the clauses yesterday and this failed to move talks on. The decision was welcomed in Brussels but didn't cause major political ripples.

On the flip side, this agreement means that in the face of a no-deal Brexit there will be protections for those moving goods between mainland UK and Northern Ireland, something which previously had not been the case.

This could be seen as a safety net to allow no deal to happen in a less damaging way, at least for that particular market.

Either way the next steps for the talks may not be hugely impacted by the decision, although it will likely go some way to reassuring governments around the world that the UK will stick to international legal agreements in future.

We need to see the details as these are yet to be published, but it does show the UK side is willing to compromise. It is unclear yet whether it will be enough.

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2020-12-08 14:03:45Z
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Brexit: Fears of food supply disruption growing, MPs told - BBC News

Food and drink supplies in the UK face more disruption after the end of the Brexit transition period than they did from Covid, the industry has said.

"There are 14 [working] days to go," the Food and Drink Federation's (FDF) chief executive, Ian Wright, told MPs.

"How on earth can traders prepare in this environment?" he added.

Uncertainty over a deal and new border checks would make it difficult to guarantee the movement of food through ports without delays, he said.

Noting that rules for sending goods from Welsh ports to Northern Ireland had only just been published, he said: "It's too late, baby."

• PM: 'Sweet reason' can get us to post-Brexit deal
• NI food supply warnings 'taken very seriously'

Mr Wright was giving evidence to the Commons business committee on Brexit preparedness.

He said there was a big concern that the problems would "erode the confidence of shoppers in the supply chain".

"It has done very well over Covid and shoppers will expect the same thing over Brexit, and they may not see it."

'No clue'

"We can't be absolutely certain about the movement of food from the EU to the UK from 1 January for two reasons," Mr Wright said.

"One is checks at the border. The other is tariffs, and the problem with tariffs is, we don't know what they will be."

Mr Wright added: "With just 14 working days to go, we have no clue what's going to happen in terms of whether we do or don't face tariffs.

"And that isn't just a big imposition. It's a binary choice as to whether you do business in most cases. My members will not know whether they're exporting their products after 1 January, or whether they'll be able to afford to import them and charge the price that the tariff will dictate."

Mr Wright warned that while he expected Kent and Operation Brock to work "reasonably well", he was less confident about ports such as Holyhead, with goods heading to Northern Ireland.

He called the Northern Ireland protocol a "complete shambles", adding: "The idea that you can prepare for something as big as the change that's going to happen is ridiculous, it's a massive toll."

Mr Wright added that 43% of FDF members who supply Northern Ireland have said they were not going to do so in the first three months of next year.

He told MPs that many companies had lost some of their customer base in the EU.

"The problem is, if there's any disruption to supply, you lose your customer pretty quickly and you do not get them back," he added.

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2020-12-08 12:43:00Z
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Brexit: PM says 'sweet reason' can get UK and EU to trade deal - BBC News

Boris Johnson has said he hopes the "power of sweet reason" will allow the UK and EU to reach a post-Brexit trade deal this week.

The prime minister is to meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels in the coming days, as the deadline for agreement nears.

He told the BBC the situation was "very tricky" but "hope springs eternal".

The two sides still disagree on fishing rights, business competition rules and how any deal would be enforced.

If an agreement is not reached and ratified by 31 December, the UK and EU could introduce import charges on each other's goods.

• What happens if there's no trade deal?
• Why is fishing important in Brexit trade talks?
• Brexit: What is a level playing field?

A 40 minute phone call between Mr Johnson and Ms von der Leyen on Monday failed to produce a breakthrough, but they agreed to hold a face-to-face meeting, expected to happen on Wednesday or Friday.

They promised to discuss "remaining differences", which the UK and EU negotiating teams - led by Lord Frost and Michel Barnier - have not been able to bridge despite a week of intense talks.

The leaders of the 27 EU member states will also discuss future UK-EU trade at a Brussels summit on Thursday.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Johnson said: "I'm always hopeful, but I've got to be honest with you, the situation at the moment is very tricky."

But he added that "hope springs eternal" and said: "You've got to be optimistic. You've got to believe there's the power of sweet reason."

Mr Johnson also warned: "We will see where we get to in the course of the next two days, but I think the UK government's position is that we are willing to engage at any level, political or otherwise, we are willing to try anything.

"But there are just limits beyond which no sensible, independent government or country could go and people have got to understand that."

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 happening: 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?

Mr Barnier and Lord Frost will meet again on Tuesday to draw up a list of outstanding differences.

A senior UK government source said: "Talks are in the same position now as they were on Friday. We have made no tangible progress. It's clear this must now continue politically."

An EU spokesman said Monday's phone call had been "very cordial" and the two sides were focused on trying to "move forward" on the three main areas of disagreement.

Asked if the EU was preparing for a no deal, he said this was "not on the agenda at the moment".

Labour welcomed the decision to keep talking, but shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves said the prime minister should have been "more engaged in these negotiations months ago rather than leaving it to the 11th hour".

The UK's Office for Budget Responsibility has said leaving the EU customs union and single market without a trade deal could lead to a 2% reduction in national income next year.

What are they arguing about?

The UK and EU are at loggerheads over the so-called "level playing field" - a set of shared rules and standards to ensure businesses in one country do not have an unfair advantage over their competitors in others.

Brussels wants the UK to follow EU rules closely in areas such as workers' rights and environmental regulations, but the UK says the goal of Brexit is to break free from following common rules and reassert national sovereignty.

And the two sides disagree on how any future trading disputes should be resolved.

On fishing, the EU is warning that, without ongoing access to UK waters for its fleets, UK fishermen will no longer have special access to EU markets to sell their goods.

But the UK argues that what goes on in its own waters should be under its control as a sovereign country.

• TRAVEL RULES: How your holidays will change in 2021
• NO DEAL YET: What are the sticking points in trade talks?
• BREXIT: Seven things that will change on 1 January

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2020-12-08 12:07:00Z
52781222921133

Covid-19 vaccine: First person receives Pfizer jab in UK - BBC News

A UK grandmother has become the first person in the world to be given the Pfizer Covid-19 jab as part of a mass vaccination programme.

Margaret Keenan, who turns 91 next week, said it was the "best early birthday present".

She was given the injection at 06:31 GMT - the first of 800,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine that will be dispensed in the coming weeks.

Up to four million more are expected by the end of the month.

Hubs in the UK will vaccinate over-80s and some health and care staff - the programme aims to protect the most vulnerable and return life to normal.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who has dubbed Tuesday V-day, said he was thrilled to see the first vaccinations take place but urged people to keep their resolve and stick to the rules for the next few months.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said viewing footage of the moment gave her "a lump in the throat".

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, on a visit to a London hospital to see some of the first people getting the jab, said getting vaccinated was "good for you and good for the whole country".

PA Media

• 'Mix-and-match' Covid vaccines to be tested
• 'V-day' as first people getting Covid jab
• What are the safety checks for vaccines?
• Who will get the Covid vaccine first?
• NHS staff: 'Vaccine is a game changer'

At University Hospital, Coventry, matron May Parsons administered the very first jab to Ms Keenan.

"I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against Covid-19," Ms Keenan, who is originally from Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, said.

"It's the best early birthday present I could wish for because it means I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the new year after being on my own for most of the year.

"My advice to anyone offered the vaccine is to take it. If I can have it at 90, then you can have it too," she added.

The second person vaccinated in Coventry was William Shakespeare, 81, from Warwickshire, who said he was "pleased" to be given the jab and hospital staff had been "wonderful".

PA Media

Throughout the morning, patients and health workers at some 50 hospitals around the UK, have been getting the jab:

• Sister Joanna Sloan, who will head up the vaccine rollout in Belfast, received the first vaccine administered in Northern Ireland, just after 08:00 GMT at the Royal Victoria Hospital

• In Wales, a nervous Craig Atkins, 48, from Ebbw Vale, became the first person to get the jab. It was "scary" but he could smile now, he said

• Consultant anaesthetist Dr Katie Stewart was among the first people on Scotland to get the jab, saying there was something to celebrate after "a very long hard year" looking after Covid patients and staying apart to protect each other

The UK is the first country in the world to start using the Pfizer vaccine after regulators approved its use last week.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC Breakfast there was a "long march ahead of us but this marks the way out".

While pleased to see the first jabs being given, he said the "virus is deadly" and "we've got to stick by the rules".

More than 60,000 people in the UK have died within 28 days of a Covid-19 test, but there are signs the UK could be at the peak of the pandemic's second wave.

New data released by national statisticians for the week ending 27 November showed that of the 14,106 deaths registered, nearly 3,400 involved Covid.

This is 20% higher than the five-year average but is similar to the percentages seen in the past two weeks.

On a visit to London's Guy's Hospital, Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to 81-year-old Lyn Wheeler, who was the first to receive the vaccine there.

"It is really very moving to hear her say she is doing it for Britain, which is exactly right - she is protecting herself but also helping to protect the entire country," Mr Johnson said.

Earlier, the prime minister thanked the NHS and "all of the scientists who worked so hard to develop this vaccine", the volunteers and "everyone who has been following the rules to protect others".

Labour's shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth said it was "absolutely fabulous" to see people getting the vaccine and thanked everyone involved in making it happen.

Some 800,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine have been secured by the government to be administered in the coming weeks - although vaccination is not compulsory.

Orders have been placed for 40 million in total - enough for 20 million people, as two courses are needed.

However, most of that is not expected to become available until next year, although government sources said another four million doses should arrive in the country by the end of this month.

Mr Hancock said he expected it to take "several weeks" to get the first group of health workers, care staff and over-80s vaccinated.

Vaccine taskforce chairwoman Kate Bingham struck a positive note, telling the BBC her "gut feeling" was that "we will all be going on summer holidays".

It was likely people most at risk would be vaccinated by April, she said, and then the authorities would consider how to broaden out the vaccinations to other adults.

'A momentous day but huge task ahead'

This is a momentous day, but make no mistake the NHS faces a huge task in rolling out this vaccine.

First there needs to be a smooth supply - and already there are reports of manufacturing problems which means the UK is expecting less than half of the 10 million doses of the Pfizer jab it was planning for by the end of the year.

The fact it needs to be kept in ultra-cold storage and in batches of 975 units is an added complication that has meant it cannot yet be taken into care homes to vaccinate residents, who are the very highest priority group, or sent out to GPs to run vaccination clinics in the community.

NHS bosses hope to receive guidance from the regulator next week on how to get around this.

But these factors illustrate why the UK is still pinning its hopes on a second vaccine developed by Oxford University.

That one can be kept in fridges and so is easier to distribute, is British made and - what is more - there is an ever-growing stockpile ready to use.

If that vaccine gets the green light from regulators, there will be a genuine hope the first few months of 2021 will see rapid progress in offering the most vulnerable jabs so the UK can return to something closer to normality.

Prof Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, said 2020 had been a "dreadful" year but life would get back to "normal" in the coming months, he said.

Asked what his message was to people who might have concerns about the Covid jab, he told BBC Breakfast vaccination was "one of the safest forms of medicine".

"This one has been tested in many thousands of people in clinical trials and, of course the independent regulator the MHRA, has looked at it carefully - as it always does - and has given it the green light.

"And so if you get called, we'll be calling you to come and get it, then my advice is come and get it."

People have been asked not to turn up at hospitals expecting to be vaccinated.

A Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust spokeswoman said a woman in her 90s had turned up at a hospital, having watched the news. People would be contacted when it was their turn, she said.

Are you receiving the Covid-19 vaccine today? Or do you have any questions? Get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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2020-12-08 11:55:00Z
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