Brexit: Sunday's deadline 'a point of finality' for trade talks unless EU moves, says Dominic Raab - Sky News

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has told Sky News that Sunday will be a "point of finality" for Brexit trade talks if the EU does not "move substantially" in negotiations.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday night shared a three-hour dinner with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the hope of breaking months of deadlock.

Despite the two leaders ordering their chief negotiators to resume talks over the next few days, they also both agreed that trade talks remained "very difficult" and there are still "major differences between the two sides".

Lord Frost, the UK's chief negotiator, has remained in Brussels following Wednesday's dinner to continue talks with his EU counterpart, Michel Barnier.

Image: The PM visited Brussels on Wednesday night

Mr Johnson and Ms von der Leyen said a "firm decision" about the talks should be taken by Sunday.

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And Mr Raab suggested to Sky News this was now being treated as a hard deadline by the UK government - by which to decide whether a free trade agreement is still possible.

"I think we view it as a point when we need some finality," he said.

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"I'm just a bit reticent ever to say - you can never say never with these EU negotiations.

"Of course, it depends if the EU moves. If the EU moves substantially and actually we're only dotting a few Is or crossing a few Ts, it might be different.

"But I think without movement on the crucial two, three areas that I've described, I think that will be a point of finality.

"And that's certainly the way the UK side is approaching it."

Mr Raab said the government would "probably" need a yes or no answer on whether a trade deal is possible by Sunday.

But he warned the UK would not concede on so-called level playing field provisions or fisheries - the two most contentious issues - over the next four days.

"We will leave no stone unturned, we would like a free trade deal with the EU," the foreign secretary added.

"But we're not going to sacrifice the basic points of democratic principle on fisheries or on control of our laws as we leave the transition period.

"I think it's important that's recognised on the EU side and, if they do, I think the scope for a deal is still there to be done."

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PM meets Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels

Prior to his trip to Brussels on Wednesday, the prime minister had told MPs the EU wanted the "automatic right" to punish the UK in the future, if it does not comply with new EU laws.

He also suggested the EU wanted to keep control of fishing rights in UK waters beyond the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December.

Mr Raab called on Brussels to recognise "two basic points of principle that no other country in the world would accept in dealing with the EU or anyone else as an independent state".

He said: "The concept the UK would leave the transition period as an independent coastal state but without control of our fisheries; that's something that no country in the world has accepted, or is in the position of - why would the UK?

"Likewise, when we leave, we should be in control of our laws.

"We'll accept the kind of requirements in the EU's own free trade agreements, whether it's South Korea or Canada.

"What we're not going to do is allow the EU, undemocratically, to control our laws in this country."

Ireland's European Commissioner, Mairead McGuinness, said on Thursday she believed "there is a deal to be done" with the UK.

"I hope that we all get a Christmas present over the weekend - an early one," she told RTE Radio.

"And that there is a trade agreement, because I think from all our sides ... that would be the best possible outcome."

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2020-12-10 09:33:45Z
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Brexit: Sunday's deadline 'a point of finality' for trade talks unless EU moves, says Dominic Raab - Sky News

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has told Sky News that Sunday will be a "point of finality" for Brexit trade talks if the EU does not "move substantially" in negotiations.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday night shared a three-hour dinner with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the hope of breaking months of deadlock.

Despite the two leaders ordering their chief negotiators to resume talks over the next few days, they also both agreed that trade talks remained "very difficult" and there are still "major differences between the two sides".

Lord Frost, the UK's chief negotiator, has remained in Brussels following Wednesday's dinner to continue talks with his EU counterpart, Michel Barnier.

Image: The PM visited Brussels on Wednesday night

Mr Johnson and Ms von der Leyen said a "firm decision" about the talks should be taken by Sunday.

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And Mr Raab suggested to Sky News this was now being treated as a hard deadline by the UK government - by which to decide whether a free trade agreement is still possible.

"I think we view it as a point when we need some finality," he said.

More from Brexit

"I'm just a bit reticent ever to say - you can never say never with these EU negotiations.

"Of course, it depends if the EU moves. If the EU moves substantially and actually we're only dotting a few Is or crossing a few Ts, it might be different.

"But I think without movement on the crucial two, three areas that I've described, I think that will be a point of finality.

"And that's certainly the way the UK side is approaching it."

Mr Raab said the government would "probably" need a yes or no answer on whether a trade deal is possible by Sunday.

But he warned the UK would not concede on so-called level playing field provisions or fisheries - the two most contentious issues - over the next four days.

"We will leave no stone unturned, we would like a free trade deal with the EU," the foreign secretary added.

"But we're not going to sacrifice the basic points of democratic principle on fisheries or on control of our laws as we leave the transition period.

"I think it's important that's recognised on the EU side and, if they do, I think the scope for a deal is still there to be done."

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

PM meets Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels

Prior to his trip to Brussels on Wednesday, the prime minister had told MPs the EU wanted the "automatic right" to punish the UK in the future, if it does not comply with new EU laws.

He also suggested the EU wanted to keep control of fishing rights in UK waters beyond the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December.

Mr Raab called on Brussels to recognise "two basic points of principle that no other country in the world would accept in dealing with the EU or anyone else as an independent state".

He said: "The concept the UK would leave the transition period as an independent coastal state but without control of our fisheries; that's something that no country in the world has accepted, or is in the position of - why would the UK?

"Likewise, when we leave, we should be in control of our laws.

"We'll accept the kind of requirements in the EU's own free trade agreements, whether it's South Korea or Canada.

"What we're not going to do is allow the EU, undemocratically, to control our laws in this country."

Ireland's European Commissioner, Mairead McGuinness, said on Thursday she believed "there is a deal to be done" with the UK.

"I hope that we all get a Christmas present over the weekend - an early one," she told RTE Radio.

"And that there is a trade agreement, because I think from all our sides ... that would be the best possible outcome."

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2020-12-10 08:37:32Z
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Brits could be banned from European holidays from New Year under Covid travel rules - The Sun

MILLIONS of Brits may be banned from European holidays from January 1 under Covid rules after Britain leaves the EU.

Pandemic safety regulations allowing free travel within the European Union will stop applying to Britain at the start of 2021.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

Millions of Brits could be banned from travelling to the EU under post-Brexit Covid rulesCredit: EPA

Under EU pandemic rules, non-essential travel is only allowed from non-EU countries with low infection ratesCredit: AFP or licensors

The UK's Brexit transition period with the EU ends on December 31.

The EU is only allowing essential travel from non-EU countries with low infection rates during the pandemic.

But only travellers from eight of these countries are currently allowed into the EU, The Financial Times reports.

EU officials told the FT there are no plans to add the UK to this list of safe countries.

Australia, New Zealand and Singapore are among the countries on the EU's safe list.

Only 12 EU countries allow travellers from all eight nations on the bloc's safe list.

Norway, which is not an EU member, has already said it will block Brits from entering from January 1.

The EU is only allowing essential travel from non-EU countries with low infection ratesCredit: W8MEDIA

HOLIDAY BLUES

It means pandemic-weary holidaymakers from the UK could have hopes of a continental getaway to favourite Brit destinations like Greece, Spain and Italy dashed from next month.

Travel companies reported a surge in bookings for early 2021, following news of the vaccine success last month.

Airlines and airports in the UK have been launching Covid testing schemes in preparation for a rise in Brits going on foreign holidays, as the vaccine rolls out across the country.

Downing Street has also announced plans to slash quarantine for travellers entering the UK from high risk countries from 14 days to five days this month, providing they can produce a negative Covid test.

A surge in Covid cases across Europe this month has seen countries like Greece and Italy already introducing new restrictions for the holiday season, with a mandatory 14-day isolation period.

This is alongside the current rules requiring a negative coronavirus test, taken up to 72 hours before travel.

PASSPORT DEADLINE

Meanwhile, passengers could also be barred from entering EU countries from January 1 unless they renew their passports.

Tourists heading to Europe will need at least six months remaining on their travel documents under rules set to be introduced at the end of the Brexit transition period.

Brits have previously been able to travel freely in the EU and the Schengen area with a valid passport, regardless of how close it is to its expiry date.

The change in rules is expected to trigger a last-minute dash to renew passport applications ahead of the looming deadline.

It costs £75.50 to renew a passport online and £85 if you fill out a paper form.

Some travellers applying online have been told they face a two-month wait to see their passports renewed - putting New Year trips in jeopardy.

Millions of Brits could be barred from entering EU countries from January 1 unless they renew their passports (stock)Credit: Solarpix

Chris Whitty says UK likely to have 'portfolio of three or four vaccines we can use' by mid-2021

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2020-12-10 07:35:41Z
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UK warns “very large gaps” remain after Boris Johnson's Brexit talks in Brussels - BBC News - BBC News

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2020-12-09 22:47:25Z
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Boris Johnson in last-ditch Brussels meeting with Brexit talks “close to failure” - BBC News - BBC News

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2020-12-09 22:30:57Z
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Council leaders in emergency motion to push Scottish Government to lower Edinburgh Covid level - Edinburgh News

Edinburgh Council leader Adam McVey has written to TSB amid concern about the effect of the closures.

Adam McVey has tabled a motion ahead of Thursday’s full council meeting, demanding the Scottish government explains its recent decision to keep Edinburgh at level three.

The motion also insists that ‘the government follow scientific evidence and advice that indicates that Edinburgh has been consistently in tier two’.

Earlier this week, it emerged that Public Health Scotland officials had advised that Edinburgh should be moved down to level two.

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However, on Tuesday afternoon First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the capital would remain at level three due to concerns over Christmas shopping.

Capital politicians have reacted with dismay to the First Minister’s announcement, with Edinburgh Southern MSP Daniel Johnson saying “the cost of this will be counted in lost businesses, lost livelihoods and lost jobs.”

Councillor McVey, who represents Forth, has also heavily criticised the decision, saying on Tuesday: “I’m extremely disappointed. Our numbers are stable and have now been consistently within the rates of level two for some time.

“We know what a dire situation local businesses continue to face and the latest news will be yet another blow in the lead-up to the Christmas period – which should be their busiest time of the year.

“I’ve been strongly pressing for Edinburgh’s case to move to a lower level of restrictions when safe to do so. The data suggests that time should have been now.””

In a tweet on Wednesday evening, councillor McVey called for ‘all-party support to put political squabbles aside and speak with one voice as a city’.

The motion, seconded by depute leader Cammy Day, Labour, reads: “

“[The] council seriously regrets that despite robust representations from Edinburgh Council to the cabinet and public health advice supporting a case to reduce Edinburgh’s level of restrictions to level two, this has not happened.

“[The] council agrees to continue to lobby the Scottish government and at the next scheduled meeting insist the government follow scientific evidence and advice that indicates that Edinburgh has been consistently in tier two.”

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2020-12-09 19:41:00Z
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Brexit: PM says deal 'still there to be done' ahead of crunch trip - BBC News

Boris Johnson has said the EU is insisting on terms "no prime minister could accept" in UK-EU trade talks.

The PM told MPs "a good deal is still there to be done", ahead of post-Brexit deal negotiations with the European Commission president.

But he said the EU was seeking an "automatic right" to retaliate against the UK if its labour and environmental standards diverged from theirs.

He is in Brussels for talks with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.

The prime minister also suggested the EU could not accept the UK having sovereign control over its fishing waters after Brexit, as he answered questions at Prime Minister's Questions.

Time is running out to reach a deal before 31 December, when the UK stops following EU trading rules.

Major disagreements remain on fishing rights, business competition rules and how a deal will be policed.

• Kuenssberg analysis: Will Brexit dinner prove to be the last supper?
• What are the sticking points in Brexit trade talks?
• What happens if there's no trade deal?

At the dinner, expected to begin at 19:00 GMT, the prime minister will work through a list of the major sticking points with Mrs von der Leyen, who is representing the leaders of the 27 EU nations.

A UK government source said progress at a political level may allow the UK's negotiator Lord Frost and his EU counterpart Michel Barnier - who will both also attend the dinner - to resume their work over the coming days.

But the source added that it was important to be "realistic" that an agreement might not be possible.

Meanwhile, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove outlined details on post-Brexit border checks and trading rules for Northern Ireland, after agreement was reached with the EU.

Brexit - The basics

• Brexit happened but rules didn't change at once: The UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020, 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 2020 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?

'Deal still there'

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Johnson warned that a deal would not be possible if the EU continued to insist that if it was to pass a new law in the future - and the UK did not follow suit - it wanted the "automatic right punish us and retaliate" with tariffs on goods.

He also claimed that the EU wanted the UK to become the "only country in the world" not to have "sovereign control" over its fishing waters.

"I don't believe that those are terms that any prime minister of this country should accept," he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said a Brexit deal was still possible but insisted that the integrity of the EU single market must be respected.

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.

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg says that the purpose of the dinner is not to call a halt or to proclaim that a deal's been done.

"The reason for the meeting is to see if both sides are willing in principle to tolerate the notion of budging, after the negotiations, and frankly negotiators, have been exhausted," she says.

EU leaders are due to meet for a summit of their own on Thursday.

It comes as no surprise at all that EU-UK talks have gone down to the wire.

That was widely predicted. As was the "both making last-minute political compromises" part, believed to come right at the end, after the two sides abandon their high-stakes game of chicken.

But tonight's dinner is far more complex than the prime minister declaring "OK, Ursula, we'll give you your level playing field, if you (EU) give us our fish."

The clash of ideologies, clear from the start, is still very much present.

We have the government's determination to protect its post-Brexit sovereignty, and not sign up to another Brussels rule book on the one side and on the other, the EU focus on protecting its single market a) from what it views as potentially unfair competition from the UK and b) in terms of global reputation.

Brussels believes compromising single market rules for a UK deal, would weaken it in the eyes of other future trade partners.

Conclusion: As much as Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen, say they still hope for a deal, 'no deal' is still very much on the table tonight, alongside dinner.

Details of Northern Ireland agreement

In separate talks on Tuesday, the UK and EU reached an agreement on specific trade arrangements for Northern Ireland - including on post-Brexit border checks and trading rules for Northern Ireland.

From 1 January, Northern Ireland will stay in the EU single market for goods as the rest of the UK leaves.

That means a proportion of food products arriving in Northern Ireland from Great Britain will need to be checked under arrangements known as the Northern Ireland Protocol.

• Supermarkets will get 'grace period' for NI food
• UK to drop US goods tariffs in bid for trade deal
• UK and EU reach deal over NI border checks

The main points include:

• All goods going from Britain to Northern Ireland will be exempt from EU tariffs, with a handful of exceptions
• NI supermarkets and suppliers won't have to carry out food safety checks on GB goods for three months
• There will be a longer six month "grace period" for checks on chilled meat products, such as sausages
• NI firms won't have to complete GB export declarations except in a very few cases
• Subsidies for NI fishing and farming businesses will be exempt from EU state aid rules
• EU customs officials will be able to observe border checks but not carry them out

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Gove said it would ensure the smooth flow of trade "on which lives and livelihoods depend....with no need for new physical customs infrastructure" on the island of Ireland.

"The deal protects unfettered access for Northern Ireland businesses to their most important market," he said.

• 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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2020-12-09 17:35:00Z
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