PM heads to Brussels amid concern over concession
Boris Johnson heads off on his make or break trip to Brussels today but alarm bells are already ringing with Brexiteers after a major concession that means the EU will have officials stationed in Northern Ireland from January 1. Britain has until now rebuffed EU demands for a permanent office in Northern Ireland, but backed down as part of a deal to settle outstanding disputes over the Brexit “divorce” deal. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) said the move was “unnecessary” and “concerning”, while senior Brexiteers warned the Prime Minister they would be “watching” to make sure he does not give too much away when he meets the European Commission President over dinner. Read on for the latest.
It comes amid fears that food could rot on the dockside and Christmas presents may go undelivered as a perfect storm of Covid chaos and Brexit stockpiling batters the UK’s port system. Honda warned on Tuesday that it could be forced to temporarily close its Swindon factory as soon as today after slow-burning problems at ports and the Channel Tunnel exploded into the open. Industry leaders warned a no deal Brexit could slash vehicle output by more than half, while even with a deal manufacturers may face tariffs in the new year. Read on for details.
Older generation shows the way as jab makes history
A landmark moment. A watershed. A turning point in the war against an unseen enemy that has taken a wrecking ball to our way of life and killed more than 61,000 people in these isles. V-Day marked a breakthrough in our pushback against Covid-19 with the launch of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Yet within hours the Oxford/AstraZeneca camp muddied the waters amid concerns about its jab’s efficacy. Judith Woods reveals how that news should not take the shine off V-Day, which, by any standards, is an astonishing milestone. Michael Deacon sketches how the Pfizer vaccine perked peaky Health Secretary Matt Hancock up. Here is a Q&A of everything you need to know on the vaccine but Global Health Security Editor Paul Nuki analyses why freedom is still months away.
Queen calls the tune as royal carol concert ends tour
Few do Christmas cheer as well as the Royal family and on Tuesday, they showed how it is done, gathering around the Queen at Windsor Castle for the grand finale of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s UK tour. After Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething appeared to question the necessity of the trip, Camilla Tominey sets out how it shows the Royal family are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Caroline Leaper reveals how the Duchess of Cambridge did not just nail the royal tour wardrobe – she modernised it. Meanwhile, Ed Power reviews last night’s Royal Variety Performance.
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Protest clampdown | Priti Patel is drawing up a new law to curb demonstrations which threaten the tenets of democracy, including blocking Parliament, newspaper distribution, and judicial hearings.
