"Tory grandees' fury over PM's 'nationalist' no-deal Brexit" is the Observer's headline as it says Boris Johnson is facing anger from senior Conservatives and business leaders. The paper reports the prime minister's handling of the final stage of the UK-EU trade negotiations has caused "astonishment in his own party, and the EU". It also has room for a story on Conservative MP Richard Drax who it says has been "urged to pay up for his family's slave trade past" after inheriting a 250-hectare plantation in Barbados. Mr Drax said the role his "very distant ancestor" played in the slave trade is "deeply, deeply regrettable" but added no one can be held responsible for it today.
The lead in the Sunday Times says "ministers warn supermarkets to stockpile food". It says food producers believe that leaving the EU without a trade deal will lead to a three-month shortage of vegetables. An unnamed consultant to one of the supermarket chains tells the paper: "Ministers are hugely worried about panic buying. They saw what happened over Covid, and know how quickly it can go wrong".
Under the headline: "They think it's all Dover", the Sun on Sunday explains that many of the government's contingency plans focus on the port where most lorries arrive from the EU. The measures include hiring up to 900 extra border staff, and bringing hundreds of extra police officers to Kent from other areas. The paper's leader states: "Nobody denies that a no-deal Brexit will initially be bumpy for Britain's economy - but the ultimate financial cost of accepting the EU's disgracefully one-sided deal would be far greater."
"Tory grandees' fury over PM's nationalist no-deal Brexit" is the Observer's lead. It says Boris Johnson is facing a "rising tide of anger" from senior Conservatives. Writing in the paper, the former Tory deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine says he knows cabinet ministers who believe - like he does - that this is "quite simply the worst peacetime decision of modern times". But he adds that he "cannot understand their silence".
The Guardian and Financial Times say hopes are rising of a deal between Britain and the EU, after the talks went into "Extra extra time", as the i headline calls it. The Times has been told that after a week of hostility between the two sides there have been positive discussions on the sticking point of ensuring a level playing field.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the talks could go on until New Year's Eve because neither side has set a new deadline. The Daily Express thinks EU leaders are "buckling" under the prime minister's demands that they respect British sovereignty. Its headline wonders if they have "finally got the message".
In the view of the Spectator's political editor, James Forsyth, the geo-political consequences of no deal are beginning to sink in for both sides.
Sky News Post-Brexit trade talks could go right to the wire after Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to "go the extra mile" and continue discussions beyond Sunday's initial deadline.
The EU have not agreed to this as they only deal in the "metric system"🥱
The other stumbling block is fishing. The idea that the EU had “stolen” our fish was one of the myths that fuelled Brexit. In truth, English fishermen sold off their quotas to foreign operators in the 1990s – in contrast to Scotland where 96% remains in Scottish hands. The UK exports 80% of the fish that it catches, mainly to EU countries. And fishing is a tiny industry contributing little to our economy or employment. It is the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea that requires Britain to negotiate access to its waters for its neighbours – and there is little chance that a politically and economically significant trade deal will be scuppered over fishing.
The other stumbling block is fishing. The idea that the EU had “stolen” our fish was one of the myths that fuelled Brexit. In truth, English fishermen sold off their quotas to foreign operators in the 1990s – in contrast to Scotland where 96% remains in Scottish hands. The UK exports 80% of the fish that it catches, mainly to EU countries. And fishing is a tiny industry contributing little to our economy or employment. It is the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea that requires Britain to negotiate access to its waters for its neighbours – and there is little chance that a politically and economically significant trade deal will be scuppered over fishing.
Half of England's quota in foreign hands ÂŁ160m worth of England's fishing quota is in the hands of vessels owned by companies based in Iceland, Spain and the Netherlands, according to BBC research.
That amounts to 130,000 tonnes of fish a year and 55% of the quota's annual value in 2019.
Quotas are used by many countries to manage shared fish stocks. They determine how many fish of each species each country's fleets are allowed to catch.
The EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) sets quotas among EU member states, and similar deals are negotiated with neighbouring countries.
Uncovered: the Rich List “Codfathers” dominating the UK’s ... www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/uncovered-rich-list... More than half (53%) of England’s fishing quota is in the hands of just three companies. Northern Ireland (the UK’s third-largest fishing nation, with 9% of all quota): Over half (55%) of Northern Ireland’s quota is hoarded onto a single trawler: The Voyager. The Voyager Fishing Company is one of the top 10 quota-holders in the UK.
On its front page, the Guardian picks up on a suggestion by the EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, that a post-Brexit trade deal is within reach.
An EU diplomatic source tells the Daily Telegraph that Mr Barnier was a lot less gloomy than he had expected and suggested an agreement could be reached this week if both sides could "come out of their trenches on fish".
But the Daily Express pictures a serious-looking prime minister, a mobile phone pressed to his ear, looking over his glasses under the caption "trade talks 'still difficult'".
The Telegraph reports that MPs have been primed to vote for a possible Brexit trade deal at the beginning of next week.
It has been told that plans involve the Commons and the Lords being asked to sit on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday if there is a deal, with Christmas Eve still under discussion.
The Telegraph's government source describes the proposals as "entirely provisional", with suggestions that a deal is imminent being firmly quashed in London and Brussels.
According to the Financial Times the UK is drawing up plans to turn London into a rival to Singapore as a hub for shipping companies to register their vessels after the end of the Brexit transition period.
The proposals, which involve revamping the shipping tax and a lighter-touch regulation regime, are described as "blue-sky thinking" by an FT source.
Plans are said to include counting oil rigs as "ships" for tax purposes, which is not allowed under EU rules. The Department for Transport tells the paper that it doesn't comment on leaks.
The Daily Mail says the UK is facing the "Bleakest Midwinter" as it deals with the worsening pandemic and faltering Brexit trade talks.
And the Financial Times reports the EU's Covid economic recovery measures are causing fresh difficulties in the talks, with Boris Johnson unwilling to allow the money to be exempt from rules restricting state aid.
The Daily Express headline says the two sides remain "Poles Apart", with the prime minister refusing to give ground.
A government source is quoted in the paper saying "the French are being as unreasonable as ever and demanding the status quo for 10 years. There is no way we can accept that".
Comments
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/booming-defiance-towards-brussels-hides-the-grim-reality-english-power-is-ebbing-inside-the-british-isles/ar-BB1bQK2U?ocid=msedgntp
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/revealed-how-no-deal-brexit-could-change-britain-on-day-1-and-beyond/ar-BB1bRNLd?ocid=msedgntp
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/sam-mcbride-dup-s-constitutional-flippancy-key-to-brexit-has-weakened-the-union-and-led-to-this-irish-sea-border/ar-BB1bQPi3?ocid=msedgntp
Germany: ****
France:Chattes(f) Chats(M)
Spain: Cono
etc etc, you get the drift...
It loses a little bit in translation but the Germans as efficient as ever hit the nail on the head
Die F otze
"Tory grandees' fury over PM's 'nationalist' no-deal Brexit" is the Observer's headline as it says Boris Johnson is facing anger from senior Conservatives and business leaders. The paper reports the prime minister's handling of the final stage of the UK-EU trade negotiations has caused "astonishment in his own party, and the EU". It also has room for a story on Conservative MP Richard Drax who it says has been "urged to pay up for his family's slave trade past" after inheriting a 250-hectare plantation in Barbados. Mr Drax said the role his "very distant ancestor" played in the slave trade is "deeply, deeply regrettable" but added no one can be held responsible for it today.
The lead in the Sunday Times says "ministers warn supermarkets to stockpile food". It says food producers believe that leaving the EU without a trade deal will lead to a three-month shortage of vegetables. An unnamed consultant to one of the supermarket chains tells the paper: "Ministers are hugely worried about panic buying. They saw what happened over Covid, and know how quickly it can go wrong".
Under the headline: "They think it's all Dover", the Sun on Sunday explains that many of the government's contingency plans focus on the port where most lorries arrive from the EU. The measures include hiring up to 900 extra border staff, and bringing hundreds of extra police officers to Kent from other areas. The paper's leader states: "Nobody denies that a no-deal Brexit will initially be bumpy for Britain's economy - but the ultimate financial cost of accepting the EU's disgracefully one-sided deal would be far greater."
"Tory grandees' fury over PM's nationalist no-deal Brexit" is the Observer's lead. It says Boris Johnson is facing a "rising tide of anger" from senior Conservatives. Writing in the paper, the former Tory deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine says he knows cabinet ministers who believe - like he does - that this is "quite simply the worst peacetime decision of modern times". But he adds that he "cannot understand their silence".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-55290670
The Daily Telegraph reports that the talks could go on until New Year's Eve because neither side has set a new deadline. The Daily Express thinks EU leaders are "buckling" under the prime minister's demands that they respect British sovereignty. Its headline wonders if they have "finally got the message".
In the view of the Spectator's political editor, James Forsyth, the geo-political consequences of no deal are beginning to sink in for both sides.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-55297338
Post-Brexit trade talks could go right to the wire after Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to "go the extra mile" and continue discussions beyond Sunday's initial deadline.
The EU have not agreed to this as they only deal in the "metric system"🥱
The other stumbling block is fishing. The idea that the EU had “stolen” our fish was one of the myths that fuelled Brexit. In truth, English fishermen sold off their quotas to foreign operators in the 1990s – in contrast to Scotland where 96% remains in Scottish hands. The UK exports 80% of the fish that it catches, mainly to EU countries. And fishing is a tiny industry contributing little to our economy or employment. It is the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea that requires Britain to negotiate access to its waters for its neighbours – and there is little chance that a politically and economically significant trade deal will be scuppered over fishing.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/13/brexit-deadline-drama-uk-bad-deal-trade-agreement-friction
ÂŁ160m worth of England's fishing quota is in the hands of vessels owned by companies based in Iceland, Spain and the Netherlands, according to BBC research.
That amounts to 130,000 tonnes of fish a year and 55% of the quota's annual value in 2019.
Quotas are used by many countries to manage shared fish stocks. They determine how many fish of each species each country's fleets are allowed to catch.
The EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) sets quotas among EU member states, and similar deals are negotiated with neighbouring countries.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/52420116
Uncovered: the Rich List “Codfathers” dominating the UK’s ...
www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/uncovered-rich-list...
More than half (53%) of England’s fishing quota is in the hands of just three companies. Northern Ireland (the UK’s third-largest fishing nation, with 9% of all quota): Over half (55%) of Northern Ireland’s quota is hoarded onto a single trawler: The Voyager. The Voyager Fishing Company is one of the top 10 quota-holders in the UK.
On its front page, the Guardian picks up on a suggestion by the EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, that a post-Brexit trade deal is within reach.
An EU diplomatic source tells the Daily Telegraph that Mr Barnier was a lot less gloomy than he had expected and suggested an agreement could be reached this week if both sides could "come out of their trenches on fish".
But the Daily Express pictures a serious-looking prime minister, a mobile phone pressed to his ear, looking over his glasses under the caption "trade talks 'still difficult'".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-55311700
It has been told that plans involve the Commons and the Lords being asked to sit on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday if there is a deal, with Christmas Eve still under discussion.
The Telegraph's government source describes the proposals as "entirely provisional", with suggestions that a deal is imminent being firmly quashed in London and Brussels.
According to the Financial Times the UK is drawing up plans to turn London into a rival to Singapore as a hub for shipping companies to register their vessels after the end of the Brexit transition period.
The proposals, which involve revamping the shipping tax and a lighter-touch regulation regime, are described as "blue-sky thinking" by an FT source.
Plans are said to include counting oil rigs as "ships" for tax purposes, which is not allowed under EU rules. The Department for Transport tells the paper that it doesn't comment on leaks.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-55327154
And the Financial Times reports the EU's Covid economic recovery measures are causing fresh difficulties in the talks, with Boris Johnson unwilling to allow the money to be exempt from rules restricting state aid.
The Daily Express headline says the two sides remain "Poles Apart", with the prime minister refusing to give ground.
A government source is quoted in the paper saying "the French are being as unreasonable as ever and demanding the status quo for 10 years. There is no way we can accept that".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-55358352