Boris Johnson news: Brexit ‘crisis talks’ held in Berlin, as PM’s father again breaks facemask rule
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EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has met German chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin for talks on the Brexit crisis, as Germany urges the UK to agree a compromise trade deal. Goldman Sachs said a deal was still “likely” in early November – but warned a breakdown in negotiations could not be ruled out.
It comes as chancellor Rishi Sunak defended his Eat Out to Help Out scheme – despite Mr Johnson’s suggestion it may have helped spread the coronavirus. Following his Tory conference speech, Mr Sunak claimed he did not want to be PM. “This is a hard enough job for me to do.”
Meanwhile Britain’s former ambassador to the US said Mr Johnson is unlikely to get a “warm welcome” from the White House if Joe Biden wins the election because of resentment over the PM’s remarks about Barack Obama’s “ancestral dislike of the British Empire”.
PM blunders over self-isolation payment
Boris Johnson has blundered over his own coronavirus rules again – wrongly claiming that people who self-isolate will receive £500 each week.
In fact, only a single £500 payment is made to people who are told to stay at home and who cannot work – and it is only paid to low-earners.
The PM’s spokesman admitted his mistake, saying: “There is a one-off payment of £500 to cover the period of self-isolation.”
Boris Johnson wrongly claims people who self-isolate receive £500 a week
Only a single £500 payment is made to people who are told to stay at home – and it is only paid to low-earners
Germany: No-deal Brexit would be highly ‘irresponsible’
Angela Merkel has now met with EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier – as Germany called on the UK to make a big final push to agree on a trade deal.
German foreign minister Heiko Maas, who also attended Monday’s meeting, said Covid-19 has “made an agreement even more urgent” for both sides.
Maas said no-deal Brexit would be an “irresponsible” outcome. “With today’s health and economic challenges, people on both sides of the channel have enough to shoulder, so it would be totally irresponsible to burden them in this position with the additional problems through a no-deal.”
Goldman Sachs said on Monday that the UK and the EU were likely to do a “thin” zero tariff trade deal by early November – though warned the risk of a breakdown in negotiations could not be ruled out.
Ian Botham becomes a peer
England cricket legend Sir Ian “Beefy” Botham donned his ermine-trimmed robe for his formal introduction ceremony in the House of Lords – after Boris Johnson handed him a peerage.
The Brexit backer swore the oath of allegiance to the Queen after technical problems delayed the start of proceedings. “I think rain has stopped play just for the moment,” joked Lord Fowler.
PM more likely to get trade deal from Trump than Biden, says former ambassador
More now on Kim Darroch’s intriguing remarks. Britain’s former ambassador to the US said there was still some “resentment and unhappiness” over comments Boris Johnson made about Barack Obama.
(Johnson suggested the removal of a bust of Churchill from Obama’s office was a sign of an “ancestral dislike of the British Empire” and his “part-Kenyan” ancestry).
Lord Darroch also said Johnson would find it easier to secure a trade deal with Donald Trump than Joe Biden.
“I don’t think that for Joe Biden’s administration a free trade deal with the UK is going to be a top priority. I think maybe re-joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership or maybe an EU-US deal might be priorities.
“I think the free trade deal is a lot more deliverable a lot more quickly, though with some big and painful concession by us if Trump wins.”
Joe Biden unlikely to give Boris Johnson ‘warm, welcoming embrace’ says ex-ambassador
Kim Darroch says there is still ‘resentment’ over Mr Johnson’s remarks about former US president Barack Obama
PM’s dad admits he ‘slipped up’ after breaking mask rule again
Stanley Johnson has admitted he “slipped up” after being photographed again breaching rules on wearing masks – this time at a London Underground station.
After the photograph was published, showing him at a Bakerloo line station with his mask under his nose, the PM’s father insisted he was unaware that rules also applied when standing on the platform.
When informed that doing so was required on all areas of the Underground, he said: “I’m happy to be informed by you that this is indeed the case ... it’s only my third day back in London. I am learning every day.”
“This has been a fast learning curve for me and I’m certainly grateful for the vigilance of my fellow travellers,” he added. “Thanks to all of you for sending photographs of me every time I appear in public. I am really taking a huge, huge ... I’m taking this very seriously,” he added.
Government defeated in Lords on immigration bill
The government's flagship immigration legislation that will end EU freedom of movement rules in the UK has suffered a series of defeats in the Lords.
Peers voted in favour of three amendments to the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill.
They backed by 304 votes to 224, majority 80, a Labour-led demand for an independent review into the impact of the change on social care amid warnings it could fuel staff shortages and deepen the crisis facing the sector, already wrestling with Covid-19.
Peers went on to swiftly inflict a further defeat against a move to impose financial restrictions on Britons returning to the UK with their EU families from March 2022. The Lords backed by 312 votes to 223, majority 89, a cross-party amendment, which would prevent the introduction of entry conditions.
A short time later, the House of Lords defied the government again to support automatically granting EU children in care settled status in the UK.
The amendment, proposed by refugee campaigner and Labour peer Lord Dubs, would give children in care and care leavers automatic and indefinite leave to remain under the EU settlement scheme. It was backed by 323 votes to 227, majority 96.
The defeats raise the prospect of a legislative tussle known informally as parliamentary ping pong, where a bill is passed between the two Houses.
Minister rejects calls for public inquiry on Post Office scandal
MPs have called for a full public inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal - described in parliament as “possibly the largest miscarriage of justice in British history”.
However Paul Scully, the junior business minister, said that he believed the judge-led review of the evidence was the best and quickest way to get the truth.
He said that more than 2,200 claims for compensation by Post Office staff affected by the accounting scandal were being assessed.
It came after Kevan Jones, Labour MP for North Durham, suggested the government should be taking more responsibility. "This scandal is still being treated as somehow an issue for the Post Office, the government are the single shareholder - they are the ones who can make changes. Have ministers been involved in this decision (to overturn prosecutions)? Is he going to announce a compensation process or are those people going to pursue compensation through the court? I understand 2,000 claims have been made and not a penny paid out.
“The review he has announced is not good enough. A full public inquiry is needed. Without that we will not get the truth. It is a national scandal.”
Mr Scully said the government were not involved in the decision by the Post Office to allow 44 wrongful convictions to be overturned.
The Post Office is still reviewing around 900 historical convictions of sub-postmasters
Mr Scully told the Commons: "The Post Office continues to co-operate fully with the CCRC (Criminal Cases Review Commission) and are in the process of reviewing about 900 historical prosecutions.
"Should they find any new information which may cast doubt on the safety of a conviction, they've confirmed they will disclose that information to the person who is convicted."
Government urged to set out plans for exams in 2021
“Time is running out” to organise exams next year, unions have warned, amid suggestions A-levels and GCSEs could be pushed back several weeks next year to fit in more teaching time.
Geoff Barton from the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) told The Independent the government “needs to show a greater sense of urgency” on the matter.
Time running out' to plan for next year's exams, unions warn
Organisations suggest certain students should get priority for coronavirus testing
Matt Hancock is now making an urgent statement on coronavirus in the House of Commons, following revelations about a technical blunder which failed to count nearly 16,000 new cases over the past week.
"These positive test results were not reported in the public data and were not transferred to the contact tracing system."
He says that 51 per cent of those people have now been contacted.
“This is a serious issue that is now being investigated fully. This incident should never happened. It is important we put this right and make sure it never happens again."
Hancock urged to apologise for 'putting lives at risk’
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth responds: "As many as 48,000 contacts were not traced and not contacted. This isn’t just a shambles, it’s so much worse than this. It is putting lives at risk and he should apologise when he responds.
“When will it be fully resolved?"
Mr Ashworth ends by asking Matt Hancock: “When will he finally fix this mess?”
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