Brexit news – live: Ireland predicts deal in weeks, as ministers told migrants deaths must be ‘wake-up call’

We won’t be backing down on fisheries, says Gove

Britain will not back down on its demands to the European Union over fisheries, minister Michael Gove said in a 26 October letter sent to a minister in the devolved Welsh government.

Responding to concerns set out by Jeremy Miles, Wales’s Brexit minister, Gove wrote: “I am afraid we strongly disagree with your premise that we should ‘back down’ on fisheries.

“The UK government’s view is that in all circumstances, the UK must be an independent coastal state, no longer be bound by the Common Fisheries Policy.”

Tory MP says he’s received ‘orchestrated’ threats over free meals vote

Police are investigating reports that a “blue wall” Tory MP has been threatened with violence after he voted against the extension of free school meals during the half-term holidays.

Ian Levy, who represents Blyth Valley in Northumberland, said the threats were distressing to him, his family and staff. He claimed the comments were “politically motivated” and were “orchestrated” by people outside his constituency.

In a statement, he said: “The issue of free school meal provision in holidays clearly does need further debate and there is plenty of time ahead of Christmas to do that.”

Levy had posted a lengthy message on Facebook explaining his vote, and claimed the “full facts have not been presented”.

Brexit side-deal for Spain and Gibraltar ‘stumbles’

Spain and Gibraltar want to reach a late-minute side deal with Britain to avoid having a hard border in southern Spain after Brexit – but have stumbled on “a lack of political will” in London, a Spanish diplomatic source has said.

The source said any deal aimed at creating a “shared prosperity zone” in Gibraltar, a British territory over which Spain claims sovereignty, was unlikely before a full Brexit agreement.

“We’ve made our suggestions, explored technical solutions on how to get there. What is lacking is the political will to close the deal. The ball is in the UK’s court,” the source told Reuters on Wednesday.

The Foreign Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Our correspondent Jon Stone has written about how a side-deal might work:

Peer fears for post-Brexit medicine supply to NI

A leading Lib Dem peer has warned of the potential risk to the supply of pharmaceutical drugs to Northern Ireland from the EU following Brexit.

Lord Teverson, who chairs the Lords EU Environment sub-committee, has warned said many firms still don’t feel they have the info about the transportation of medicines.

The peer has written to health minister Edward Argar asking for reassurances. “What steps is the government taking to ensure the consistent, affordable supply of a full range of genuine prescription medicines in NI in the medium term, after any immediate adjustment period at the end of transition?” he wrote.

The peer posed seven questions to the minister in all – and wants answers by November 11.

Let them eat M&S: ‘It doesn’t take a great deal of money to feed a child’

Many Tory MPs and local authority leaders have shared their uneasiness at Boris Johnson’s refusal to back down and extend free school meal vouchers. Not so Mike Bird, Tory leader of Walsall council, who insisted: “It doesn’t take a great deal of money to feed a child.”

“Marks and Spencer are supposed to be the most expensive for food but you can buy three meals for £7 there,” he told the BBC.

“This is a political football created by Marcus Rashford. He kicks it on the pitch and now the Labour Party are booting it around. I’m sorry, it’s not going to work with me.”

Rashford, incidentally, has just thanked his backers for all their support – and asked them to remember “a lot of families in need will not have access to the internet”.

New environment watchdog will be independent, says minister

The new watchdog to protect the environment will be truly “independent”, the environment secretary has insisted. George Eustice said the government would appoint the chair of the new Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), but added it would have “very clear powers”.

His comments came as campaigners claimed the government had “consistently reduced” the resources and powers that will be available for the new body.

Asked about the controversial Agriculture Bill, due to return to the Commons next week, Eustice said: “We’ve got a very clear manifesto commitment to uphold our food standards and make sure our farmers are not undermined by food produced under systems that would be illegal here … we don’t need new powers in the bill to do that.”

Exclusive: Heathrow boss attacks No10 over ‘lack of support for airports’

The chief executive of Heathrow airport has a blunt message for No 10: “Wake up and smell the French roast.”

John Holland-Kaye has spent the morning conceding in broadcast interviews that his airport, previously the busiest in Europe, has been overtaken by Paris Charles de Gaulle.

“The French understand just how important aviation is to a thriving economy,” he told The Independent. “I don’t think the UK government does.

Opinion: Boris Johnson doesn’t have a clue about how poor people really feel

I’m at a total loss to understand why the government is digging in its heels by refusing to meet the cost of providing meals for schoolchildren during holiday periods, writes Lord Griffiths of Burry Port.

When they made their U-turn on this very matter in the summer, they must surely have sensed what a popular decision it was. It gave them political kudos, as well ensuring that the basic needs of disadvantaged and vulnerable children were met.

No more survivors of Channel boat sinking, France says

French emergency services say there is no chance of finding more survivors from a boat carrying migrants which sank while trying to cross the Channel to England.

The search was called off on Tuesday night because of darkness and bad weather and did not begin again on Wednesday, an official from the French maritime agency for the Channel and North Sea region said.

If you want to catch up on this awful story, you can read on below for the latest from this morning:

Boris Johnson ‘hid’ from IDS, claims new book

Boris Johnson allegedly “hid in his bedroom” to avoid questions from Iain Duncan Smith about Brexit in the days before he became PM last year. Ex-Tory adviser Peter Cardwell made the claim in his new book The Secret Life of Special Advisers.

The book states: “With IDS en route, Boris quickly ordered his entire team to race up the stairs to the first floor of the house and, well, hide from their alleged campaign chairman as he rapped on the door of the building.

“Eventually, IDS gave up knocking on the door and ringing the bell, and the Johnson team gingerly made their way downstairs again to their makeshift offices to resume their work.”

A senior Tory source told The Sun it was a “work of fiction”.