Brexit news – live: Government admits fishing deal ‘fell short’ as UK pleads EU for ‘grace period’ extension

Labour left-wingers have warned Keir Starmer not to wrap the party in a Union Jack, after a leaked external review suggested it should rebrand itself as more demonstrably patriotic. 

The presentation, which was seen by the Guardian, said Labour should “make use of the flag, veterans and dressing smartly” to win back voters in “red wall” seats. 

One Labour MP told the Independent it would be a “foolish strategy” unless it was accompanied by firm statements on the progressive values of inclusivity. 

Our political editor Andrew Woodcock reports: 

Labour has said a leaked presentation about making the party appear more patriotic is from an external review and is not part of its new strategy. 

This comes in response to a Guardian article, which cited the presentation to suggest that Labour sought to rebrand itself by making use of the Union Jack.  

A spokesperson for Keir Starmer said: “It was a document produced by an external agency about the Labour Party – it was created by a third party and the recommendations in that report are their recommendations.

“It is not right to say it was presented as our strategy. That is not what it was and to claim otherwise is wrong,” they added.

Health secretary Matt Hancock has said the film Contagion partly shaped his response to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

When asked by LBC about the movie in which the world struggles to contain a deadly virus, he admitted that it influenced the government’s approach to place large orders with vaccine suppliers. 

The government has now formally called for post-Brexit grace periods in Northern Ireland to be extended for another two years.

Michael Gove wrote to European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic insisting that arrangements allowing supermarkets to phase in new checks on food travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland stay in place until at least 1 January 2023.

“The eligibility for these arrangements must also be adapted so that all relevant local businesses and services are able to be included as authorised traders,” the cabinet office secretary wrote.

“This must be accompanied by a commitment to rapid work on a proportionate, risk-based long-term solution that recognises the very low-risk nature of retail movements by trusted traders.”

He also said: “A permanent solution should be put in place for those chilled meat products moving GB-NI that are otherwise prohibited.

“If this in practice requires further time and engagement, then a temporary solution must be in place until at least January 1 2023.”

The deal signed by Boris Johnson with the EU on fishing after Brexit fell “short” of industry expectations, the environment secretary has admitted.

Speaking at a House of Lords committee on Wednesday George Eustice told peers that “it’s fair to say that we didn’t get everything that we wanted on fishing”, adding that “compromises were made”.

Since the transition period ended fishermen have reported little benefit and many have instead complained they are unable to export their catches to Europe because of the new bureaucracy created by Brexit.

The environment secretary told peers: “I don’t think anyone in the fishing industry believed that we would immediately exclude access for all [EU] vessels.”

Our Policy Correspondent Jon Stone has the full story:

Following a call between Boris Johnson and Arlene Foster, the DUP called for “permanent solutions” to the problems that have plagued Northern Ireland since trade barriers went up after the end of the Brexit transition period.

“Sticking plaster solutions and grace periods that kick the can down the road will not solve these problems,” the party said in a statement.

“It is now up to the prime minister to back up his words with tangible actions that protect the integrity of the whole of the United Kingdom. We will continue to engage with the UK government on all these issues but have underlined that long-term workable solutions will need to be found quickly because Northern Ireland needs to be free of this protocol.”

Therese Coffey has dismissed a proposal – reportedly being considered by the chancellor – to replace the weekly £20 universal credit increase with a one-off £1,000 payment to claimants. 

It is currently unclear whether the increase, which was announced in response to the pandemic, will continue beyond March. 

The DWP secretary told MPs that the lump sum payment was not the department’s “preferred approach”, adding that a “steady sum of money” would be better for claimants. 

Our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn has the details: 

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle interrupted Boris Johnson during PMQs while the prime minister was attacking Keir Starmer over his approach to the pandemic. 

After Mr Johnson accused the Labour leader – once again –  of “sitting on the fence”, Sir Hoyle said: “In fairness, we’ve got to be somewhere near the question asked and I don’t want to go around the world answering every problem and issue.

“There’s a lot more questions which is going to allow you to do that.”

Keir Starmer has asked the prime minister why hundreds of thousands of people are still living in homes with unsafe cladding, three and a half years after the Grenfell tragedy. 

Speaking at PMQs, the Labour leader said: “I can’t tell the Prime Minister how anxious and angry people feel about this. It’s now three and half years since the Grenfell tragedy which took 72 lives.

“So can the Prime Minister tell the House and the country why three and half years on are there still hundreds of thousands of people living in homes with unsafe cladding?” 

Boris Johnson responded by acknowledging that the problem “needs to be fixed”. 

“I very much appreciate and sympathise with the predicament of leaseholders who are in that situation but we are working to clear the backlog, and I can tell him that the Chancellor and the communities secretary will be coming forward with a full package to address the issue,” he added.