Brexit news – live: UK may send Covid jabs to EU, as 100,000 pigs ‘stranded’ on farms in border chaos

Johnson’s trip to Scotland won’t save the union, but at least he’s trying

Nicola Sturgeon can do no wrong in the eyes of Scottish public opinion, and the PM’s unpopularity in Scotland is one of the biggest problems for those of us who want to keep our country together. But would be worse for the unionist cause if Johnson didn’t care, writes John Rentoul:

‘Prioritise vaccines for teachers’

We want to see children back in school as soon as possible, and the half-term break in two weeks’ time provides the ideal opportunity to vaccinate teachers and school support staff, alongside the safety measures the government is putting in place in our classrooms, as well as mass testing, says deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner, writing for The Independent:  

Government axes ‘sexist’ advert

The government has dropped a coronavirus advert urging the nation to “stay home and save lives” which was accompanied by illustrations of women doing household chores following a major backlash. Maya Oppenheim reports:

Johnson made mistake on number of quarantine countries

No 10 has admitted that the Prime Minister made a mistake when saying that 22 countries would be on the “red list” for hotel quarantines.

It was later announced on Wednesday by the Home Office that arrivals from 30 nations would be subject to new rules forcing them to stay in hotels near airports for up to 10 days.

The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “I’ll be completely straight – the 22 was an error. The new rules will apply to the countries where we’ve imposed international travel bans. The list currently comprises of 30 countries but obviously that list is kept under review.”

The spokesman said more details on the quarantine scheme would be coming next week.

The SNP is sending a message about Boris Johnson’s visit to Scotland that could be seen as serious or provocative, depending on your view:

PM may let UK Covid jabs go to EU 

Breaking news from Andrew Woodcock: Coronavirus vaccines produced in the UK could be sent to the EU before the domestic immunisation programme is completed, Downing Street has indicated.

Boris Johnson’s official spokesman repeatedly refused to rule out diverting doses to the continent when questioned more than half a dozen times at a regular Westminster media briefing.

EU snubs UK envoy in spat over diplomatic status

A top European Union official has cancelled a meeting with the UK’s new envoy to Brussels amid a row over Britain’s refusal to grant the EU’s envoys full diplomatic status in London after Brexit, an EU official said.

Lindsay Croisdale-Appleby, head of the UK Mission to the EU and who took office last week, was told that his meeting with the chief of European Council President Charles Michel’s cabinet had been postponed.

The official, who declined to be named, said the postponement was due to a lack of clarity about the diplomatic status of EU representatives in Britain.

Britain has refused to grant the same diplomatic credentials and privileges to Brussels’ ambassador to London and his team as it gives to envoys of countries, on the basis that the 27-member EU is not a nation state.

A British government source said the diplomatic status issue remained subject to negotiation.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, said its 143 delegations around the world had all been granted a status equivalent to that of diplomatic missions of states, and Britain was well aware of the fact.

Mass badger culls to end, ministers signal – for the second time

Mass badger culling will end after next year, the government has signalled, after years of controversy about the practice.

But wildlife campaigners expressed caution, and questioned the timing of the announcement, which came on the day new figures showed 38,642 badgers were killed last year. It’s the second time in 12 months that the government has announced an end to the cull. Jane Dalton reports:

PM ‘misled’ MPs over date of shadow minister’s quarantine remarks

Boris Johnson has been accused of “misleading” MPs by claiming a Labour frontbencher’s 200-day-old comments on quarantine measures were recent.

The Prime Minister told the Commons during Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday that shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon had “only recently” said quarantine measures should be eased.

But Mr McMahon said today: “Mr Speaker, thank you for allowing me to raise a point of order in relation to what I believe was a misleading statement made by the Prime Minister yesterday.”

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle intervened to advise Mr McMahon he could not accuse another MP of “misleading” the House deliberately, adding the word “inadvertently” would be a “nicer way of dealing with it”.

Mr McMahon replied: “I’m more than happy to take that advice, Mr Speaker.”

Referring to the Prime Minister, the Labour MP added: “He said it was only recently that the shadow transport secretary was saying that quarantine measures should be relaxed, he went on to repeat a similar comment.

“Firstly, it relates to a statement made over 200 days ago in July last year, nothing at all to do with current regulations or our current Covid rate.

“And it was in response to the Government themselves lifting quarantine restrictions for a list of countries where we were critical of the Government for failing to have a proper track-and-trace system, failing to do pre-screening and testing on arrival.

“So far from calling for relaxation, we were actually criticising the Government for its own failings and I think the record should be put straight.”