Brexit news – live: UK’s biggest fish market left ‘like ghost town’, as Eurostar under threat

A big shift in both assets and jobs from the UK to France is already under way and will accelerate this year, according to the governor of the Bank of France.

Francois Villeroy de Galhau revealed around 170bn euros (£150bn) of assets and 2,500 jobs had already been moved out of London by the end of 2020. “It is now or never that we should seize the double opportunity of Brexit and the reconstruction to make a capital markets union,” Villeroy said.

It comes as the largest political group in the European parliament urges EU chiefs to come up with a “master plan” to move key financial services out of London after Brexit.

A government minister has rejected calls for a rethink to rescue visa-free tours by musicians of the EU – insisting “taking back control” of borders must come first.

Culture minister Caroline Dineage admitted an EU proposal was thrown out because of a fear it clashed with ending free movement. “That is just simply not compatible with our manifesto commitment to taking back control of our borders,” she told MPs.

Under pressure, Ms Dinenage did agree to consider publishing all correspondence to reveal exactly what happened in the failed negotiations.

Labour has called for Gavin Williamson to resign as education secretary after accusing him of “failing children throughout the pandemic”.

Speaking in parliament, Labour’s Wes Streeting slammed the government over free school meals, the handling of schools closures and last year’s exam results controversy.

“If the prime minister had any judgment, he would have sacked the secretary of state, and if the secretary of state had any shame, he would have resigned,” said Streeting.

Senior Conservative backbencher Tobias Ellwood, the chair of the Commons Defence Committee, said he will back the Lords “genocide amendment” and predicted the Government will be defeated in the vote.

The Government is seeking to reverse key amendments to the Trade Bill passed by the House of Lords when the legislation returns to the Commons on Tuesday – including one which would force the Government to withdraw from any free trade agreement with any country which the High Court rules is committing genocide.

He told the PA news agency: “I would encourage as many MPs as possible to support this. We are just crafting the definition of what global Britain means and this must be front and centre in what we stand for and what we believe.”

Downing Street has attempted to put to bed claims that the PM is partial to a power nap in the middle of the day. The PM’s press secretary Allegra Stratton told reporters: “The prime minister does not have a nap. These reports are untrue.”

Her comments came after a Downing Street insider told The Times “it would not be entirely uncommon in the diary for him to shut the door and have a kip for half an hour or so – a power executive business nap to get him ready for the rest of the day”.

But Stratton said: “He does not have a nap during the day when he is in Downing Street… his day is jam-packed from early in the morning through to late at night.”

Musicians are being treated as “mere collateral” by the Government as the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement fails to provide touring visas, an SNP MP said.

Referring to his days touring in Europe with the band Runrig, Pete Wishart (Perth and North Perthshire) told the Commons: “Touring Europe means everything to our artists and musicians.

“The thrill of that first tour, crammed into the Transit van with all your gear, four to a room in a cheap hotel in Paris, Rotterdam or Hamburg. Using what’s left of the fee for a post-gig beer.

“The dream that when you come back it will be a lavish tour bus, staying in five-star hotels.

“Gone, all gone. Musicians and artists mere collateral in this Government’s obsession in ending freedom of movement.”

Former Conservative party leader Iain Duncan Smith has come out in favour of retaining the increase to Universal Credit until the pandemic is firmly behind the country.

Describing the measure as a “generous uplift” the former work and pensions minister said it was too soon to scrap the £20 a week increase to the benefit.

“Until [government] absolutely knows where we are with the fall-out from Covid, which may take many months yet they should not seek to make changes to the welfare system at this particular point – but to actually keep this under review and to see how this is working as we get through Covid”, he said on the BBC’s Politics Live.

“So if we are coming out and we see that then let’s look for the employment figures to fall back down again on unemployment and for people to be able to start to raise their incomes and that I think is the starting point for review.”

The nominations to succeed Richard Leonard as the next leader of the Scottish Labour Party have closed – and MSP Anas Sarwar would appear the clear frontrunner. He received nominations from 16 MSPs and one MP, while Monica Lennon got the nod from five MSPs.  

It means Sarwar and Lennon will be on the ballot – which opens for members to vote on 9 February and closes on 26 February.

James Withers, the chief executive of the Scotland Food and Drink body, has shared images of the deserted fish market in Peterhead, near Aberdeen – the biggest anywhere in the continent. “What a sad sight. Europe’s biggest fish market in Peterhead like a ghost town.”

Long delays sorting out customs problems has meant EU buyers rejecting produce. Prices were reported to have dropped 80 per cent at Peterhead last week, and desperate Scottish fishing vessels have headed to Denmark to flog their produce.

Labour have gained a narrow lead over the Conservatives in the latest YouGov survey. Keir Starmer’s party stays on 39 per cent, while Boris Johnson’s party falls one point to 38 per cent. At the weekend an Opinion poll showed Labour opening up a four-point lead on the Tories.