Boris Johnson has cast doubt on the prospect of a trade deal with the US after Brexit, acknowledging that negotiations with president-elect Joe Biden would not be a “pushover”.
Mr Biden is not a supporter of Brexit and has suggested that he would block any deal which compromises the Good Friday Agreement with Northern Ireland.
It came as Marcus Rashford and child poverty campaigners were celebrating after the government U-turned over providing free meals to disadvantaged children during the Christmas holidays.
ICYMI: Labour pulls ahead in new poll as public split over coronavirus response
Labour has pulled further ahead of the Conservatives, according to polling by Opinium, as the public is split over the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The new poll, published last night, showed Labour on 42 per cent, ahead of the Tories on 38 per cent.
The research also found the public was split three ways over how the government should react to Covid-19, with 43 per cent saying ministers were underreacting, 20 per cent saying they were overreacting and 31 per cent believing the current response was appropriate.
You can find the results of the polls below:
Conrad Duncan8 November 2020 14:36
Military chief warns of WWIII risk as pandemic brings ‘uncertain and anxious’ times
The head of the UK’s military has warned that the world is living through a “very uncertain and anxious” period due to the coronavirus pandemic, with a risk of regional tensions escalating into a global conflict.
“I think the real risk we have with quite a lot of the regional conflicts that are going on at the moment, is you could see escalation lead to miscalculation and that’s a thing I think we have to guard against,” General Sir Nick Carter told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday.
Our political editor, Andrew Woodcock, has the full story below:
Conrad Duncan8 November 2020 14:21
Labour to urge government to tackle climate change with Biden, Miliband says
Labour will urge the government to use Joe Biden’s presidency as an opportunity to tackle the climate crisis with a multi-billion pound “green recovery” plan, Ed Miliband has said.
The shadow business secretary told the Guardian that the UK should use green initiatives to pull the country out of the recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“You can’t overstate the impact a Biden presidency will have on the climate issue,” Mr Miliband said.
“There are so many issues on which this is going to make such a big difference. Internationally, climate is top of the list.
“But you also can’t overstate the scale of the task that we face on this issue, and in particular making a success of Glasgow.”
The UK will host the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow this time next year.
Conrad Duncan8 November 2020 14:04
Senior Tory says all votes should be counted in democratic elections after Raab blunder
Earlier today, foreign secretary Dominic Raab fumbled a question on whether all votes should be counted in a democratic election following Donald Trump’s attempts to undermine the US election result.
With that in mind, Tom Tugendhat, chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, was asked the same question by Sky News later on Sunday.
The Tory MP had a much clearer answer, which you can find below:
Conrad Duncan8 November 2020 13:45
PM should have criticised Trump over attempts to undermine US election, Thornberry says
Boris Johnson should have criticised Donald Trump after the president rejected the result of the US election, a Labour minister has said.
Shadow international trade secretary Emily Thornberry said the prime minister should have said “this is not the behaviour we expect, this is wrong” after Mr Trump attempted to undermine Joe Biden’s victory on Saturday.
“I don’t think anybody can be surprised – I think that it is very much the sort of pattern of behaviour that he indulges in and, actually, he’s told us himself, hasn’t he, for some time that this is what he is going to do,” Ms Thornberry told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday.
“I think what is important is that we all stand united, those of us that are interested in democracy, and supporters of western democracy in particular – this is the biggest democracy in the west – and to have this sitting president saying the result isn’t valid is very damaging indeed.”
She added: “I think it is very important that we all speak with one voice on this and we’re quite clear that there has been an election, there has been a huge turnout, that all the votes have been counted and President Biden is President Biden.”
Conrad Duncan8 November 2020 13:26
Johnson believes in prospect of ‘American global leadership’ on climate change
Boris Johnson has said he believes there is “the real prospect of American global leadership in tackling climate change” with Joe Biden set to enter the White House next year.
“Already you’ve got country after country lining up to support the ambition of net zero by 2050,” Mr Johnson said.
“So Japan came through, Korea came through, even China has come through with a plan to do it by 2060, which is absolutely fantastic for the world.”
He added: “I think now with President Biden in the White House in Washington we have the real prospect of American global leadership in tackling climate change.
“The UK, as you know, was the first major country to set out that objective of net zero by 2050, we led the way a few years ago, and we’re really hopeful now that President Biden will follow and will help us to deliver a really good outcome at the COP26 summit next year in Glasgow.”
Conrad Duncan8 November 2020 13:15
Queen and Boris Johnson lead Cenotaph remembrance ceremony in empty Whitehall
The Queen has led a stripped-back Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph this morning, with Whitehall almost empty due to national lockdown restrictions.
People across the UK have been urged to mark the ceremony privately in their homes, while the Queen was joined by family members and prime minister Boris Johnson for the event.
Our reporter, Daisy Lester, has the full story below:
Conrad Duncan8 November 2020 13:04
Johnson insists Brexit deal with EU is ‘there to be done’
Boris Johnson has once again insisted that a Brexit deal with the EU is “there to be done” as the deadline for negotiations fast approaches.
“I’ve always been a great enthusiast for a trade deal with our European friends and partners, I think it is there to be done,” Mr Johnson said on Sunday.
“The broad outlines are pretty clear, we just need to get on and do it if we can. I’ve said that to Ursula von der Leyen just yesterday and she totally agrees with me.”
The prime minister added that he was determined to pass the controversial Internal Market Bill through parliament, despite criticism from the EU, and claimed the legislation was designed to “protect and uphold the Good Friday Agreement” in Northern Ireland.
Conrad Duncan8 November 2020 12:47
Johnson admits trade deal with US under Biden will not be a ‘pushover’
Boris Johnson has admitted that getting a trade deal with the US under president-elect Joe Biden’s leadership will not be “a pushover”.
However, the prime minister instead suggested there could be close cooperation with a Biden administration on climate change – an issue which the president-elect is understood to be focused on as a priority for his time in office.
You can find more on this breaking story below:
Conrad Duncan8 November 2020 12:32
Raab refuses to say if law-breaking Northern Ireland measures will be dropped for Biden
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has refused to say whether the government will ditch its law-breaking Internal Market Bill for Brexit following the victory of Joe Biden in the US presidential election.
Mr Biden made clear earlier this year that there would be no trade deal with the US if Boris Johnson’s government pressed ahead with the measure, which allows ministers to override the agreement on the Northern Irish border which the prime minister signed last year.
Our political editor, Andrew Woodcock, has the full story below:
Conrad Duncan8 November 2020 12:25
