Brexit news – live: EU getting ‘impatient’ over negotiations says Merkel, as talks enter crunch week

Weekend stories about Brits losing out on year-round access to second homes in Europe after the Brexit transition period are still prompting a lot of discussion on Twitter.

The Mail and others claim Brexiteers are “furious” at travel rules limiting them to 90 days, but as expert in EU law Prof Steve Peers points out: “These aren’t new EU rules. They are existing rules for non-EU citizens if their country has not signed up to free movement.” A predictable consequence of Brexit, as many have noted.

Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said it was “clear” that everyone in the country had to follow the Covid lockdown restrictions – “including celebrities”.  

Singer Rita Ora reportedly breached the rules by holding a birthday party for 30 people at a restaurant in west London (and has since apologised), while the actor Laurence Fox boasted about having a “large group” over for lunch.

The No 10 spokesman “it’s up to police to decide what action to take” if rules had been broken.

With time running very short to reach a deal on Britain’s future relationship with the European Union, some member states are growing impatient, German chancellor Angela Merkel has said.

She named governance, a competitive level playing field, Britain’s desire for access to the EU energy market and the EU’s desire for continued access to fishing grounds as key sticking points.

“We hope that the negotiations will have a good end,” she said. “We don’t need a deal at any price and we have made this clear … A deal is in everyone’s interest.”

No 10 continues to see the EU’s demands on fishing rights “wholly unacceptable”, a government sources have told ITV’s Robert Peston.

The host says Downing Street can now see “a political solution to the impasse” on stuff relating to level playing field conditions, state aid and enforcement mechanism. Peston also notes that EU sources say the opposite – that fisheries looks “sortable” but the other stuff is blocked.

Pubs, cafes and restaurants in Wales will close at 6pm from Friday and will be banned from serving alcohol, under unexpected new hardline measures.

First minister Mark Drakeford said indoor entertainment venues – including cinemas, bingo halls, skating rinks and casinos – will also be ordered to shut. He said coronavirus was “accelerating across Wales” again after gains achieved during the country’s 17-day lockdown which ended on 9 November.

Downing Street said the UK’s negotiating position would not be changed despite calls for a compromise in Brexit trade talks.

Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said: “We want to try and reach a free-trade agreement as soon as possible. But we have been clear that we won’t change our negotiating position and we have been clear what that position is.”

The government is “confident” there will be time to get legislation implementing any deal through parliament before the transition period expires at the end of the year, the spokesman added.

Scotland’s finance secretary Kate Forbes has told public-sector workers north of the border she will not impose a “Tory pay freeze” on them.

She made the pledge at the SNP conference as she attacked the UK government over austerity and for leaving her to prepare the Scottish budget “blindfolded”. In his spending review last week, chancellor Rishi Sunak said he was unable to give pay rises to all those working in the public sector in England.

It comes as party leader Nicola Sturgeon is set to announce a £100m winter fund to help low-income households in Scotland through the next few months of the pandemic – including a direct £100 payment for families with children receiving free school meals.  

A bit more on the “green card” issue now. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has issued a reminder in recent days that motorists in Northern Ireland will need to carry an insurance green card when driving across the border to the Republic of Ireland (as well as the rest of the EU), at the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December.

This is necessary “unless there is an agreement to the contrary” (with the EU Commission said to withholding a decision until a trade deal is struck). Drivers need to have a physical copy, which can be sent out by your insurer or you can print out a digital copy.

The European Commission is thought to be withholding a decision that would spare UK drivers extra paperwork when they head for the EU after the transition period.

The Commission has yet to decide whether to allow British motorists over the border without a “green card” proof of insurance document, leaving the issue “hanging over” talks, the Financial Times has reported.

“It really is down to the Europeans to decide,” Graeme Trudgill told the newspaper. “I would hope that even if there was a ‘no-deal’ that after six months the decision would get through, but I do worry on January 1 we might be thrust into it for six months or more.”

Drivers are at risk of being fined or even prosecuted if they do not have the paperwork.

Reports suggest Boris Johnson could speak to European Commission chief Ursula Von der Leyen over the next 48 hours to push for a big breakthrough on trade talks.

Von der Leyen has sent one of her most senior officials, Stephanie Riso, to assist Michel Barnier at the negotiations over the next few days. A senior UK government source said over the weekend that Von der Leyen president has been “quite helpful” and is “keen to unblock things” as talks enter their final days.

The source told The Times: “Von der Leyen has been quite helpful. Her team has been more involved of late which is helpful. On the level playing field and state aid we aren’t there yet but we can see how we get there. The problem is fish.”