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The British and Irish governments expressed optimism Thursday that a thorny spat between the U.K. and the European Union over Northern Ireland trade can be resolved, but Ireland s top diplomat indicated that negotiations were likely to drag on into next year. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said the talks over post-Brexit rules for Northern Ireland, the only part of the U.K. that shares a border with an EU member, had not produced a “breakthrough moment.” But neither has there been a breakdown that seemed to loom for months.“Do I think that all issues can be resolved linked to the (Northern Ireland) protocol by the end of the year? I think that’s a very tall order and unlikely to happen,” Coveney said after a meeting of U.K. and Irish ministers in London Under a deal agreed to before Britain’s departure from the EU last year, Northern Ireland remains inside the EU’s tariff-free single market for goods. The provision was designed to maintain an open border on the island of Ireland – a key pillar of Northern Ireland’s peace process. But it created a new customs border in the Irish Sea for goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K., even though they are part of the same country. That has brought red tape and supply problems for some businesses, and has angered Northern Ireland’s British Unionists, who say the checks undermine Northern Ireland’s place in the U.K. and destabilize the delicate political balance on which peace rests. The U.K. is seeking major changes to the arrangements and has threatened to use an emergency break clause to suspend parts of the legally binding Brexit divorce agreement, if no solution is found. Using the emergency clause, known as Article 16, would trigger EU retaliation and could spiral into a trade war between the U.K. and the 27-nation bloc.“Triggering Article 16, in my view, from an EU perspective, will move us into a new space where we don’t want to go because I think that will be a signal that negotiation has failed,” Coveney said.Britain’s language toward the EU has grown less belligerent in recent weeks, with ministers saying they would prefer to strike a deal rather than act unilaterally. U.K. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said Thursday he was “an optimist” about the outcome of the talks, which remain snagged over Britain’s insistence that the EU remove its top court from its role in resolving any disputes over the agreement — an idea the bloc flatly rejects.“I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to come to a positive resolution with the EU. Our focus has got to be about resolving the issues for the people of Northern Ireland,” Lewis told reporters.Lewis and Coveney declined to confirm a report in the Financial Times that U.S. concerns about the dispute’s impact on Northern Ireland peace had led Washington to drag its feet on lifting tariffs on British steel, something it has done for steel from the EU. Coveney said the U.S. had played a big role in securing peace in Northern Ireland, “and they watch it closely.”“It’s not new that there are concerns in Washington in terms of the impact of the sort of polarized politics around the protocol and its implementation on the broader peace process and political stability in Northern Ireland,” he said. “The U.S. can speak for themselves on that,” he said. “But for us, this is about trying to find accommodation, trying to settle difficult issues for both sides in a way that can allow us to move on and that will continue to be our focus.”___Follow all AP stories on post-Brexit developments at https://apnews.com/hub/Brexit. More

Multiple Christmas parties were held in Downing Street while indoor mixing was banned under Covid rules, according to the latest reports.Boris Johnson on Wednesday refused to deny that a large party was held in No.10 in late December – breaking the regulations.But there are now new claims that staff repeatedly gathered after work to drink alcohol and play party games in their offices, despite rules banning mixing between household bubbles.The Daily Mirror newspaper reports that on 18 December around 40 people drank and celebrated late into the night.Food, party games, and alcohol all said to have been available at the gathering, according to the BBC – whose source described the mood at as “downbeat”.The party went ahead two days after the government moved London into Tier 3 restrictions, banning all indoor mixing outside household bubbles.And the day after the bash took place Mr Johnson scrapped plans for a Christmas relaxation of rules, keeping millions from seeing their families.Another party is said to have taken place on 27 November. This event was reportedly a leaving drinks for special advisor Cleo Watson, who was leaving No.10 to work elsewhere.Mr Johnson himself is said to have attended the November bash and made a short speech before commenting on how crowded the room was.The Guardian newspaper also reports a source claiming there were “loads of leaving parties” during both the second and third lockdown.A No.10 spokesperson refused to deny parties had taken place and said only that rules had been followed.“Covid rules have been followed at all times,” they said.But the government has also repeatedly claimed the rules were not broken in other similar cases where ministers and officials have taken liberties – including Matt Hancock’s affair and Dominic Cummings’ trip to Barnard Castle.At prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, Keir Starmer accused Mr Johnson of “taking the British public for fools for following the rules”.“The prime minister doesn’t deny there was a Downing Street Christmas party last year,” he said.”He says no rules were broken. Both of those things can’t be true.” More

Boris Johnson denies breaking Covid rules with No 10 Christmas partySir Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of “taking people for fools” amid reports 10 Downing Street held multiple Christmas parties last year while indoor mixing was banned under covid restrictions. Following a Daily Mirror report stating that between 40-50 people attended a bash at No 10 where staff drank and celebrated late into the night, the Labour leader wrote on Twitter: “Boris Johnson hosted multiple parties when the country was in lockdown over Christmas. “Yesterday he claimed that was within the rules. He is taking people for fools. It’s one rule for the Conservatives and another for everyone else.”Government ministers and spokespeople from No 10 have insisted that all staff “followed the guidance.” Asked about public frustration following the Christmas party reports, business minister George Freeman told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I totally understand that people around the country expect that, when we make sacrifices, that we all make them.”He added: “I can’t get drawn into who was or wasn’t in the room and who was drinking which cocktail. You’ll understand I wasn’t there.”Follow live updates belowShow latest update

1638455714Andrew Grice: Therese Coffey has got her tongue in a twist over snogging guidelinesThe work and pensions secretary has sparked further confusion over the government’s opaque advice on the omicron variant, writes Andrew Grice.Read his full piece below: Matt Mathers2 December 2021 14:351638454329No 10: Important to use ‘measured and appropriate language’ on protocolDowning Street has said it is important to use “measured and appropriate language” in relation to the Northern Ireland protocol after President Macron suggested resolving the current deadlock was a matter of “war and peace”.Mr Macron reportedly told the European Committee of the Regions, an EU advisory body: “It’s a question of war and peace for Ireland. So we should avoid any temptation to be less than serious.”In response, the PM’s official spokesman said: “When it comes to the protocol it is vital that we use measured and appropriate language given the sensitivities involved.“It is obviously welcome that Mr Macron recognises that a serious situation needs to be resolved. We urgently need to make progress.”Downing Street has said it is important to use “measured and appropriate language” in relation to the Northern Ireland Protocol after President Macron suggested resolving the current deadlock was a matter of “war and peace”.Matt Mathers2 December 2021 14:121638453314Brandon Lewis: Triggering Article 16 still on tableBrandon Lewis has said triggering Article 16 was still on the table as “substantive gaps” remained between the UK and EU on the Northern Ireland Protocol.The Northern Ireland secretary made the comments at a press conference at the Foreign Office on Thursday, following a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference.He said: “Obviously, we believe that the conditions were met for Article 16 in the summer. We haven’t triggered Article 16 because we don’t want to.“We want to find a negotiated, agreed solution with the EU that gives certainty. Those conversations are ongoing.”He added: “Ultimately, as I say, my position is, as is [Lord Frost’s] and the Prime Minister’s, very much that [an] agreed solution between us and the EU is the best way forward.“But there are substantive gaps between us and if we need to use Article 16 to move things forward, then we will have to do that. We don’t want to. Hopefully we can get a positive solution through the negotiations and discussions.”Brandon Lewis said triggering Article 16 was still on the table as “substantive gaps” remained between the UK and EU on the Northern Ireland protocol.Matt Mathers2 December 2021 13:551638452740UK ‘must build equivalent of worlds biggest wind farm every 10 weeks for next 20 years’ to hit net zero targetsThe UK must build the equivalent of a 1.2-gigawatt offshorewind farm – the largest ever built – every 10 weeks for the next 20 years in order to hit its legally binding net-zero targets, a report from the Tony Blair Institute claims.The report highlights how the current energy crisis, which has resulted in numerous small energy providers going bust, has exposed “profound problems of design and regulation in the retail and wholesale energy markets”, and says without major adaptation, the energy market is heading towards a greater level of centralisation and higher costs for consumers.Our environmental correspondent, Harry Cockburn has the full story below: Thomas Kingsley2 December 2021 13:451638451814Labour demands formal government investigation into No 10 lockdown Christmas partiesLabour is demanding a formal government investigation into possible breaches of Covid rules at parties held at No 10 over Christmas last year.Deputy leader Angela Rayner has written to cabinet secretary Simon Case to ask whether he will make inquiries into events held at Downing Street – and refer any violations found onto the Metropolitan Police.My colleague Adam Forrest has the full report: Matt Mathers2 December 2021 13:301638451240ICYMI: Macron called Boris Johnson ‘un clown’, French press reportsFresh evidence emerged of the depths to which the UK’s relationship with France has sunk, as French media reported that Emmanuel Macron referred to Boris Johnson in private as “un clown”.Amid a continuing stand-off over France’s handling of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, a former French ambassador to London, Sylvie Bermann, said that cross-Channel relations had “never been so bad since Waterloo”.Our political correspondent Andrew Woodcock has the full story below: Thomas Kingsley2 December 2021 13:201638449740No 10 stresses it doesn’t want parties to be cancelled, amid mixed messages from ministers No 10 has stressed that it does not want Christmas parties to be cancelled, despite government departments opting to do so.Asked why government departments were cancelling festive celebrations despite Boris Johnson urging people not to, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister has been very clear on this.“On Christmas parties, we don’t want people to cancel such events. There is no government guidance to that end.“It is right that post-Step 4 (of the road map out of lockdown), we returned to the position where people can use their individual judgment, but there is certainly no government guidance to that end, and the Prime Minister has been very clear.”Asked what Mr Johnson made of the department for business, energy and industrial strategy (Beis) deciding to ditch plans for a pre-Christmas get-together, the spokesman said he had not spoken to the Prime Minister about it.Thomas Kingsley2 December 2021 12:551638448660Cabinet Office fined £500,000 over New Years Honours data breachThe Cabinet Office has been £500,000 for a New Years Honour data breach which included Elton John’s details.The Cabinet were accused of “complaceny” in the incident which led to accidentally disclosing the personal details of prominent recipients of the 2020 New Year Honours online. Concluding a probe, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said the government had breached data protection law by publishing a file containing the names and redacted addresses of more than 1,000 people on the honours list. The list included celebrities such as Sir Elton John, TV chef Nadiya Hussain, cricketer, Ben Stokes, alongside former Conservative Party leader, Iain Duncan Smith, who branded the breach in December 2019 a “complete disaster.” Our political correspondent, Ashley Cowburn, has the full story below: Thomas Kingsley2 December 2021 12:371638447640Watch: ‘I haven’t been kissed under the mistletoe for years’, says ministerGovernment minister George Freeman said he hasn’t been kissed under the mistletoe for years after work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey advised Brits against sharing the intimate exchange with strangers in a bid to curb the spread of omicron. ‘I haven’t been kissed under the mistletoe for years’, says ministerThomas Kingsley2 December 2021 12:201638446740Boris Johnson ‘has spent whole life breaking the rules’ Angela Rayner says Angela Rayner has also joined leaders slamming Boris Johnson following reports he broke lockdown rules by hosting a Christmas party last year at 10 Downing Street.Writing on Twitter, the Labour deputy leader said: “As I said on Monday @BorisJohnson has spent his whole life breaking the rules and facing no consequences. “He thinks it’s one rule for him and another for the rest of us and he takes the British people for fools.” Thomas Kingsley2 December 2021 12:05 More

No 10 is urging firms not to cancel Christmas parties and says people are free to kiss whomever they like, in a bid to clear up confusion.Boris Johnson’s spokesman dismissed a minister’s suggestion that larger parties should be avoided – and another minister’s plea not to “snog under the mistletoe”.“The prime minister has been very clear on this, on Christmas parties. We don’t want people to cancel such events and there is no government guidance to that end.”Asked if people should avoid kissing strangers, he added: “The position has not changed – there are no further restrictions or guidance.”The government’s stance on festive celebrations has become muddled, as it wrestles with the heightened threat from the omicron variant and fears that it reduces Covid immunity.George Freeman, the science minister, suggested larger businesses should cancel their staff Christmas parties – revealing his department’s event will now be held remotely.Hours earlier, the work and pensions secretary Thérèse Coffey warned partygoers: “I don’t think there should be much snogging under the mistletoe. Don’t need to do things like that.”But, on both issues, Mr Johnson’s spokesman made clear that – after the summer lifting of all legal restrictions – they are a matter of individual choice.On party cancellations, he said: “It is right that post-step 4 [of the road map out of lockdown], we returned to the position where people can use their individual judgment.“There is certainly no government guidance to that end and the prime minister has been very clear.”He also disowned Mr Freeman’s warning about larger gatherings, saying there is no limit on numbers. “That is not in the guidance, it is not in the regulations” the spokesman said.However, he suggested No 10 has not organised a staff Christmas party – amid the future over the parties staged a year ago, in in apparent breach of coronavirus rules.Meanwhile, it is likely to be a few more days before a detailed NHS plan is published to meet Mr Johnson’s pledge to offer a booster jab to every adult in England by the end of January.Health officials are locked in talks with overworked GPs about what other requirements will be eased to enable them to switch back to a bigger focus on the vaccination programme.The plans will not be released on Thursday and the government is only working to get it out “as soon as possible”, one official said.GP time must be freed up to increase the delivery of boosters from 350,000 to 500,000 a day to counter the threat posed by Omicron.Dr Nikki Kanani, NHS England’s primary care chief, said on Wednesday, on formalising the plan: “These matters with the BMA [British Medical Association] need to be settled before that can happen.” More

Labour is demanding a formal government investigation into possible breaches of Covid rules at parties held at No 10 over Christmas last year.Deputy leader Angela Rayner has written to cabinet secretary Simon Case to ask whether he will make inquiries into events held at Downing Street – and refer any violations found onto the Metropolitan Police.Boris Johnson reportedly gave a speech at a packed leaving do for a senior aide last November when the country was in the midst of the second lockdown.And members of his No 10 team are said to have held their own festive party in the days before Christmas while London was under tight tier 3 restrictions.In her letter to the country’s top civil servant, Ms Rayner said it was “difficult to understand” how either event could have been within the rules, and claimed the government was “undermining public health messaging”.The Labour deputy also asked the cabinet secretary if he would refer any potential breach of the regulations by the prime minister or his staff onto the police.The Daily Mirror first reported that there was reportedly 40 or 50 people crammed “cheek by jowl” into a medium-sized room at the two events held when strict lockdown curbs where in place.And multiple other parties were held in Downing Street over the festive period while indoor mixing was banned, according to the latest reports.Leading barrister Adam Wagner, an expert on Covid restrictions, has said rules were “probably broken” at the 18 December gathering.Tier 3 restrictions in place in London meant people were not allowed to mix indoors with people outside their household, while guidance for the Christmas period said “you must not have a work Christmas lunch or party”.Business minister George Freeman claimed on Thursday that he could “absolutely assure you” that Downing Street staff adhered to Covid rules last Christmas.But the minister conceded he could not get “drawn into who was or wasn’t in the room and who was drinking which cocktail” because he was not in government at the time.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Johnson was “taking people for fools” after the prime minister claimed to have followed all Covid rules.On Thursday he tweeted: “Boris Johnson hosted multiple parties when the country was in lockdown over Christmas. Yesterday he claimed that was within the rules. He is taking people for fools.”The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group also condemned Mr Johnson over the events held over the festive period. “The first thing the prime minister must do is acknowledge the hurt this has caused, and apologise,” said Safiah Ngah, who lost her father to Covid earlier this year.No 10 has not denied that parties had taken place but have continued to insist that the gatherings were Covid compliant. “Covid rules have been followed at all times,” said a spokesperson.Downing Street has urged firms not to cancel Christmas parties and said people are free to kiss whomever they like in a bid to clear up confusion over guidance.Mr Freeman suggested larger businesses should consider cancelling their staff Christmas parties, while work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey warned against “snogging under the mistletoe”. More

Government ministers are giving mixed messages on whether to cancel Christmas parties this year, amid concern about the rise of the new omicron Covid variant. Business minister George Freeman on Thursday morning revealed he has cancelled his own party for his parliamentary staff – and suggested larger companies might consider following suit.But it comes after health secretary Sajid Javid said there was no need for people to “change their plans”, other than consider taking a test or wearing a mask.Speaking less than 24 hours after his colleague, Mr Freeman suggested that a gathering involving “hundreds” of people might be be considered an unnecessary risk.Hospitality industry representative bodies have told The Independent that some businesses have already suffered from cancellations in the festive period.And some NHS trusts have already asked staff “not to mix in big groups” in the run-up to Christmas, according to the NHS Providers organisation. But Mr Freeman said his own party for parliamentary staff would be taking place by Zoom this year.”We’ve decided this year that it is probably sensible to do it by Zoom and wait for the spring. It won’t be the best party in the world,” he said.”But … we don’t want to be telling every individual business what they should or shouldn’t be doing. It is a matter for them.”Elaborating on what other organisations should do, he BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It slightly depends on the nature of the business. For many small businesses, four or five staff, who are working together every day anyway, gathering to have a drink isn’t a big step up in risk.”But some companies might normally bring hundreds of people in from around the world to a big party, and they may decide, this year, is that sensible given the pandemic and given where we are?”In the end, I think business people know how to make those decisions. The Government has set out clear guidance.”The government has imposed requirements to wear masks on public transport and in shops in response to the discovery of a new variant known as omicron. While little is known for sure about omicron at this point, scientists are worried it could be significantly more virulent and possible bypass vaccines.The government has said it will review the new rules, which also include new controls on international travel, in three weeks time when more is known about the new variant. More

The Cabinet Office has been accused of “complacency” and fined £500,000 for accidentally disclosing the personal details of prominent recipients of the 2020 New Year Honours online.Concluding a probe, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said the government had breached data protection law by publishing a file containing the names and redacted addresses of more than 1,000 people on the honours list.The list included celebrities such as Sir Elton John, TV chef Nadiya Hussain, cricketer Ben Stokes, alongside the former Conservative Party leader, Iain Duncan Smith, who branded the breach in December 2019 a “complete disaster”.The ICO said the Cabinet Office, which issued an apology at the time, had “failed to put appropriate technical and organisational measures in place to prevent the unauthorises disclosure of people’s information”.It said a IT system acquired by the Honours and Appointments Secretariat for processing nominations had been set up incorrectly, which resulted in it generating a file with the addresses of the recipients which was then published on the gov.uk website.While the Whitehall department removed the weblink to the file after noticing the error, it was still cached and accessed online 3,872 times over a period of two hours and 21 minutes.Director of Investigations at the ICO, Steve Eckersley, said: “When data breaches happen, they have real life consequences. In this case, more than 1,000 people were affected“At a time when they should have been enjoying the announcement of their honour, they were faced with the distress of their personal details being exposed.“The Cabinet Office’s complacency and failure to mitigate the risk of a data breach meant that hundreds of people were potentially exposed to the risk of identity fraud and threats to their personal safety.“The fine issued today sends a message to other organisations that looking after people’s information safely, as well as regularly checking that appropriate measures are in place, must be at the top of their agenda.”The ICO added it had received complaints from three of the individuals affected who raised personal safety concerns, while 27 contacted the Cabinet Office with similar issues.However, the ICO also acknowledged the Whitehall department “acted promptly” when made aware of the breach, undertook a full incident review and has since instigated “instigated a number of operational and technical measures to improve the security of its systems”.A Cabinet Office spokesperson told The Independent: “The Cabinet Office would like to reiterate our apology for this incident. We took action to mitigate any potential harm by immediately informing the Information Commissioner and everyone affected by the breach.“We take the findings of the Information Commissioner very seriously, and have completed an internal review as well as implemented a number of measures to ensure this does not happen again. “This includes a review of the overall security of the system, information management training and improving internal processes for how data is handled by the honours team.” More

Matt Hancock has admitted he had “blown up every part” of his life when he resigned from the cabinet after CCTV footage showed him breaching social distancing rules with an aide in his Whitehall office.The former health secretary also defended his decision not to resign immediately after images — showing him embracing and kissing his aide, Gina Coladangelo — emerged in June, saying he first concentrated on his “personal life”.At the time, Mr Hancock, who quit his post more than 24 hours after the CCTV images were published by The Sun newspaper, had repeatedly urged the public not to hug those they did not share a household with to control the spread of Covid-19.Asked on ITV’s Peston programme why he didn’t “resign on the spot”, the former cabinet minister said “the first thing I had to, that I focused on was my personal life”.“When I focused on my professional responsibilities, I decided that I had to resign and that’s what I did,” he insisted.Quizzed again, the former cabinet minister said: “Well, I had, I’d blown up every part of my life and I concentrated on my personal life as you can probably imagine”.Mr Hancock, however, declined to elaborate on “conversations” over the resignation with Boris Johnson, who faced criticism at the time for the decision to stand by the under fire health secretary when demands were made for his resignation.He added: “Well, I made the decision, it was clearly the right decision and I just say sorry again for the failure of, I let a lot of people down and sorry to the people who I hurt.”The Conservative MP — a key face the government’s response to the initial waves of the Covid pandemic — claimed he was “in no hurry” to get back into government.“I actually think that being on the backbenches is perfectly, I’m enjoying it but also it’s a very important job and I think contributions from people who’ve been there in the heat of the battle where Mark [Harper] as chief whip or Theresa May, the contributions she makes as former prime minister, and if I can make that sort of contribution in the House of Commons then I’ll enjoy doing it,” he said.As concerns grow over the omicron variant, the former health secretary also urged people to “test the hell out of ourselves” to “keep things open” over the Christmas period, as he stressed it was “really important” rapid lateral flow remain free at the point of order.Questioned on whether Jenny Harries, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) chief, was right to warn against unnecessary social interactions, Mr Hancock said: “Saying things like we may need to go further on working from home is perfectly reasonable, but I don’t think we’re there yet.”He added: “What I tell Christmas, we should test the hell out of ourselves. Right the best way to keep yourself safe if you’re seeing people knowing I was coming to see you I took a test this morning.“We should test the hell out of ourselves and that is the way, the best way to just be really cautious and careful and just get those tests. They’re available free and take them and that will help to keep things open.” More