Brexit news – live: EU says ‘genuine urgency’ needed to resolve protocol row following Brussels talks

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Ryanair sees red over UK's traffic light system for travel

The EU has said there is still “a genuine urgency” to resolve a dispute with the UK on the operation of the Northern Ireland protocol, following talks between Lord Frost and Maros Sefcovic in Brussels on Friday.

Although the bloc acknowledged some “progress” was achieved in the discussions, it said the UK should accept its “big move” to reduce checks across the Irish Sea.

“We now need to press on and get this crucial issue across the line. This is a real test of political goodwill,” Brussels said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the UK’s Brexit minister Lord Frost stipulated that “significant change” was still needed regarding post-Brexit arrangements in the territory. He did not rule out London triggering Article 16 to achieve its purposes.

Both sides have clashed about the level of customs checks and the oversight role played by the European Court of Justice in the province.

Elsewhere, Ryanair has confirmed that it will leave the London Stock Exchange next month, citing expenses caused by Brexit.

Key Points

• Brexit trade deal at risk if UK suspends protocol, EU warns
• EU welcomes UK ‘change in tone’ over protocol
• UK and EU must ‘knuckle down’ to resolve Brexit dispute, says Taoiseach
• Northern leaders brand government rail plans as ‘betrayal of the north’
• PM’s pledge to build 40 new hospitals by 2030 ‘unachievable', warns watchdog
• Javid questioned over health share options

[19 November 2021 10:17 · Rory Sullivan]

EU welcomes UK ‘change in tone’ over protocol

The EU has welcomed the British government’s “change in tone” ahead of continued talks on the Northern Ireland protocol.

Speaking on Friday morning, Maros Sefcovic, EU Commission vice president, said: “I notice and welcome a recent change in tone from the UK government and we hope that actions will follow the words.”

However, he warned London that the bloc would not “renegotiate the protocol”, as this would “put at risk the stability in Northern Ireland and it would be unnecessary because solutions are available within the framework of the protocol”.

Brexit minister Lord Frost will be in Brussels today for talks with Mr Sefcovic.

[19 November 2021 10:43 · Rory Sullivan]

Social media being ‘hijacked’ by left-wingers, claims culture secretary

Back in the UK, the culture secretary has complained that she cannot air her right wing views online without being challenged, writes Jon Stone.

Nadine Dorries claimed that social media platforms had been “hijacked” by left-wingers.

“I think we just need to tone down the condemnation and the judgement, and evaluate and engage a little bit more than we do. I think social media probably contributes a lot to this,” she told the BBC.

[19 November 2021 11:06 · Rory Sullivan]

Government ‘not prepared’ for pandemic, says National Audit Office

The government was “not prepared” for the coronavirus pandemic and must learn lessons from the “catastrophic” event, an independent parliamentary body has said.

Gareth Davies, from the National Audit Office, told Sky News: “So there was no plan for how to deal with school closures. There was no plan for employment support schemes. So, the furlough scheme had to be developed from scratch in just a very short number of weeks.

“So the question that rightly raises is, what is it about the way that the risk planning for these kinds of events was carried out that left us unprepared?”

[19 November 2021 11:28 · Rory Sullivan]

More British troops to be sent to Poland-Belarusian border

More British soldiers will be sent to Poland to help with the situation on the Belarusian border, reports suggest.

This comes after 10 troops from the UK were deployed there last week.

Thousands of migrants are currently at the border between Poland and Belarus, with the Belarusian regime accused of “weaponising” vulnerable people in retaliation for sanctions imposed by the EU.

A total of 100 troops from the Royal Engineers will travel to Poland to help with their response to the crisis, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said Minsk is using the migrants as “pawns”.

[19 November 2021 11:46 · Rory Sullivan]

Can the government process asylum seekers abroad?

#icymi

In recent days, there has been speculation that migrants who arrive in England by boat could be sent to Albania for processing, a rumour vigorously denied by Albanian diplomats and politicians.

But could this process happen in a different country?

Sean O’Grady examines the issue:

[19 November 2021 12:04 · Rory Sullivan]

Javid questioned over health share options

Labour has accused the health secretary Sajid Javid of breaching the ministerial code by holding share options in a US company that is involved in the health sector.

Mr Javid has “option for 666.7 common shares per month” in the AI firm C3.ai, which he worked for during his recent stint as a backbencher.

He is reportedly to have started to divest from the options, which are worth £45,000.

However, Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has written to the prime minister about the issue, arguing it is a “clear conflict of interest and breach of the ministerial code”

“In September, the secretary of state’s department announced that the use of ‘artificial intelligence’ would shorten waiting lists in our NHS,” she added.

[19 November 2021 12:06 · Jon Stone]

Brexit trade deal at risk if UK suspends protocol, EU warns

Brussels has warned the UK government that its Brexit trade deal is “intrinsically linked” to enforcing the Northern Ireland border protocol.

Ahead of crunch talks on Friday Maros Sefcovic, the EU’s Brexit chief said: “One cannot exist without the other”.

The comments raise the stakes because the UK has been threatening to suspend the Northern Ireland agreement, which it wants renegotiated on more favourable terms.

But Mr Sefcovic’s warning is a hint that Brussels and EU capitals might choose to suspend the separate trade deal between the UK and EU if Britain pulls the plug.

[19 November 2021 12:28 · Rory Sullivan]

‘Significant gaps’ remain between UK and EU on protocol, says Frost

Before his crunch talks with the EU commission vice president in Brussels, Lord Frost warned that “significant gaps” remain between the UK and the EU’s positions on the protocol.

Once again, he also reiterated the possibility that UK could trigger Article 16.

“Our preference is to see if we can find a negotiated way through this problem. If we can’t, Article 16 remains on the table,” he said.

“There are a number of issues that need to be fixed if we are going to resolve this problem. There are still really quite significant gaps between us.”

Lord Frost added that he didn’t expect a breakthrough today.

[19 November 2021 12:44 · Rory Sullivan]

Government working ‘extremely closely’ with French on Channel crossings

Downing Street has said the government is working “extremely closely” with French authorities to reduce the number of migrant boats crossing the Channel.

However, a No 10 spokesperson added that more needed to be done and that “shared solutions” were required.

“We are facing a global migration crisis choreographed by organised crime groups who put people on these boats to make these incredibly dangerous crossings,” they added.

[19 November 2021 12:59 · Rory Sullivan]

UK and EU taking ‘constructive approach’ to Brexit disagreement, says Gove

Returning to Brexit once more, Micheal Gove is confident that the UK will not need to trigger Article 16.

Speaking in Cardiff, the housing minister said the EU and the British government were taking a “constructive approach” to a disagreement about the protocol.

“I do believe that there is a constructive approach that’s being taken by the commission and Lord Frost has signalled that while, of course, it’s always possible that Article 16 may require to be invoked, we’re confident that we’ll be able to make progress without it.”