Boris Johnson news: Brexit ‘crisis talks’ held in Berlin, as PM’s father again breaks facemask rule

Follow all the latest developments

Boris Johnson says 'tough times' lie ahead for UK job market

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has met German chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin for talks on the Brexit crisis, as Germany urges the UK to agree a compromise trade deal. Goldman Sachs said a deal was still “likely” in early November – but warned a breakdown in negotiations could not be ruled out.

It comes as chancellor Rishi Sunak defended his Eat Out to Help Out scheme – despite Mr Johnson’s suggestion it may have helped spread the coronavirus. Following his Tory conference speech, Mr Sunak claimed he did not want to be PM. “This is a hard enough job for me to do.”

Meanwhile Britain’s former ambassador to the US said Mr Johnson is unlikely to get a “warm welcome” from the White House if Joe Biden wins the election because of resentment over the PM’s remarks about Barack Obama’s “ancestral dislike of the British Empire”.

Key Points

• Government defeated in Lords on immigration bill
• PM’s dad caught breaking mask rule once again
• Rishi Sunak denies wanting to be prime minister
• PM ‘more likely to get trade deal from Trump than Biden’
• No-deal Brexit would be ‘highly irresponsible’, says Germany
• Black Lives Matter ‘not a force for good’, says Sajid Javid

[5 October 2020 20:03 · Peter Stubley]

Sketch: Hancock’s latest coronavirus disaster

Political sketchwriter Tom Peck asks: “Why can’t everyone see that, actually, Matt Hancock is just a victim of his own success?"

"Every week, every day, quite possibly every hour, he’s summoned to the despatch box of the House of Commons to atone for the latest coronavirus disaster for which he is ultimately responsible, and every time he gets a kicking all over again.

"It’s just not fair."

[5 October 2020 20:28 · Peter Stubley]

No ‘licence to kill’ in undercover bill, says minister

Security minister James Brokenshire has denied undercover agents are being given a "licence to kill" with new legislation.

He told MPs there are upper limits to the activity operatives can be authorised to carry out under the Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill.

These are contained in the Human Rights Act, he said, and include the right to life, prohibition of torture, and prohibition of subjecting someone to inhuman or degrading treatment.

Several MPs raised concerns over the scope of the Bill and the Government's unwillingness to specify a list of the limits in the legislation, which aims to protect undercover operatives from prosecution if they are forced to break the law on operations.

The Bill also seeks to define circumstances in which operatives can commit crime, replacing various pieces of overlapping legislation.

It will cover 13 law enforcement and government agencies, including the police, the National Crime Agency, the armed forces and the prison service.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Brokenshire said covert human intelligence sources (CHIS) will "never be given unlimited authority to commit any or all crime".

He added: "Where a CHIS commits any criminality outside the tight parameters of the authorisation the prosecuting authorities can consider in the normal way.

"Because of the clandestine nature of the work, I hope members will understand there are limits as to what I can say publicly about the role that CHIS play in saving lives and property without exposing sensitive information about their methods and techniques.

"I know there are concerns about somehow providing a licence to kill or to commit torture - let me be clear, there are upper limits to the activity that could be authorised under this Bill and these are contained in the Human Rights Act.

“This includes the right to life and prohibition of torture or subjecting someone to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”

[5 October 2020 20:41 · Peter Stubley]

That’s it for our live politics coverage today. Thanks for reading.