Brexit news: Time now ‘very short’ for deal, says No10 as non-British rough sleepers face deportation

Follow Westminster’s events as they happened

Barnier calls for 'compromise on both sides' to resolve Brexit deadlock

Time is “very short” for a Brexit deal to be agreed upon, No10 said ahead of talks resuming.

UK and EU Brexit negotiators prepared to embark on an "intensified phase of talks" on Thursday after Brussels said both sides needed to compromise on trade issues following a recent stand-off.

Key issues of contention are fishing rights, the governance of any deal and the “level playing field” aimed at preventing unfair competition.

Meanwhile, new immigration rules set to come into force after the Brexit transition period mean non-British rough sleepers face being deported from the UK.

Campaigners have described the plan as “completely unreasonable” and “cruel”.

Key Points

• Timeframe to agree Brexit deal ‘very short’ - No10
• Foreign rough sleepers to face deportation after Brexit
• Brexit talks to resume in London after Barnier breaks deadlock
• Lorry drivers will be fined £300 for entering Kent without a permit
• Europeans with criminal records ‘to be blocked from UK’
• Food firms tell PM they may have to quit Northern Ireland
• Rishi Sunak unveils £2,100-a-month grants for tier 2 firms

[22 October 2020 16:45 · Zoe Tidman]

Boris Johnson has said negotiations with regional leaders and metro mayors this week were “all about fairness”. 

He was asked about the row over £5m with Greater Manchester this week, while a new support package costing billions was being prepared.

The PM said the government wanted to make sure “everyone got the same package”. 

[22 October 2020 17:03 · Zoe Tidman]

Vallance’s Covid estimate

The government’s chief scientific adviser gave his estimate of how many people per day could be contracting coronavirus in England, as he warned the country needs “to do more” to shrink the epidemic.

Our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn reports:

[22 October 2020 17:20 · Zoe Tidman]

‘Not sustainable’

At the press conference earlier,  Rishi Sunak said it was "not sustainable" to continue intervening in the economy forever. 

"Whilst it is right to act I think with scale during a crisis like this to try and protect jobs and employment and ultimately that will protect our economy in the long-run," he said. "It's also right that... we always have one eye on the long-term public finances because we want to make sure that we are careful with that. 

"It is clearly not sustainable to carry on acting in this way forever, so as we continue intervening in the economy, it is right that it is targeted and effective."

PA

[22 October 2020 17:40 · Zoe Tidman]

Brexit talks

Moving away from coronavirus, an important story today is Brexit talks resuming.

 Both sides promised to work “intensively” for a deal, following a recent stand-off.

Jon Stone has more:

[22 October 2020 18:00 · Zoe Tidman]

Foreign rough sleepers post-Brexit

Non-British rough sleepers face being deported from the UK under new immigration rules set to come into force after the Brexit transition period.

Our social affairs correspondent May Bulman reports:

[22 October 2020 18:20 · Zoe Tidman]

‘Time is now very short’

Here’s a reminder of the PM’s official spokesperson’s comments today, amid resumed Brexit talks:

“In terms of the timeframe, I think, what I would say is that time is now very short.

"We have been repeatedly clear that any agreement needs to be in place before the end of the transition period."

[22 October 2020 19:14 · Zoe Tidman]

Michel Barnier in London

[22 October 2020 19:56 · Zoe Tidman]

EU face mask

Michel Barnier wears an EU-themed face mask as he leaves The Westminster Conference Centre.

He arrived in London today to continue Brexit talks. 

Michel Barnier leaves The Westminster Conference Centre (AP)

[22 October 2020 20:17 · Zoe Tidman]

Talks resume after stalemate

Michel Barnier has come to London after both the EU and the UK promised to work “intensively” for a deal.

It follows a standoff between the two sides, which brought talks to a halt for around a week.

Here’s a reminder of the stalemate that was going on just days ago. 

[22 October 2020 20:29 · Zoe Tidman]

Post-Brexit food logos 

New rules and logos to protect traditional British foods such as Stilton cheese and Melton Mowbray pork pies have been set out by the government.

The protections for British foods will replace the EU's geographical indication scheme - which safeguards traditional food and drink ranging from champagne to parmesan cheese - after the end of the Brexit transition period.

It will mean shoppers will be able to buy authentic food and drink such as Scotch whisky and Welsh lamb confident about where it has come from and how it has been produced.

PA