Brexit: Ursula von der Leyen says 'path to agreement' between UK and EU now exists - live

Latest updates: European commission chief strikes positive note in EU parliament addressUK drops push for renationalising of fishing vesselsGovernment retreat on UK internal market bill ends Lords stand-offScottish airfield earmarked as post-Brexit lorry park 10.12am GMT Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, is due to hold further talks with the leaders of the devolved administrations this morning about what rules will apply over Christmas but this morning at least we are getting clarity about what is happening in England.Yesterday’s talks broke up without any conclusion, or any formal announcement from any of the four governments represented. But overnight Downing Street has been briefing that Boris Johnson is determined to let England carry on with the five-day exemption from normal social distancing rules announced last month - despite health experts, the opposition and some Tory MPs saying these temporary rules are too lax. “We’ve set out the rules, people know what they are, it would be wrong to change them this close to Christmas when people have made plans,” a government source told the Daily Telegraph.We all need to use our own personal judgment thinking about our own families whether we have particularly elderly or clinically vulnerable relatives who might be round the Christmas table and also looking at the fact that the rates of the virus are rising in many parts of the country.Our position is clear that the legal framework will continue but because the infection is rising in many parts of the country, because we can see these international examples like Thanksgiving, it is incumbent on each every family across the country this morning and in the days ahead to have that conversation round the breakfast table, ‘Is this right for our family?’Easter can be the new Christmas. 9.44am GMT The government plans to publish data on the number of people who have had Covid-19 vaccines as early as next week, PA Media reports. PA understands that agreement is currently being sought with the devolved nations to ensure any data presented is consistent across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It comes after government officials would not be drawn on how many doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine are due to arrive in the UK and on what schedule. Continue reading... https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2020/dec/16/brexit-updates-johnson-uk-eu-agreement-deal-live #politics #coronavirus #brexit #uk_news #boris_johnson #keir_starmer #pmqs #ursula_von_der_leyen