BBC News

Newspaper headlines: Prepare for 'Aussie rules' Brexit as talks stall

By BBC News
Staff

Published
image caption"Prepare for no deal" is the headline of the Daily Telegraph. It says the prime minister has told the cabinet Brussels wanted to "punish" Britain for refusing to be yoked to EU rules. Boris Johnson has said he would "go the extra mile" and fly to Paris, Berlin or Brussels if there was any prospect of a deal. Cartoonist Matt draws a man holding a shotgun next to the Christmas tree with the caption: "Chaos at the ports could lead to food shortages. We may have to eat a reindeer."
image captionThe Guardian says the prime minister warned that the UK risked being "locked in the EU's orbit". The paper also gives space on the front page to news that thousands of pupils will be tested for coronavirus in schools across Essex, Kent and London. There is a warning from an MP that the data is "awful" and the capital is "heading for tier three for sure".
image captionThe Daily Express has a striking image of Boris Johnson alongside the headline "All we ever wanted was our freedom". It says the EU "blatantly refuses to accept demands to reclaim our sovereignty".
image captionThe Daily Mail says "Get set for no deal" as it says talks have stalled. It adds the EU has issued a "blackmail threat". It also features the "Baby scandal the NHS tried to cover up". The story focuses on a critical review into a maternity unit at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital, in Shropshire.
image caption"Let's play Aussie rules" is the Metro's take on the latest Brexit negotiations. The paper says the prime minister has put Britain on notice that there is a "strong possibility" of no trade deal being reached with the European Union and the country having to use "Aussie-style trade rules".
image captionThe i newspaper says that "after four-and-a-half years of failed talks" Boris Johnson has warned the UK faces tariffs and higher prices in 20 days. Its front page also carries a picture of Sky News presenter Kay Burley, who has been taken off air after a Covid breach.
image caption"On the brink of no-deal" is the Daily Mirror's take on the UK-EU trade negotiations. The paper also has an interview with television presenter Alan Titchmarsh who says he will not watch Netflix series The Crown because it is unfair to Prince Charles.
image captionThe Times leads on the latest Brexit twist but also features an investigation into HM Revenue and Customs paying offshore firms to pursue debts amid the pandemic. The Times Investigation team says five companies working with HMRC and local councils to collect debts have offshore owners, with bases including the Channel Islands. HMRC said the law "allowed it to delegate work to private sector suppliers" and safeguards were in place to ensure they complied with rules, the paper reports.
image captionThe Daily Star has an alternative take on no deal as it moves away from Brexit and instead talks about the prime minister banning the World Pie Eating Championship.

News of Dame Barbara Windsor's death came too late for many of the first editions, but her colourful life features heavily online and in the later versions.

"Queen Vic and Carry On Icon loses six year battle with Alzheimer's" is the Daily Mirror's headline. A statement from her husband Scott Mitchell, appears in much of the coverage. He says her final weeks were typical of her life, "full of humour, drama and a fighting spirit".

The Daily Telegraph carries tributes from Dame Floella Benjamin, who describes the actress as a "national treasure" and from Steve McFadden, who played her on-screen son Phil Mitchell in EastEnders, who says he's "devastated". The Sun puts it simply with its headline: "Farewell Babs."

image copyrightPA Media
image captionTributes have been paid to Dame Barbara Windsor who has died aged 83

For many front pages it's the stand-off with the EU that makes the lead: "Johnson issues bleak warning that no-deal Brexit is strong possibility" is the headline for the Financial Times. It reports the PM's allies are blaming the French President Emmanuel Macron for upping EU demands.'

The Guardian says Boris Johnson has overwhelming cabinet support for his tough stance - despite forecasts suggesting a no-deal departure could knock an extra 2% off GDP.

"Let's Play Aussie rules" is Metro's headline, referencing the prime minister's declaration that an Australian-style arrangement - without a deal with the EU - was becoming more likely. The Daily Mirror describes the prime minister as "floundering" but the Daily Express says the EU has simply never understood that "When we voted for Brexit, all we ever wanted was our freedom".

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Reaction to the government's plan for mass Covid testing in some secondary schools is prominent in several of the papers.

The Daily Mail reports that thousands of London schoolchildren will be tested for coronavirus in what it says is a "desperate bid to keep the city out of tier three".

The Guardian carries a call from the National Association of Head Teachers for schools in England to transfer to home learning - and it says London MPs have been briefed to expect the worst when tiers are reassessed next week.

Controversy about television show The Crown continues in the Daily Mirror. It reports its gardening expert, Alan Titchmarsh is boycotting the Netflix series on the Royals because "too much conjecture will pass into received wisdom." The broadcaster tells the paper he knows Prince Charles quite well, and that watching feels disloyal.

Meanwhile the Times reports that in a podcast for the Los Angeles Times, Josh O'Connor - who plays Prince Charles - has criticised Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden for failing to stand up for the creative industries in a time of crisis. The actor says Mr Dowden's suggestion the series should carry a disclaimer highlighting its fictitious nature is "absurd" and a "low blow".

image copyrightNetflix
image captionThere is more criticism of Netflix series The Crown in the papers, with gardening expert Alan Titchmarsh saying he refuses to watch it

And under the headline "Dodger Bodgers" the Sun reports that Burton's Biscuits have been inundated with complaints about its classic Jammie Dodger.

A production fault meant fans were opening packets only to find the heart-shaped hole with the raspberry jam filling on the bottom of the biscuit. One dismayed shopper apparently tells the paper: "I didn't think this year could get any worse, but for my Jammie Dodgers to be literally turned upside down... that takes the biscuit. "