Politics latest news: Ministers to announce lift of freight ban as Britain faces strawberry shortage
MPs told to be ready to vote on possible Brexit deal next week
Travel news latest: Caribbean countries close borders to Britons
The freight ban on the French border is expected to be lifted from tomorrow morning, ministers have suggested, as ongoing chaos at the border risks a shortage of strawberries and other fruit in the UK.
France's Europe and transport ministers said an announcement was imminent and would take effect from Wednesday morning. UK sources suggested the resolution could involve mass testing of hauliers at the border.
On Tuesday morning, there was 650 lorries waiting on the M20 and 873 at the Government's holding facility at Manston Airport.
Andrew Opie, Director of Food and Sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, warned there would be disruption to fruit and salad supply chains if the blockade was not lifted soon.
"The problem actually is empty lorries, so the empty lorries which are now stuck in Kent, they need to get back to places like Spain to pick up the net (next) consignment of raspberries and strawberries and they need to get back within the next day or so otherwise we will see disruption, he said."
He added: "As long as it can be cleared today there'll be minimal impact for consumers - remember the shops are shut on Christmas Day which takes one day of buying out of the equation, but those lorries that are stuck in Kent, they do need to get back within the next day."
Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron, the French President, have spoken personally about the freight ban.
Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, said the Government was "working to get a resolution" as talks continued.
Follow the latest updates below.
08:58 AM
BioNTech CEO 'confident' vaccine will work against mutant Covid
The chief executive of BioNTech has said the German pharmaceutical company is confident that its coronavirus vaccine works against the UK variant, but further studies are needed to be completely sure.
Moderna, which manufactures a different coronavirus vaccine, is also testing its jab against the faster-spreading version of the disease.
08:54 AM
Summer bounceback saw record increase in GDP
The latest economic data shows the UK's economy grew by more than initially thought this summer as it bounced back from the deepest economic hit in more than 60 years.
Gross domestic product (GDP) rose 16 per cent between July and September, the fastest quarterly increase since records began in 1955.
The new figure is ahead of the Office for National Statistics' initial estimate of a 15.5 per cent rise in GDP during the third quarter of the year.
GDP grew by a revised 16.0% in the third quarter (July to Sept 2020), but remains 8.6% below its pre-pandemic peak https://t.co/9ixU6Rpn75 pic.twitter.com/5W4PS2tZCI
— Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) December 22, 2020
But despite record growth, the third-quarter bounceback was not enough to make up the ground that the UK had lost in the preceding three months.
Between April and June, GDP dropped by 18.8 per cent, revised down from earlier estimates of 19.8%, as the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic hit the economy. The first lockdown in England was launched on March 23.
Taken together, it means that the level of UK GDP was still 8.6 per cent lower in the third quarter than it had been at the end of 2019, before the pandemic.
08:50 AM
Tier 4 fears dominate headlines as virus spreads
A quick look through the morning's headlines shows the possibility of a nationwide Tier 4 is dominating the news agenda again today.
The Telegraph is the only paper to bring the news that lorry drivers could be tested at the border as part of a deal with France to reopen freight lines.
The Mirror and Express both splash on the spread of the "mutant" Covid-19 variant across the UK - and the possibility of Tier 4 everywhere.
The Sun and Metro both raise the possibility of panic buying in the lead-up to Christmas, as Britons worry about the safety of their Christmas dinners.
08:41 AM
Nationwide Tier 4 is 'inevitable', says Home Secretary
The Government will need to take "strong measures" to contain the Covid variant across the UK and tougher tiers are "inevitable," Home Secretary Priti Patel has said.
"If the virus continues to spread then we will take stronger measures, because at the end of the day our objective is to save lives and to keep people safe," Ms Patel told Sky News.
"It is inevitable as people travel, and of course we're urging people not to travel for the sake of everybody's health, we have to take strong measures and we're doing that."
Asked if Tier 4 was inevitable across the whole of the UK, the Home Secretary said: "Of course. If the virus continues to spread then we will take stronger measures. But right now it is not for me to preempt any change."
It comes after the Government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said more restrictions may be needed because cases of the mutant strain were now appearing "everywhere".
All the latest coronavirus news is on our dedicated Covid-19 live blog, run by my colleague Jordan Kelly-Linden.
08:37 AM
Lorry drivers given one cereal bar each as they wait for border to reopen
Lorry drivers waiting to cross the Channel have been offered just a single cereal bar each, according to a trade association.
Rod McKenzie, managing director of the Road Haulage Association, told BBC Breakfast: "Clearly those drivers have spent a second night parked up somewhere, possibly on a motorway, possibly somewhere else, trying to get across the Channel, and many of them are European drivers trying to get home for Christmas, and their morale is very poor.
"Yesterday Kent County Council offered each of them one cereal bar, which is a pretty poor effort, I think in terms of maintaining their morale, and their spirits."
Mr McKenzie said toilet facilities were also a "big issue" with concerns over health and cleanliness.
Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, told BBC Breakfast there were "welfare facilities and support for those hauliers" available.
08:33 AM
No extension to transition period, says Patel
Priti Patel has firmly ruled out any extension to the UK's Brexit transition period, as trade deal talks enter their final stages.
Asked if there was any temptation to seek an extension to the Brexit transition period due to end this year, she added: "No there is not."
Boris Johnson and other ministers have repeatedly ruled out any extension to the period, which ends on December 31.
After that, the UK will leave the EU without a deal unless agreement can be reached in the next few days.
08:29 AM
A berry English scandal: Britain could run out of fruit
One of the key issues in the border blockage between the UK and France is fruit and salad, experts have warned.
The British Retail Consortium said Britain gets much of its salad and fruit, including strawberries, from Europe at this time of year.
The 1500 lorries currently parked in Kent must get back to suppliers in Spain and other southern European countries to stock up on the produce, or risk a shortage on the shelves after Christmas.
Andrew Opie, Director of Food and Sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said: " He added: "As long as it can be cleared today there'll be minimal impact for consumers - remember the shops are shut on Christmas Day which takes one day of buying out of the equation, but those lorries that are stuck in Kent, they do need to get back within the next day."
08:24 AM
Labour: Lorry drivers should be treated better
Rachel Reeves, the Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, has said lorry drivers are essential workers and should be treated "a lot better".
"The welfare of these drivers should be on top of our minds at the moment, we should be treating them much better than we are because they are essential workers that keep our supermarkets stocked, keep our manufacturing sector working, but also get our British goods to market around the world."
Ms Reeves suggested lorry drivers should be taken to airports to get back home if the border is not going to be opened soon.
08:16 AM
Good morning
Boris Johnson is negotiating with Europe on two fronts this morning as he fights to reopen the UK border with France as ongoing talks chase down a final deal with the EU.
French ministers have suggested an announcement is imminent on the ports, which are set to reopen from tomorrow. The announcement is expected to include a new plan to test hauliers at the border to reduce the spread of the mutant strain of Covid-19 across the Channel, we report this morning.
Priti Patel said the Government was "working to get a resolution" with the French authorities.
In Brexit news, Downing Street and EU sources are both briefing that the two sides remain far apart on the key issues of fishing and the level playing field, but there is some suggestion that a deal is closer than it has ever been, following a major concession on fisheries.