Brexit news – live: Ireland predicts deal in weeks, as ministers told migrants deaths must be ‘wake-up call’

Government backtracks over claim soy sauce will be ‘cheaper’ after Brexit

The government has been forced to backtrack for its “naughty” claim that its trade policies will cut the price of soy sauce after Brexit.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) twitter account posted that the ingredient “will be made cheaper thanks to our trade deal with Japan”.

But trade experts pointed out that the agreement in fact would only prevent the salty condiment from getting more expensive under a no-deal Brexit.

Sam Lowe of Centre for European Reform, described the claim as “naughty”, while opposition politicians said the government’s trade claims were increasingly characterised by “exaggerations and mis-truths”.

George Eustice clashes with Kay Burley over school meals

If you missed it earlier, environment secretary George Eustice was given a tough time over the government’s refusal to extend free school meal vouchers over the holidays as he did the morning media round on behalf of the government.  

Sky News anchor Kay Burley asked the Tory MP: “You’re saying you’ll feed children in term time, but they’ll have to go hungry when it’s not term time. Can you appreciate how ridiculous that sounds?”

When Eustice replied: “I don’t understand the point you’re making,” the host said: “Kids are going hungry when they’re not at school – I can’t make it any simpler.”

Matt Hancock impressed by Covid-detecting dogs

The Duchess of Cornwall has said health secretary Matt Hancock was “impressed” by a demonstration of Covid-19 detecting dogs trained by a charity she supports.

Hancock said: “These dogs can detect coronavirus in the same way that they could detect drugs, or you can detect other things – and I’ve seen it for myself, absolutely brilliant.”

It is hoped in the coming months the animals could be deployed at airports, train stations and sporting venues to assist with the rapid screening of people.

Michael Gove to meet retailers to sort out Brexit software mess

Those building the vital post-Brexit freight software – supposed to help transport companies submit paperwork digitally – say it’s unlikely to be ready on time for 1 January.  

The Association of Freight Software Suppliers (AFSS) said its members couldn’t be sure of delivery because government officials had failed to give enough direction for the project.

Cabinet ministers Michael Gove and Brandon Lewis will meet with major UK retailers today to discuss the urgent problem – which could thwart efforts to get products onto the shelves.  

It comes as the current round of trade deal talks finish up in London today before moving to Brussels. Ireland’s foreign minister Simon Coveney has said deal is now “likely” in the next two weeks, but he also warned that major trade disruption would be the “new reality” from 1 January even if a UK-EU deal is struck.

Economy in ‘suspended animation’ over Brexit, says CBI

The UK economy has been left in “suspended animation” while the government leaves striking a deal to the last minute, the head of the nation’s leading busines group has said.

CBI boss Dame Carolyn Fairbairn said: “The economy has gone into suspended animation while we resolve this seismic issue. I hope we can have a resolution so we can move on … The thing that’s painful is that it has taken so long to get to a resolution. I think we will get a deal.”

She also rejected government suggestions that the UK would prosper under a no-deal, stating that an agreement would be “hugely better” than no deal.

Minister ‘doesn’t accept’ failure of migrant policy – as charities say deaths ‘wake-up call’

Environment secretary George Eustice has rejected the idea current government policy for dealing with migrant crossings had failed. “I don’t accept that,” he said – before blaming people traffickers for the tragedy.  

The minister added: “There is no reason for [migrants] to make this crossing – they’re in safe countries, they’re in the EU, they’re in France … There’s no reason to make this crossing and they’re being encouraged to do so by gangs that are taking their money.”

The refugee crisis charity Care4Calais called for the incident to act as a “wake-up call” for those in power in both the UK and France. 

Antisemitism probe ‘shameful period in Labour history’

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth has agreed the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s investigation into institutional racism within Labour “probably was” the most shameful moment in the party’s history.  

He told Times Radio: “A lot of this was about the fact that there was just a refusal to acknowledge the issue. I obviously don’t know what’s in the report, because it’s confidential, but that was a shameful period in our history, and we have to be clear that we are never going back to that.”

Ashworth also claimed the government had to set out a plan to “save Christmas for everyone.”

Former homelessness adviser ‘utterly amazed’ by Rashford

The former head of the government’s Troubled Families unit, Dame Louise Casey, said she has never met Marcus Rashford but is “utterly amazed” by the young footballer’s campaign for free school meals over the half-term holiday.  

Dame Louise, who is also a former homelessness adviser to the government, told Times Radio: “He’s really hit on a very important nail here which is, we all know, rich or poor, whether we’re Tory or Labour or whatever political persuasion that you may be, that families and kids are suffering during Covid, they really are, despite some of the measures that the government put in.”

Uniform lockdown rules over Christmas?

Some politicians are pushing for the whole of the UK to be placed under the same coronavirus restrictions over Christmas.  

The Lib Dems and their Northern Irish counterparts the Alliance Party have warned it is “inevitable” people will travel between the four nations over the festive period and say policymakers should keep this in mind when designing the rules. 

Dyer: ‘People who went to Eton can’t run this country’

Eastenders actor Danny Dyer has claimed former Etonians shouldn’t run the country anymore and called for a working -class take-over.  

“The people who went to Eton can’t run this country,” Dyer told the BBC. “They’ve done it, they’ve tried to do it, this little, small group who all went to the same school, in the same class. It doesn’t work.”

He continued: “I feel we need some working-class people, people that have lived a real life, people that are in touch with what’s going on in reality, to maybe come to the front now and get involved in how this country’s run.”