Boris Johnson has finally confirmed that a post-Brexit trade deal has been agreed with the European Union
Downing Street insists the pact will take back control of our money, borders, laws, trade and fishing waters
Ursula von der Leyen has hailed deal as fair and balanced and said EU negotiated from position of strength
Sir Keir Starmer says he will order his Labour MPs to back the deal saying it was thin but better than nothing
Briefing wars about who has won are already ramping up as sides prepare to sell the agreement to their voters
How Europe is handling a Covid-19 Christmas cnn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cnn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Fauci on new Covid-19 variant: Assume that it s here already
From CNN s Andrea Diaz
It s certainly possible that the new variant of coronavirus in the UK is already in the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci said during an interview on ABC s Good Morning America on Tuesday. That s certainly possible I mean, when you have this amount of spread within a place like the UK, that you really need to assume that it s here already, and certainly is not the dominant strain, but I would not be surprised at all if it is already here, said Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.
The Welsh Government has requested “urgent” talks with the UK Government after ferry passengers in Wales were banned from entering the Republic of Ireland.
It came as France banned lorries carrying freight from the UK and countries around the world ended flights amid fears over the new mutant coronavirus strain.
The Republic of Ireland is allowing freight and essential travel from ports in North Wales and West Wales, but has said other visitors will not be granted entry.
On Monday, Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said Cardiff Bay would be “monitoring the situation”, having requested talks with Westminster.
He said on Twitter: “We’re monitoring the situation at our ports closely. I have requested urgent talks with UK Government to discuss the situation further, particularly implications for Welsh ports.
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has said he wished he could have given “more notice” before bringing forward the country’s lockdown and further cutting back plans to allow families to mix over Christmas.
Mr Drakeford said the decision to impose Wales’s highest level of restrictions, announced just seven hours before they came into force, was “unavoidable” due to how widespread the new strain of coronavirus was across the country.
His announcement on Saturday evening triggered a rush for last-minute shopping before non-essential retailers were forced to close their doors at midnight, leading to long queues outside supermarkets and other retailers.