Brexit news: EU pours scorn on UK ‘spin’, as Boris Johnson told now is 'moment of truth'

Backlash continues after Johnson’s conference speech denouncing ‘lefty lawyers’

Continued attacks on lawyers may be taken as "a confession that we no longer live in a democracy", according to the dean of the Faculty of Advocates in Scotland.

It is the latest in a series of outraged remarks by senior figures in the legal profession stemming from Boris Johnson’s attack on “lefty human rights lawyers” in his Conservative Party conference speech.

Click here if you want to read our original story on those remarks

Roddy Dunlop QC, who leads the faculty representing lawyers north of the border, called the PM’s comments “unconscionable”.

He said: "I require to intimate, as dean of Faculty and on behalf of all members of Faculty, that I deprecate the recent pronouncements - from the Home Office, then from the home secretary, and latterly from the prime minister himself - to the effect that there is a problem with 'lefty lawyers' or 'activist lawyers' who are 'hamstringing' the justice system.

"Whether the topic is immigration, or crime, or the constitution, lawyers that act against the state are not being ‘lefty’, nor ‘activist’: they are doing their professional duty.

"It is simply unconscionable for Her Majesty's government to decry in this way the actions of professionals."

Northern leaders rage at Johnson over looming lockdowns

Boris Johnson was today facing fury from regional leaders, as Downing Street fuelled confusion by refusing to confirm details of new coronavirus lockdown measures expected to be imposed across the north of England next week, writes Andrew Woodcock.

The prime minister’s official spokesman denied that final decisions had been made on the three-tier package, insisting that ministers were still “considering a range of options”, while a senior No 10 source said that some elements of the plan being discussed in public were inaccurate.

Theresa May leads opposition to Boris Johnson's planning reforms

Theresa May is the latest senior Conservative to speak out against Boris Johnson's new planning reforms, as a Tory rebellion on the issue begins to take shape, writes Jon Stone.

The ex-prime minister warned that the plans would amount to "removing local democracy, cutting the number of affordable homes that will be built, and building over rural areas".

Northern leaders still learning of impending coronavirus restrictions in the press

Andy Burnham sums up the feeling on the government’s lockdown communication strategy.

Health bosses demand action to avoid full-blown second wave

Health bosses have warned that urgent action is needed to prevent a “full blown” second wave, amid mounting concern that the NHS is not prepared for the ongoing rise in hospital admissions due to shortages in staffing and capacity, writes Samuel Lovett.

A total of 3,145 people are currently in hospital with Covid-19 following a spike in admissions over the past seven days, while over 17,000 new cases were recorded across the UK on Thursday.

Health secretary Matt Hancock has said that the virus is now spreading “quite sharply” among the over-60s, an age group more prone to serious illness or death from the disease.

Bring in Huawei ban earlier than planned, say MPs

A committee of British lawmakers is urging the government to consider banning Chinese technology giant Huawei from next-generation mobile phone networks two years earlier than planned.

Boris Johnson's government in July blocked Huawei from having any role in building the country's new 5G networks, amid security concerns fueled by rising tensions between Beijing and Western powers.

British wireless carriers are prohibited from buying Huawei network equipment but have until 2027 to remove Huawei gear they've already installed in the new networks.

Government considers £2bn plan to build 16 mini nuclear power stations

At the Conservative Party conference this week, Boris Johnson announced his desire for every home in the UK to be powered “cleanly and without guilt” by wind within just 10 years, and said the government would invest £160m into upgrading ports and factories building wind turbines, writes Harry Cockburn.

He mentioned nothing about nuclear power. However, the UK government is reportedly considering spending £2bn of taxpayers money on as many as 16 small nuclear reactors which would also contribute to the national grid.

Greek islands added to quarantine-free list

No countries will be removed from the government’s list of quarantine-free travel corridors this week, but five Greek islands have been added to the list.

Travellers returning to the UK from Santorini, Zakynthos, Lesvos, Tinos and Serifos will no longer have to self-isolate for two weeks, the Transport Secretary confirmed.

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Many small businesses still not ready for leaving EU despite £70m campaign, MPs warned

Well over a third of small businesses are still not convinced that the UK will transition out of the EU at the end of this year, despite a government information campaign costing £70m to let them know, MPs have been told, writes Andrew Woodcock.

Prime minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly vowed that he will not request an extension to the transition period which ends on 31 December, and is ready to take the UK into a no-deal Brexit if a free trade agreement cannot be reached in that time.

Who is Allegra Stratton, Boris Johnson's new spokesperson?

Former journalist Allegra Stratton is to be the face of the government's new daily press conferences. If Boris Johnson's new regime goes to plan, she'll become face familiar across the nation. But just who is she?

Stratton made her name in Westminster as a political correspondent at the Guardian, before moving to become political editor of BBC Newsnight, with a further stint at ITV News, writes Jon Stone.