thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-24--Just Who Is Watching Mrs Brown's Boys - The Show Everybody Loves To Hate?

This article was originally published in December 2020.
When the BBC announced that Mrs Brown’s Boys would once again feature in their festive programming, it was impossible to ignore the savage response on social media.
“Forget Covid, there’s my Christmas ruined,” one Twitter user exclaimed.
“Root canal work is an attractive alternative to Mrs Brown,” wrote another.
“As if 2020 wasn’t bad enough, Mrs Browns Boys is back. Still not found anyone that admits to watching it... I demand to know who watches it and who likes it?” asked another.
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Critics agree.
But the stats and accolades speak for themselves.
The Christmas special in 2018 was one of the most watched programmes of the day, drawing in 6.7 million viewers, and a film version, 2014′s Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie, was top of the UK and Irish box office for two weeks.
The show beat Ricky Gervais’s After Life and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag to Best Comedy at the viewer-voted National TV Awards earlier this year, and the comedy has also bagged four Bafta awards: Best Scripted Comedy twice and Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme for its creator, writer and star Brendan O’Carroll, also twice.
Brendan O'Carroll and Jennifer Gibney and cast of Mrs Brown's Boys with the award for best comedy at the National Television Awards 2020 Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment
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It’s inevitable that TV shows – especially comedies – are divisive, but the level of vitriol aimed at Mrs Brown’s Boys - a show about a nan called Agnes (the drag persona of creator Carroll) and her tumultuous relationships with her family members - feels unprecedented.
So much so, that Brendan has even responded to his critics publicly. “Just change the fucking channel,” he bluntly told his detractors.
“I wasn’t fond of it to begin with either,” says fan, Melissa. “I started watching it with my nan who doesn’t have good taste in TV programmes so I automatically wrote it off as ‘dated’ humour, but after watching a few episodes, not only was I giggling along, I ended up setting a series reminder.”
Perhaps judging the show too quickly is a common problem: Writing in The Telegraph in 2020, Ed Power admitted that persevering with it can pay off.
“Watching a preview of last year’s Christmas special I, for instance, found myself rolling my eyes but also – and feel free to judge – stifling the very occasional chuckle,” Ed wrote.
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Melissa agrees. “Give it a chance: don’t write it off,” she says.
Mrs. Brown's Boys BBC
Another fan, Amy, believes many of the show’s detractors are overthinking it.
“Embrace it for what it is - light-hearted fun,” Amy says. “Don’t overthink it. And it’s more relatable than people think - the storylines and characters might be exaggerated, but because it’s based on family life, there is likely to be something people can recognise in their own families.”
Both Amy and Melissa believe another of the show’s charms is that we get to see when its stars mess up, adding a layer of farce.
“Muck-ups give the show it’s edge,” says Melissa. “It’s real. It’s hilarious when it happens and it sends the message that they don’t take themselves too seriously. My nan and I have also seen the show live and you feel so connected to the actors when the muck ups happen.”
Amy agrees. “Out-takes are always brilliant,” she says. “They manage to do it in a way that doesn’t feel like it holds up the actual story for that episode. It brings the viewer in - we get to see the dynamics between the actors and the close bond that exists between them as a real-life family.”
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““Muck-ups give the show it’s edge. It’s real. It’s hilarious when it happens and it sends the message that they don’t take themselves too seriously.”
But it isn’t all muck-ups and toilet gags. For Irish fan David, the show is “a parody of all the stereotypes the British labelled the Irish with”.
“Foul-mouthed, sex-mad women, thick, lazy, work-shy, criminal, religious hypocrites. They’re all in there,” he observes.
“Coming from an Irish family I’ve experienced a lot of the stereotyping, and that’s what makes it so hilarious. All the haters are actually hating the labels their country stuck on us in the first place. Oh how the irony should burn.”
Speaking of haters...
“Mrs Brown’s Boys is just tiringly unfunny, dull and repetitive to the point of eye watering boredom,” non-fan Matt says. “Maybe it’ll be like all those forgettable 70s sitcoms that have been filtered out of collective memory - where Mrs Brown’s Boys belongs too.”
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But why do so many people get so incensed by the show? Could a class issue be at play?
A survey by YouGov found that 67% of people who dislike the show are middle class. It also revealed that Mrs Brown’s Boys fans are more likely to laugh at toilet humour and impressions, while detractors are more likely to prefer observations on current affairs and wordplay.
For others, the show is more than just unfunny: it’s offensive.
“The portrayal of the characters is so far removed from any kind of reality that it’s painful to watch. The show is harmful to young LGBTQ+ viewers as it enforces archaic portrayal of gay men,” says gay TV fan James.
“Sure, the moment she embraces her son when he comes out is a touching moment and one as a gay man I wish I could have shared with my own mother, but from there on in the gay son [Rory, one of Anges Brown’s five children] is used as the punchline.”
Mrs. Brown and her gay son Rory, played by Rory Cowan until 2017. BBC
Harmful representation is the weightiest claim against the show: no longer just subjective quibbles about comedy, if the show spreads dangerous stereotypes, then perhaps that should become more of the focus of the critical debate.
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But as it stands, the debate feels more about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ comedy, when the lesson we’ve learned from Mrs Brown’s Boys is that there’s no such thing: love it or hate it, the ratings and awards speak for themselves.
Mrs Brown’s Boys may not be progressive, but then again, neither is criticising somebody else’s taste in comedy.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-24--From Derry Girl To Gossip Girl: How Bridgerton Stopped Nicola Coughlan From Quitting Acting

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We all instantly fell in love with Nicola Coughlan as the reluctant rebel Clare Devlin in Derry Girls when the hit comedy debuted on Channel 4 in 2018, but we’ve seen a very different side of the star in Bridgerton.
The 33-year-old Irish actor has returned to our screens as one of the leads in the Netflix period spectacular, which arrived on the streaming platform on Christmas Day.
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But despite the barrels of warm reviews heaped on Derry Girls, Nicola feared she wouldn’t work again before she auditioned for Bridgerton. “It was a funny thing because I really didn’t expect to get the job and then it all happened quite quickly,” she tells us.
“I’d been through a period of really bad auditions and not getting stuff which is a really common thing as an actor - people don’t really talk about it enough,” she says.
“I tend to get in the headspace of, ‘well, I’ll never work again,’ clearly, that was it. You know, I’ve had a few good jobs and I’ll just, you know, go off and do something else.”
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But her pessimism, or self-preservation, was undue. Shortly after her agent called and told her she’d got the job as Penelope, one of the three daughters of the Featherington household at the centre of the plot alongside the Bridgertons.
Penelope is shy and lacking in confidence but despite that, she is being positioned to find a suitor. Set in 1813 in Regency England, the two prestigious households and their associates await the regular arrival of a gossipy round-robin newsletter revealing the most sordid goings-on. Screen legend Julie Andrews does the voice of the never-seen, always-heard arbiter of the gossip, Lady Whistledown.
Nicola says can relate to some of the excruciating experiences Penelope goes through in the show as she attempts to find a suitor.
“It was kind of hard shooting the ball scenes where you know she’s getting ignored,” remembers Nicola. “Watching the boy that she’s completely head over heels with dancing with another girl. I’ve definitely been there at some stages in the past. I’m sure everyone has.”
Nicola (right) stars as Penelope alongside Claudia Jessie, who plays her best friend Eloise. Supplied
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It wasn’t resonance which attracted Nicola to the role though, more that the character is multi-layered. “You see her with her family and she’s this shy girl who’s put down constantly when she’s out in society,” explains Nicola.
“But when she’s with her best friend Eloise she’s very bright and sparky and witty and you see that she’s got all these opinions and things that she doesn’t get to share because of the time [period]. And then when she’s around Colin Bridgerton she’s this true romantic.”
Ready for marriage or not, she is thrust unto courtiers dressed resplendently in fine ball gowns. How was it doing long days of filming wearing such elaborate dresses?
Costumes were “so heavy we had to have someone walk with us to set because it was too heavy to carry ourselves,” explains Nicola. “Everything was custom made, it was so beautiful but also I’m like five foot one, so this head dress made me probably about five eight: for me that’s really tall.”
Nicola Coughlan as Penelope in Bridgerton Supplied
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The weighty outfits helped Nicola experience the role more deeply. “You know how different you feel in a tracksuit to how you feel in a three piece suit. It’s sort of a similar thing: you carry yourself differently. You hold yourself differently.”
The drama’s producers were at pains to recreate the era faithfully in terms of the way characters behaved, as well as the way they dressed. For instance, research was conducted about the way Regency era women spent their spare time. “We were shown paintings of young women lazing on couches,” says Nicola.
And contrary to popular belief, women from the period weren’t always doing needlework or sitting up straight and formally.
Other “little idiosyncrasies” Nicola enjoyed discovering included the etiquette behind bowing between men and women in public.
There is a scene where Penelope has to bow to Colin Bridgerton, but Nicola explains that “a year ago you wouldn’t have done this, because you weren’t out in society.”
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“But now he’s a gentleman and you’re a lady so you need to understand those kinds of societal constraints. All of that was really really interesting,” she says.
Bridgerton Supplied
Reading the original Bridgerton novels by Julia Quinn was another source of knowledge for developing the role, and Nicola would collaborate with the crew over elements of her character written into the novels she felt she should exude on screen.
“Penelope features much more heavily in the books, so I was interested to go to the director and say, ’Look, I know this isn’t in the script right now but this is a thing about her that maybe we can work in,” says Nicola.
As an actor, having source material to rely on was a massive help. “You’re a little bit like a detective trying to pull out bits of information about a person and their motivations. You know there’s certain things [about the character] that you think you would never do. But then what you can relate to grounds the character and gives them that feeling of a real human being.”
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Bridgerton Supplied
How about the plummy British accent? Nicola has been commended for her accent work before - her Derry accent in Derry Girls was highly praised, but surely travelling back to Regency-era England will be more of a challenge for this girl from Galway, Ireland.
“This accent is 100 times easier than the Derry accents,” laughs Nicola. “If you want to research an RP [received pronunciation] accent, there’s endless resources, whereas there wasn’t a million shows about Derry before, so a lot of it came from me, finding random videos of people from Derry talking on YouTube.”
Less homework was required of Nicola for Bridgerton, although she enjoyed sessions with the on-set historian, and found it compelling how the show combines elements of historical accuracy with an imagined world.
“I hope we get to do more seasons and explore lots of different elements and the characters,” concludes Nicola. “If we’re creating this world, who’s to say what you can put in and what you can’t?”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-24--British Stereotypes And Clichés Galore – What Christmas Movies Get Wrong

This article was originally published in December 2020.
Red London buses, the bumbling Brit and the over-zealous American, and endless messages of goodwill and cheer: Christmas movies are often guilty of presenting a very one-note image of the festive period.
In fact, the genre is so rigidly defined, throngs of people light up social media each year to argue how Die Hard cannot possibly a Christmas film, even though it’s set at Christmas – presumably because it isn’t filled with festive clichés.
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Perhaps audiences have Hollywood to blame for establishing a genre that feels like it relies so heavily on stereotypes. “It’s funny rewatching a couple of Christmas films and reminding myself about them,” says Isibeal Ballance, TV producer who worked with writer-director Mark Gatiss on subversive Christmas drama The Dead Room.
Love Actually plays to many stereotypes about Britishness Universal
“The characters are always stereotypical. More so than any other time of year, these films lack nuance and get straight down to the point – the story of a character’s redemption.”
Whether Love Actually, Miracle On 34th Street, The Holiday or even Scrooge, characters in the most famous Christmas films appear to play into Isibeal’s argument. Over here in the UK, we’re often awkward, miserable or earnest, and over in the States, hugely vivacious, positive and romantic.
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“I think it is amazing how little people in America know about the UK and how little people in the UK know about the USA,” adds Douglas Mackinnon, director of Doctor Who Christmas special Husbands of River Song and Sherlock special The Abominable Bride.
Sherlock's 2015 Christmas special The Abominable Bride BBC
He recalls one memorable instance: “I had a shoot that started on Buckingham Palace and an American exec asked what ‘that old building’ was. So I’m not surprised that the stereotypes come out very quickly!”
Paddington, for one, is guilty of “ruthless use of red buses,” says Douglas, who believes the British accent often attempted by Americans in Christmas films is “inevitably a posh accent, often based on not-too intensive research by listening to old interviews with Diana or Charles, or by watching The Crown.”
What do English actors do? They’ll likely copy Sean Connery’s accent if they’re playing a Scottish character, and other actors will turn to Dick Van Dyke if they need to play British, he suspects.
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Of course, there’s a comforting familiarity about certain stereotypes. “Great writing doesn’t head for cliché, but the complication is that often a story can start in a familiar place to let the audience in,” explains Douglas. “The problems start if you also finish in a familiar place.”
Not all Christmas shows follow this cookie-cutter approach. The Dead Room is a clever example of how we can rethink Christmas drama while avoiding cliché: set in an old radio building, haunting shots show a crumbling studio, as an older man relives trauma from his past. It is perhaps inspired by Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, but the feel is grittier, more modern and more realistic, as an older man recounts trauma from his past.
The Dark Room starred Simon Callow in the lead role BBC
Die Hard is perhaps the most famous example of a Hollywood Christmas blockbuster subverting expectations of the genre. Bob Clark’s thriller Black Christmas about a killer who is never caught – hardly the fairytale ending – is unusual too, much like Shane Black’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: another example of a properly dark, unusually witty Christmas film.
In the psychological horror Better Watch Out, stereotypes about Christmas are manipulated to trick the viewer into thinking they are in familiar territory. “Our goal was to get audiences comfortable, yawning, ‘I’ve seen this before...,’” Chris Peckover, director, tells HuffPost UK.
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“So when the turn came it would be utterly upheaving. And then to drive the knife in, we continued with the holiday stereotypes ― characters wearing ugly Christmas sweaters, serving hot cocoa to the carollers ― to create a disturbing juxtaposition with the unfolding events. It’s the very nature of stereotypes as lazy and familiar that we harnessed.”
Due to the pandemic, 2020′s crop of Christmas films was minimal: but while Holidate starring Emma Roberts and The Princess Switch: Switched Again with Vanessa Hudgens appear more on familiar territory, Netflix’s major seasonal release Jingle Jangle stylistically switched things up.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-24--No More Snow Days: How Covid Changed The Little Family Things, Too

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As if the coronavirus pandemic hasn’t changed lives enough, there are certain traditions and rituals, particularly in families, that it may have altered forever.
From snow days to holidays abroad, there are a raft of things many families have been denied or have simply decided they no longer need. We asked parents around the country what things Covid-19 has ended or changed for good in their homes – and how they and their youngsters feel about it.
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No more snow days
evgenyatamanenko via Getty Images
Remember those winter mornings when the telephone would ring and you’d be told the heavy snow meant there would be no school that day? Or the heady celebrations when you found out the school heating was on the blink, leaving you a duvet day at home watching TV or venturing outside to play in the snow?
Remote learning has changed this forever. Snow days will now be just another day of learning in front of a screen or being set work from the teacher via e-mail. Mum-of-three Sonia Bashir from Preston tells HuffPost UK she gets wistful thinking how much children’s lives have changed this year.
“As a kid, snow days were so much fun as any free day off school was great news!” she says. “The school I went to had a river nearby which would sometimes burst its banks and water would flood the playground and fields so it wouldn’t be safe to go in. And on days when it would snow heavily, we would get a call saying school was off as staff couldn’t travel to get in.”
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Sonia Bashir
Bashir, 39, who has three sons aged five to 13, admits that homeschooling during the pandemic was hectic, and that she has a newfound respect for teachers. “Some children will just sit down and get on with their learning, but others need constant monitoring, prompting and encouragement,” she says.
“It has been an eye-opener how difficult it is to homeschool and it has made me appreciate how hard teachers work all the time.”
Remembering with fondness her own snow days, Bashir feels it is a shame that her own boys might not get to experience the same joy. “I remember spending snow days watching telly and playing games with my siblings,” she says. “It’s a shame as I think technology means children today miss out on a lot of the simple pleasures of childhood.”
No more endless parents’ evenings
Images By Tang Ming Tung via Getty Images
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Parents’ evening during a pandemic has been a revelation for many now that everything has gone virtual. Instead of those with the sharpest elbows getting to sit down first, appointment slots are not only allotted, but stringently stuck to. And there’s no more waiting around as the parents before you massively over-run their slot or turn up late and push in front.
Angela Ferguson, 49, who lives in Chester, attended her 13-year-old daughter Lucy’s parents’ evening online and found it a much more positive experience.
“It was helpful to be able to condense the catch-ups with individual teachers into five minutes,” she says. “We covered what we needed in this time and if anything, it focused us. There was a countdown to the end of each chat so we could get ready to move on to the next appointment.
“It went well and we got a lot of positive feedback. Lucy’s teachers have been absolutely wonderful throughout this pandemic so I was also glad to be able to express our thanks for all they are doing.”
Angela Ferguson Angela Ferguson with her daughter Lucy, 13
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Ferguson, a university lecturer, enjoyed being able to multi-task. ”We powered through the meetings and Lucy was able to listen in,” she says. “I managed to sort dinner – or rather delegate some of the cooking duties to Lucy while I chatted to her teachers. I also managed to practically inhale a plate of chicken pasta in a nine minute gap between appointments. I’d have got some very funny looks if I’d have done that in the school hall!”
And it’s not just parents who welcome the world of online parents’ evenings – teachers can see the benefits of them, too.
Helen Pratton, a Year 4 primary school teacher tells HuffPost UK it was good to be able to catch up with parents who normally find it difficult to make it, ”such as a dad working in London who wouldn’t have been able to attend the parents’ evening in person, but was able to join by Zoom.”
Helen Pratton, a Year 4 primary school teacher
“Each appointment has a set time so you can’t run over,” she says. “In person, you’d feel too rude to say: ‘Your time’s up!’ but with online appointments, the parent knows how long is left.”
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And parents seemed a lot more relaxed on their home turf. “For some parents, it can be quite intimidating walking into a school, especially if they are on their own. But being in their home surroundings helped and they didn’t have to worry about issues such as childcare. From our point of view as teachers, it felt a lot quicker and more efficient.”
No more expensive birthday cakes
Sonja Todd Rainbow Cake baked by Sonja Todd
It all began with banana bread as people discovered a passion for baking during the first coronavirus lockdown. But for some, this kickstarted a desire to become a culinary genius and become more creative with their baking.
For Sonja Todd, 43, who lives in Peterlee, County Durham, it all began when she made some Lotus Biscoff and mint Aero fudge for her son James, who had seen it being made on an online video – unsurprisingly, perhaps, he loved it.
Friends and family adored it too – and it resulted in her baking every Saturday and becoming more adventurous with the recipes she attempted. “My son James would be my tester on a Saturday night and he’d constantly ask me when the cakes would be ready,” she says. “James loves helping, especially with decorating and piping the cakes, but he does mess up my kitchen!
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“I’d always wanted to try a rainbow cake and making a chocolate orange checkerboard cake was the most difficult one. My niece loves Peppa Pig so I made her some cakes too.”
Sonja Todd Sonja Todd
Sonja Todd Some of Sonja Todd's culinary creations
Though grappling with a flour shortage during lockdown wasn’t easy, Todd threw herself into baking and decorating. Her mum, who was shielding alone, loved it when she brought homemade treats and waved from the garden gate.
Her new hobby has also saved her money, she says. “I would usually get James a birthday cake from a professional and it would cost around £70,” she says.
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“For his 12th birthday, James wanted a Fortnite cake so I searched for one I thought I could do. I found a camouflage sponge so I gave that a go. My electric whisk broke the night we were making it so I had my husband Stephen up until midnight whisking buttercream by hand. James was blown away and loved it so much, I’ll definitely be making him one every year instead of buying one.”
Sonja Todd The Fortnite inspired cake for James' 12th birthday
A different type of holiday
Holidays abroad became a distant memory when coronavirus first struck and flights all over the world were cancelled as people stayed at home for all but essential travel. As restrictions eased, some did manage to get away for some sunshine, but others preferred the pleasures of holidaying closer to home.
Blaise Tapp, 43, of Horsham, West Sussex, juggled working from home and homeschooling his children Esme, 11 and Samson, five, for eight weeks during the first lockdown. The media manager came up with the brainwave of taking his children on virtual trips to different countries without leaving their home.
Blaise Tapp Esme and Samson Tapp enjoying French cuisine at home
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“I consider ourselves to be very fortunate as we have space at home and a back garden so we have been able to muddle through this year,” Tapp tells HuffPost UK. “The only thing I struggled with is not being able to go away this year, so I came up with the idea of embarking on a virtual holiday with the children.
“It was a simple idea – eating food from that particular country all day, learning some new words and taking in some culture, which largely involved watching films and listening to music from the country we were ‘visiting’.
“We started in France, where we had French toast for breakfast, crepes for lunch, and Coq au Vin for tea. We spent the day listening to Daft Punk and Edith Piaf on the Alexa while we learned how to order a pie and chips in French.
“The next day we went to Italy when we decided to re-interpret the Coliseum by using the box that our wine was delivered in and a pot of black paint.”
Blaise Tapp Samson Tapp, five, enjoys a virtual trip to France
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Over the course of nine days, the family ‘visited’ Spain, Mexico, the United States, and China. Tapp said: “The kids were almost as enthusiastic as me and would tell their mum all about it when she got home from her job as a key worker.
“We have had some really lovely holidays in the past and this year has made us realise how lucky we’ve been. There have been tough days but I drummed into our children that there are plenty of people far less fortunate than us.”
No more pandering to Elf On The Shelf
Wendy Bradbury Elf On The Shelf is self isolating
It’s the bane of many parents’ lives at Christmas time – Elf On The Shelf, the mischievous toy which finds ingenious new hiding places and activities to indulge in every night while the children are asleep. But although it seems fun at first, many long suffering parents regret ever starting the tradition in their home.
But the year of the coronavirus pandemic has brought the perfect solution – quarantining naughty Elf.
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Gill Ridsdale, of Walmer Bridge, Lancashire, has five children and tells HuffPost UK she has been doing Elf On The Shelf for “ar too long.” She took great delight in cooping him up in a jar for a fortnight. After the two-week quarantine-period was up, she reluctantly freed him as her youngest children Alyssa, nine and Harvey, eight, were desperate to see him back to his usual antics.
Gill Ridsdale Alyssa and Harvey Ridsdale with their quarantined Elf On The Shelf
“Elf On The Shelf has been driving me mad over the years.” Ridsdale said. “This year, he tested positive for Covid so had to be quarantined. Unfortunately, he’s now ready to come back out again.” She added: “I’m half tempted for him to have to self isolate again but I think Alyssa and Harvey would be too disappointed.”
Wendy Bradbury, 59, from Doncaster, who retired from Tesco after 31 years and began making gifts in glasses, came up with the idea of making an isolated station for people’s elves and couldn’t believe how popular they proved.
Wendy Bradbury Wendy Bradbury with her Isolation Station Elf creation
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“Parents were over the moon at shoving their elf in a bottle for two weeks and said it would keep the kids quiet for a few weeks.” said the mum-of-two and grandmother-of-seven. They said it beat having to think of new places to put Elf. The children found it entertaining too.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-24--Hundreds Complain To BBC Over The Vicar Of Dibley’s Black Lives Matter Scene

PA
The BBC has received 266 complaints over a scene in The Vicar Of Dibley which referenced the Black Lives Matter movement.
Dawn French’s character Reverend Geraldine Granger took the knee and delivered a sermon about racism in a special Christmas episode which aired last week.
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The BBC has previously defended the scene, saying in a statement it “was in keeping with the character and the theme of the show”.
Earlier this month, French also appeared to dismiss complaints about the scene.
Amid criticism on social media from some who claimed the scene showed a lack of impartiality from the BBC, she tweeted: “A lovely calm day, full of humanity, compassion and support all round...”.
The 63-year-old later clarified in the comments that she was being “a tad ironic”.
The scene shows French’s character being filmed by parishioner and farmer Owen Newitt as she tells the audience she has been preoccupied with the “horror show” of George Floyd’s death and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was killed in May while being arrested by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sparking anti-racism protests around the world.
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In the scene, the vicar said that Dibley, the fictional Oxfordshire village in which the show is set, is “not the most diverse community”.
She added: “But I don’t think it matters where you are from. I think it matters that you do something about it, because Jesus would, wouldn’t he?
“And, listen, I am aware all lives matter, obviously, but until all lives matter the same we are doing something very wrong.
“So I think we need to focus on justice for a huge chunk of our countrymen and women who seem to have a very bad, weird deal from the day they are born.”
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She then walks to the parish noticeboard and tears down two posters, one about decimalisation and the other about a missing button.
She said: “I think that in Dibley perhaps we should think about taking down some of these old notices like this and that, and perhaps we should put up one like this instead.”
After replacing them with a home-made Black Lives Matter poster, she takes the knee.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-24--Duvet Know It's Christmas Founder Reveals His All-Time Top 10 Photos

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For years now, people have taken to Twitter on Christmas Eve to share their hilarious – and often eyebrow-raising – festive sleeping arrangements, whether reunited with a childhood bed (and decades-old Lion King cover) or consigned to a blow-up mattress in the spare room, wedged between a desk and an ironing board.
The tradition, dubbed Duvet Know It’s Christmas, was kickstarted by writer Rhodri Marsden when he stayed at his parents house on Christmas Eve in 2011.
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“I was lying in a single bed with a floral duvet in a room mainly used for storing old tat, and I thought ‘I’m probably not the only one in this situation’,” he tells HuffPost UK.
Rhodri Marsden The photo that started Duvet Know It's Christmas
“So I took a photograph of it and tweeted it – as I’m prone to do with all kinds of nonsense – but this one seemed to strike some kind of chord,” he continues.
“A few people sent me back their own pictures, and slowly, over the years, it snowballed.”
This year, the tradition will be missed by many as the Covid-19 pandemic – and surging cases in the UK, thought to be the result of a new variant – have meant many people across the UK are unable to visit loved ones.
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But Marsden has a plan to make sure we don’t go without. This year he’s trawled through years-worth of submissions to reveal our top 100 festive sleeping arrangements. Prepare for claustrophobia and so. much. clutter.
In lieu of a fully fledged #duvetknowitschristmas, I've spent today compiling the all-time top 100 from the last 10 years. It's done. You can't buy your way into it. The reverse countdown will begin at 8.20pm GMT on Thursday. One posted every minute. Number 1 announced at 10pm. — Rhodri Marsden (@rhodri) December 21, 2020
“Now it seems to be an inherent part of Christmas on social media,” says Marsden of Duvet Know It’s Christmas. “Which is crazy, really – but sometimes it’s the things with no grand master plan behind them that become popular, thanks to some weird, self-propelled energy!”
He started sharing his top 100 submissions at 8.20pm on Christmas Eve with the hashtag #Duvet100, revealing the top spot at 10pm. As is tradition, he has been asking for donations to Crisis throughout the evening, to support those who are sleeping rough this Christmas.
Without further ado, here are his top 10 favourite submissions from years gone by.
10. In the living room
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9. In the cellar
@rhodri back in the cybermen's serial killer cellar again ('Welcome to the Cellar' it says on the wall) pic.twitter.com/3r1HA4ZSK9 — Tobias Sturt (@skelington) December 24, 2016
8. In the Victorian doll’s house
@rhodri my 43 year old brother and I went to mum's for a night last week. This is the set up. *there are no girls in our family. pic.twitter.com/zmwM2Jg6Ba — *redacted (@mattpearce01) December 24, 2016
7. In the drum room
Unfolded futon in my dad’s Drum Room. The only lights are cycling through every color but white. pic.twitter.com/IGzU1yPEPb — Cerra (@thecerrashow) December 24, 2017
6. In the cardboard box
5. In the office
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4. In stuffed toy hell
This will be the view from my bed tomorrow @rhodri. I'm going to have night terrors, aren't I? pic.twitter.com/5q5y6UAV8z — matt (@RobboRobson21) December 24, 2016
3. In the utility room
2. In the fictional tween girl’s room
@rhodri Not Christmas specific but my dad bought a show home and left the upstairs rooms as sold. I sleep in the fictional tween girl's room pic.twitter.com/M1IWqNtDXO — Jonn Elledge (@JonnElledge) December 24, 2016
1. And claiming the top spot is... Lemon meringue prison.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-24--Brexit: What Does Boris Johnson's EU Trade Deal Mean For UK Citizens?

Yaorusheng via Getty Images
The UK and European Union have reached a historic agreement on post-Brexit trade. It will come into effect on January 1 2021 after the transition period ends.
Full details of the deal – over 1000 pages of detail, according to Boris Johnson – have yet to be published but based upon what we know so far here is how the new deal will affect the UK.
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Right to work, study or live in another EU country
Effective immediately, there will be no more free movement of people and hence UK nationals no longer have freedom to work, study, start a business or live in the EU.
When travelling to the EU region, UK visitors will need a valid passport and visas are required for stays over 90 days in a 180-day period.
There will be additional border checks for UK nationals travelling to another EU country, mobile roaming charges will now apply for UK visitors and EU pet passports are no longer valid.
UK air carriers can no longer operate passenger flights onwards to or from the EU (e.g. London-Amsterdam-Bangkok).
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On the other hand, there’s been a coordination of some UK-EU social security benefits – such as old age and survivors’ pensions, pre-retirement, healthcare, maternity, paternity, accidents at work. This will make make it easier to work abroad and not lose rights.
However, there will be more automatic recognition of professional qualifications from the UK. Doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, vets, engineers or architects must have their qualifications recognised in each Member State they wish to practice in.
The Erasmus student exchange programme – which had seen millions of participants able to study across Europe since its 1987 inception – will be replaced by a worldwide scheme named after Second World War code breaker Alan Turing.
Empics Entertainment
Trade in goods
UK goods will no longer benefit from free movement of goods, so this will mean more regulations for businesses and adjustments in EU-UK supply chains.
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There will be increased customs formalities and checks on UK goods entering the EU, with more border delays. VAT and, where applicable, excise duties (for example on alcohol and tobacco) will be payable upon importation.
However, the PM has said the deal – worth £668 billion a year – will enable UK goods to be sold without tariffs or quotas in the EU market – allowing UK companies to do even more business with the continent.
Fishing
The UK gave ground on fisheries, Johnson admitted, but he said that as a result of the deal the country will be “an independent coastal state with full control of our waters” and would see its share of UK fish rising “substantially”.
Security
Now, the UK no longer participates in or shapes rules of EU agencies for police and judicial cooperation and no longer benefits from privileged cooperation amongst police and judicial authorities.
What’s more, the UK no longer has access to sensitive EU databases and networks that support the EU’s area of freedom, security and justice.
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Despite this, the PM said he was “absolutely confident” the deal would protect police co-operation, the ability to catch criminals and to share intelligence across the European continent “in the way that we have done for many years”.
It was worth fighting for this deal.
We now have a fair & balanced agreement with the UK. It will protect our EU interests, ensure fair competition & provide predictability for our fishing communities.
Europe is now moving on. https://t.co/77jrNknlu3 — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 24, 2020
Laws
Johnson said that after January 1, British laws “will be made solely by the British parliament, interpreted by British judges sitting in UK courts and the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice will come to an end”.
Energy and climate
The UK no longer participates in the EU internal energy market that ensures more efficient, cheaper, more secure supplies of electricity, gas and oil.
Also, this country is no longer part of the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme and its effort-sharing mechanism, nor is it a member of the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). As such, the UK cannot trade nuclear material and technology with Euratom.
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Union programmes


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-24--French Border Chaos Means These Lorry Drivers Will Spend Christmas In Their Cabs

Police speak with a driver as freight lorries remain queued up on the M20 leading to the Port of Dover on Christmas Eve JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images
Thousands of lorry drivers stuck at the French border are unlikely to make it home for Christmas – and many will have spent five nights in their vehicles.
A chorus of beeping horns sounded at the Port of Dover on Christmas Eve as those at the front of the queue celebrated finally being able to leave – but many more are expected to be stuck there until at least Boxing Day.
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As of 3.30pm on Thursday, the port said 700 lorries had been cleared for departure since reopening on Wednesday, leaving more than 5,000 still queueing.
Haulier Kevin Sweet is one of those to return a negative Covid-19 test having being stuck in Dover for three days. But it came too late for him to make it home to Bulgaria for Christmas Day.
“The last promise I made before I left was: ‘I’ll be back for Christmas’. I didn’t say which one,” he told HuffPost UK from the ferry.
Some 2,367 drivers had returned negative coronavirus tests by Thursday afternoon, while three tested positive, according to transport secretary Grant Shapps.
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Kent haulier testing results to date -
2,367 tests carried out as of midday, of which:
2,364 negative
3 positive
As the EU Transport Commissioner has tweeted, testing hauliers is not recommended. Spending days in a lorry on your own puts you in an extremely low risk category! — Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) December 24, 2020
Shapps said the border at Dover, the Eurotunnel and Calais would remain open “throughout Christmas” to get hauliers cleared with the help of 10,000 more tests brought by 26 French firefighters drafted in on Thursday.
Traffic is moving more quickly at the Eurotunnel, where more than 1,000 vehicles left on Wednesday night, with around 2,000 more expected to depart by the end of Thursday, but many will remain there for Christmas Day, according to Duncan Buchanan of the Road Haulage Association (RHA).
He said: “The most reassuring thing is that food is getting through at Manston, and I have to say a big thank you to everyone who volunteered to help drivers stick it out in cold conditions in the days leading up to Christmas.”
Sweet, a 59-year-old removal driver, lives with his wife in Veliko Tarnovo, a two-day drive from Calais. When leaving for the UK on Friday – before tier 4 restrictions and a European travel ban were announced – he said he’d be back in time for their planned quiet Christmas together.
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“I said if I broke down I’d fly back, that I’d do whatever it takes,” he said. “But, she’s accepted it. This is beyond my control.”
Sweet said he knew as soon as the situation began to unfold that he wouldn’t be home in time, but he is philosophical about the turn of events.
“I understand why they shut the border,” he said. “But I don’t know why it took so long to test us. The French fire brigade came over and tested us this morning. It was quick, it was done in 15 minutes, but why our government couldn’t do that I don’t know.”
A firefighter swabs a lorry driver to test for Covid-19 on Christmas Eve Dan Kitwood via Getty Images
Sweet met up with another driver who lives in the same area, and they spent the last few days being moved around and parking up in supermarket car parks for as long as possible. He says the only people to offer any help to drivers were the locals. They even bought a week’s worth of food just in case.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-24--5 Tory Promises Broken After Boris Johnson's Brexit Deal

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After four and a half tortuous years, the UK and EU have finally struck a Brexit deal.
But what has come out of the negotiations looks very different from what’s been promised by Brexiteers since the referendum and beyond.
This is the final comprehensive deal on the future relationship between the UK and EU once the Brexit transition period ends on January 1.
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While Boris Johnson radically altered the UK’s negotiating stance to go for a harder Brexit after becoming prime minister in July 2019, it is important to remember that a Tory government alone has been negotiating our departure.
And it is not quite as advertised...
‘The easiest free trade deal in human history’
Soon after taking power following the June 2016 referendum, Theresa May hired the so-called “three Brexiteers” – foreign secretary Johnson, Brexit secretary David Davis, and trade secretary Liam Fox – to steer the government’s negotiating strategy.
And one year after the vote to leave, Fox declared that a UK/EU trade deal “should be one of the easiest in human history”.
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Two general elections, two prime ministers, countless cabinet resignations (including Johnson and Davis), and dozens of knife-edge Commons votes since the referendum suggest otherwise.
That’s not to mention the trade negotiations that were settled at the 11th hour a week before the end of the transition period cliff-edge, following an all night negotiation which went deep into Christmas Eve.
‘Exact same benefits’ as EU membership
The Tories promise their Brexit trade deal will have “the exact same benefits” as we have now. Labour will hold them to that. #bbcqt pic.twitter.com/tG35itkncD — The Labour Party (@UKLabour) March 27, 2017
While leavers insist they always made clear that Brexit would mean leaving the European single market, there is some evidence to the contrary.
What definitely happened, though, is Davis promising in January 2017 that the Tories would negotiate “comprehensive” free trade and customs agreements “that will deliver the exact same benefits as we have” as members of the EU.
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Well, Johnson’s deal does deliver tariff and quota-free trade with the EU.
But the exact same benefits? Definitely not.
Firstly, there will be a huge and costly imposition of red tape on UK businesses trading with Europe as a result of the divergence from single market rules.
There will also be customs checks on trade at UK and EU borders, and the government has spent a lot of time building lorry parks and chartering ferries in anticipation of massive delays and queues.
Even once companies have got used to the new requirements, there is little doubt that the masses of new bureaucracy will add to their costs.
‘Oven ready’
Truth twister Boris Johnson deliberately conflating the withdrawal agreement with a trade deal to deceive voters
Send this to all Conservative MPs still calling the public “ignorant” for thinking Boris Johnson’s “oven ready deal” included a trade deal
pic.twitter.com/eXMVWEQ1lE — Peter Stefanovic (@PeterStefanovi2) December 22, 2020
Having renegotiated May’s Brexit deal with the EU by throwing his DUP allies under a bus over Northern Ireland, Johnson coaxed opposition parties into a general election to break the parliamentary impasse over his deal.
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And it was in that election where the PM kept going on about his “oven ready” Brexit withdrawal agreement.
True enough, after a thumping victory, Johnson got the WA through parliament in short order and the UK left the EU on January 31 under the terms of the agreement.
But crucially, key aspects of the special status the deal created for Northern Ireland are still not finally resolved.
Johnson was also quoted in the election campaign as suggesting that a trade deal was already “oven ready”, because “100% of the issues we need to address in a trade negotiation are already addressed”.
But the government spent nearly the whole of 2020 in pained negotiations on the free trade deal that will come into force on January 1, 2021.
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It appears the claims of an oven-ready deal were somewhat overcooked.
No checks on Northern Irish trade
"There's no question of there being checks on goods going NI/GB or GB/NI" - this is what @BorisJohnson told @RidgeOnSunday in December.
The government has now admitted there could be new checks on goods sent to Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK 👇https://t.co/0mKtHIEKfy pic.twitter.com/H95iTiskaE — Sky News (@SkyNews) May 20, 2020
Trumpeting his withdrawal agreement in the run-up to the election, Johnson also insisted that it would not create the need for checks on goods travelling between the UK mainland and Northern Ireland.
“There’s no question of there being checks on goods going from Northern Ireland to Great Britain or Great Britain to Northern Ireland,” the PM said in December.
But months later in May 2020, his own government’s plan for trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain blew up Johnson’s claims.
Businesses will need to fill out import declarations for goods travelling from GB to Northern Ireland. These goods will then be subject to checks.
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And Northern Irish firms will only get “unfettered” access to the rest of the UK if they “qualify” under a scheme being set up by the government.
Months later, Johnson was found scrambling to give ministers the power to undo key parts of the deal, in breach of international law – perhaps after realising that it very much does include checks and paperwork on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
But those plans were dropped after Michael Gove reached a deal with the EU on Northern Ireland, which yes, does include checks.
The deal will ‘intensify’ security
Gove sparked the fury of May when he claimed in October that Brexit could give intelligence and law enforcement services the power to “intensify” the security they provide for the UK.
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The former prime minister was caught on camera looking at a colleague in astonishment and asking “what?!” as Gove made the comments during a Commons statement.
And the former PM was right.
Johnson’s deal does not give the UK access to crucial databases like the Schengen Information System 2 (SIS2) to allow police and the security services to track threats.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-24--Ursula Von Der Leyen Bids UK 'Emotional' Farewell From EU: 'Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow'

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addresses a media conference on Brexit negotiations at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on December 24, 2020. FRANCISCO SECO via Getty Images
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has bade an emotional farewell to the UK by quoting Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet after the two struck a post-Brexit trade agreement.
“At the end of a successful negotiation’s journey I normally feel joy. But today I only feel quiet satisfaction and, frankly speaking, relief,” she told an EU press conference.
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“I know this is a difficult day for some and to our friends in the United Kingdom I want to say: ‘Parting is such sweet sorrow.’”
She continued: “But to use a line from TS Eliot: ‘What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end, is to make a beginning.’
“So to all the Europeans I say: ’It is time to leave Brexit behind. Our future is made in Europe.’”
Von der Leyen added: “No deal in the world can change reality or gravity in today’s economy and today’s world. We are one of the giants.”
Her poignant words were echoed by chief negotiator Michel Barnier, who told the press conference: “Today is a day of relief, tempered by some sadness as we compare what came before with what lies ahead.”
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Juliet’s character speaks the line “parting is such sweet sorrow” to her lover, Romeo, in Shakespeare’s tragedy. The pair are both eventually killed.
A number of political figures have reacted to the deal.
Spain president Pedro Sanchez tweeted congratulations to the EU team for their part in the negotiations, adding: “Spain and the UK continue to dialogue to reach an agreement on Gibraltar.”
David Cameron, the architect of Brexit who called for the referendum in 2016, wrote: “It’s good to end a difficult year with some positive news. Trade deal is very welcome – and a vital step in building a new relationship with the EU as friends, neighbours and partners. Many congratulations to the UK negotiating team.”
It's good to end a difficult year with some positive news. Trade deal is very welcome - and a vital step in building a new relationship with the EU as friends, neighbours and partners. Many congratulations to the UK negotiating team. — David Cameron (@David_Cameron) December 24, 2020
“Very welcome news that the UK & EU have reached agreement on the terms of a deal – one that provides confidence to business and helps keep trade flowing. Looking forward to seeing the detail in the coming days,” former PM Theresa May wrote.
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However not everyone was particularly jubilant.
Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “Before the spin starts, it’s worth remembering that Brexit is happening against Scotland’s will. And there is no deal that will ever make up for what Brexit takes away from us. It’s time to chart our own future as an independent, European nation.”
Before the spin starts, it’s worth remembering that Brexit is happening against Scotland’s will. And there is no deal that will ever make up for what Brexit takes away from us. It’s time to chart our own future as an independent, European nation. — Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) December 24, 2020
Wales first minister Mark Drakeford said a deal was better than no deal but criticised the timing just a week before the transition period ends.
“Clearly, we need to receive a copy of the draft treaty and analyse its terms before commenting in detail,” Drakeford said.
“But at every stage of the negotiations we have argued for a deal which would allow us to maintain the closest possible relationship with the EU. The evidence tells us this is the way to protect the economy and jobs.
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“Faced with a binary choice between no deal and this – indeed any deal – we would prefer a deal.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-24--Kay Purcell, Star Of Tracy Beaker Returns And Waterloo Road, Dies Aged 57

Kay Purcell – the British actor known for her roles in the TV adaptation of the Tracy Beaker book series, as well as Emmerdale and Waterloo Road – has died at the age of 57.
Her death was confirmed on Thursday afternoon by her agent, who said: “It is with great regret that we announce the death of Kay Purcell at the age of 57.
“Kay was a very valued client... We send sympathy and love to her family and friends.”
It is with great regret that we announce the death of Kay Purcell at the age of 57. Kay was a very valued client who had been represented by David Daly Associates for many years. We send sympathy and love to her family and friends. pic.twitter.com/tB60WiVuzM — David Daly Assoc. (@DavidDalyAssoc) December 24, 2020
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Kay was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, and regularly used social media to share her experiences of the disease.
Earlier this year, she was told that she had incurable liver cancer.
In the early days of her career, Kay played the small role of Carmel Morgan in Emmerdale, returning to the ITV soap in 2001, where she played Cynthia Daggert, eventually leaving a year later.
From there, she appeared in multiple children’s TV series including Bernard’s Watch and My Parents Are Aliens, before joining the cast of high school drama Waterloo Road as dinner lady Candice Smilie.
In 2010, she began playing careworker Gina Conway in Tracy Beaker Returns, a role which she reprised in the spin-off series Tracy Beaker Survival Files and The Dumping Ground.
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Kay in character as Gina Conway in Tracy Beaker spin-off The Dumping Ground BBC
More recently, Kay played school teacher Mrs Rennison in the CBBC sitcom So Awkward.
Her final role was in the 2020 mini-series When It Rains, in which she appeared in five episodes.
Shortly after Kay’s death was announced publicly, Tracy Beaker star Dani Harmer reacted to the news by sharing a broken heart emoji on her Twitter page.
💔 — Dani Harmer (@DaniHarmer) December 24, 2020
Kay is survived by her three children, Ashley, Shemar and Indika, and her grandson, Levon.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-24--Brexit Deal: UK And EU Announce Agreement On Future Trade Relationship

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The UK and EU have agreed a deal for their future trading relationship after the Brexit transition period ends on December 31, the two sides announced.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told a Brussels press conference on Thursday: “It was a long and winding road but we have got a good deal to show for it.
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“It is fair, it is a balanced deal and it is the right and responsible thing to do for both sides.”
Boris Johnson simply tweeted: “The deal is done.”
EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, meanwhile, summed up the relief at the end of four-and-a-half years of talks since the UK voted to leave the EU in June 2016, confirming: “The clock is no longer ticking.”
But he added: “Today is a day of relief tempered by some sadness as we compare what came before with what lies ahead.”
The deal is done. pic.twitter.com/zzhvxOSeWz — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) December 24, 2020
The historic agreement comes after marathon final negotiations went through the night on December 23, fuelled by delivery pizzas, and well into Christmas Eve as the clock ticked down towards the December 31 deadline, when current trading arrangements expire.
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Reports suggest that as well as the talks in the room involving UK chief negotiator Lord Frost, Barnier and von der Leyen’s aide Stephanie Riso, a series of phone calls between Johnson and the European Commission president helped seal the deal.
Von der Leyen appeared to rebuke Johnson’s repeated trumpeting of “sovereignty” during the negotiations, suggesting countries are better off “pooling our strength”.
“We should cut through the soundbites and ask ourselves what sovereignty actually means in the 21st century,” she said.
“It is about pooling our strength and speaking together in a world full of great powers.
“In a time of crisis, it is about pulling each other up instead of trying to get back to your feet alone.”
But she finished her opening remarks on an emotional note, saying “parting is such sweet sorrow”.
The deal means the UK has agreed terms for its £668bn trading relationship with the EU from January 1, after the end of the Brexit transition period during which the country has continued following Brussels rules.
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There will continue to be no tariffs or quotas on trade between the UK and EU.
But the UK will leave the European single market and customs union, which have allowed seamless trade for decades, with new barriers including customs controls and checks imposed on British firms trading with the EU.
It means the UK has avoided the potential disaster of a no-deal Brexit.
But the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has forecast that, even with this kind of trade deal, there will be a 4% long-term hit to the economy and a delay to the UK’s recovery from Covid.
The die was cast on this form of hard Brexit when Johnson was elected Tory leader and PM, winning an 80-seat majority on a promise to negotiate a loose “Canada-style” trade agreement that would untether the UK from EU law.
Despite avoiding no deal, there is still the potential for disruption from January 1 as businesses and the government adapt to new customs controls that could slow down movement through ports.
The agreement was found after the UK and EU reached compromises on the sticking points that have plagued the talks – the so-called level playing field for standards in areas like workers rights and the environment, and fishing rights.
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At a Downing Street press conference, Johnson said the UK and EU had found an agreement on the level playing field that will allow, subject to arbitration, both sides to impose tariffs on the other, if the other maintains lower standards in areas like workers’ rights or the environment that are judged to amount to unfair competition.
The move will be seen as a concession by the UK, but also a watering down of Brussels’ initial demands to be able to unilaterally impose “lightning” tariffs on its partner over lower standards.
Johnson also said the UK had compromised on fishing rights by agreeing to a five-and-a-half-year transition period.
He said the EU had initially demanded a 14-year transition, while the UK had wanted three.
In comments that risked a backlash from fishing communities, the PM also revealed that the UK would not initially be allowed to catch all the fish in its waters under the terms of the deal, revealing the share would rise “substantially from roughly half today to closer to two-thirds” over the transition.
Frost claimed the deal “restored Britain’s sovereignty in full”, as Barnier revealed that the UK had chosen not to continue taking part in the Erasmus student exchange programme.
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Today's agreement does more than just deliver a zero tariffs deal. It covers areas such as services, aviation, road transport, social security, health, fisheries, and, crucially, law enforcement. And it allows us to participate in the Horizon scientific research programme. — David Frost (@DavidGHFrost) December 24, 2020
It also restores Britain's sovereignty in full. EU law ceases to apply; the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice ends; there is no alignment with EU rules; and our Parliament sets all laws for our country once again. — David Frost (@DavidGHFrost) December 24, 2020
It comes after Johnson himself repeatedly claimed that no deal was the most likely outcome, and after he missed several of his own deadlines for agreement.
Parliament is expected to be recalled next week to pass the agreement.
All eyes will be on the size of any rebellion from hardcore Tory Brexiteers in factions like the European Research Group (ERG), which is recconvening its so-called “star chamber” of legal experts to examine the 2,000 or so pages of text.
But the deal is expected to pass, with Labour signalling for weeks it is likely to back it or, if not, to abstain.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-25--Why This Couple Have Been Welcoming Homeless Strangers Into Their Home During The Pandemic

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Terrified of closing her eyes for fear of what might happen, Jodie, 18 found herself homeless on the streets just days before the UK’s first coronavirus lockdown began.
Sitting at a tram stop in Greater Manchester, she spotted a guard and asked him if she could use a telephone to call a friend to ask to stay or even just for some words of comfort.
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“The guard just completely blanked me because I was a rough sleeper.” she told HuffPost UK. “He made me feel like I was nothing; like I was scum. It was horrible.”
Jodie described a volatile relationship with her mother and step-father and says she was kicked out by them in March – on her 18th birthday.
“My parents often kicked me out for the night and I would stay at a friend’s house.” she said. “They kicked me out on my 18th birthday as they said they couldn’t handle me any more.
“I stayed with friends a couple of times but then that became more difficult because of the pandemic so I ended up sleeping rough.
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“I was too scared to sleep so I was just basically roaming the streets. I had nothing – no money, I didn’t even have any ID.
“The guard just completely blanked me because I was a rough sleeper. He made me feel like I was nothing; like I was scum.”
“I had my phone but it was dead and I had nowhere to charge it and no credit which is why I asked the tram guard if I could make a call.
“It was the first time I’d had to sleep rough and it was absolutely terrifying.”
Jodie when she was homeless
Jodie ended up sleeping rough for a month.
“I kept getting approached by creepy old men and was defenceless. It was horrible,” she said. “I hung around parks and bus stops and was scared about what might happen if I closed my eyes.”
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Jodie only had her hoodie, leggings and shoes and was barely eating. She admits she once shoplifted a packet of biscuits while desperate for food.
She initially didn’t ask anyone for help as she was afraid of being judged and admits she is an anxious person. But she eventually confided in a friend and was told about the Nightstop scheme.
Nightstop is a unique project which relies on community hosting to provide a safe, welcoming place for young people in crisis.
Volunteer hosts open their homes to people facing a night on the streets or in an unsafe place, offering a spare room, a hot meal, breakfast and a packed lunch.
Communities and charities run Nightstops in more than 30 locations around the UK, led and supported by Depaul UK, which directly operates five services in London, the north-east and Cumbria, South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Hertfordshire.
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Young people have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic Depaul UK
Depaul surveyed 116 young people and found they were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Fifty-eight per cent suffered increased anxiety due to their financial situation and 74% had been isolated from family and friends.
Almost a third (32%) said they faced difficulties in finding enough food during lockdown and of these, 83% said it had a negative impact on their mental health.
For young people like Jodie, Nightstop has proved life changing. She says she was nervous about staying with her first host, a man in his 50s, but he was “really nice”.
“He welcomed me and gave me a meal,” she said. “He made good conversation and made me feel normal again.
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“It was such a relief. I felt so happy and safe. It was amazing to close my eyes and not worry about what might happen after months of walking the streets.”
Jodie used Nightstop for around two months, moving between three different hosts.
“They were all absolutely lovely people.” she said. “They gave me a roof over my head and made me feel cared about and as if I belonged.”
“It was amazing to close my eyes and not worry about what might happen after months of walking the streets.” - Jodie, 18
Those who choose to host with Nightstop do so for a variety of reasons.
Jane and Cameron Baines, who live on the Moors just outside Rochdale, Greater Manchester, heard about Nightstop through their church minister and knew they wanted to do something to help others less fortunate.
Jane and Cameron Baines who became hosts for Nightstop during the coronavirus pandemic
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Jane, 60, is a semi-retired veterinary surgeon and Cameron is a former farmer and local government manager. They have a 15-year-old son at home and plenty of space.
“We felt we had been very blessed in our own lives and wanted to give something back and help people,” said Jane.
Just as they finished their Nightstop training and had their final interviews, the country went into lockdown and the next day the couple were asked if they could host their first young person.
“Doing the training and then suddenly welcoming someone into your home who you don’t know feels like very different things.” admitted Jane. “You build up all these perceptions but as soon as you meet the young person, they fall away and you realise they are just a human being like you are and are far more nervous than you.”
Their first guest was a 20-year-old man. Although the usual Nightstop model involves each host taking in a young person for a few nights, the pandemic meant Cameron and Jane ended up hosting him for five months, during which time he opened up and began to trust the couple, often confiding in Jane during walks.
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“We let him have his own space if he wanted to at first, but we made sure we ate together for lunch and our evening meal.” said Cameron, 64.
“Gradually, he began joining in with the banter at mealtimes and we realised he was becoming more comfortable.”
“As soon as you meet the young person, you realise they are just a human being like you are and are far more nervous than you.” - Jane Baines, a Nightstop host
The couple admit it was difficult when a long term let was found for him and he moved out.
“One of the rules of Nightstop is you don’t pry into what happens after,” said Jane. “But it was a great feeling knowing we had been there for him when he needed it and delivered him to his next place.”
Jane and Cameron have now hosted eight young people and have someone living with them for Christmas. They are able to enjoy the fresh air and help out with the sheep, as well as self-isolate in a camper van on their drive.
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“Hearing the stories of these young kids shows that homelessness can happen to anyone. They could easily be our children,” said Jane.
“They are just normal children who have either fallen out with their family or their family have not been able to provide a stable home for them.”
She added: “It is heartbreaking to think they could end up on the streets. Nightstop aims to catch them before they get to that stage and become vulnerable and harder to help.”
“They are just normal children who have either fallen out with their family or their family have not been able to provide a stable home for them. It is heartbreaking to think they could end up on the streets.” - Jane Baines, a Nightstop host
Treena Raffles, Nightstop co-ordinator for Greater Manchester, said: “Many of our hosts are older and over 70, or were working with vulnerable people or caring for a vulnerable parent, so weren’t able to take someone in.
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“The week before lockdown, we had 17 volunteers available to host, but the week after lockdown, this had gone down to just four.”
Raffles said Nightstop were inundated with enquiries and she felt helpless as they began getting greater numbers of self-referrals from those as young as 16.
“Overcrowding at home was one of the main reasons young people had nowhere to stay.” she explained.
“Some were telling us they used to share their bed space so one family member would use the bed during the day and another use it at night. But now everyone was spending all day at home in a one-bedroom flat, there was no room.
“Other young people had been staying with grandparents but could no longer stay with them as they were vulnerable and some had been sofa surfing, but could no longer do this as it wasn’t safe.
“Towards the end of lockdown, we were getting more young people telling us they didn’t feel safe at home as their parents were fighting or were back on drugs or alcohol as unhealthy coping mechanisms.”
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Raffles says it was difficult to turn young people away and she ended up giving some advice on how to sleep rough “safely”, such as wrapping up warm and staying with another young person they knew in the same situation.
However, she said it was actually safer for young people to be alone than with adults who would exploit them.
Jodie, 18, who was homeless on the streets at the start of the coronavirus pandemic
Life is now looking good for Jodie. She met her boyfriend in June and they now live together in a flat in Manchester. She is looking for work and wants to become a tattoo artist.
She says she will never forget the kindness of strangers shown to her by Nightstop hosts during her time of need. She said: “I am so grateful that these people were willing to take a stranger into their home, especially during a pandemic. For all they knew, I could be anyone.
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“They were all very kind, trusting and lovely people. It was really sweet as all they wanted to do is help.
“It made me realise not everyone looks down on you or judges you.
“I am just glad there are really good people out there who do something like this out of the goodness of their hearts.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-25--LGBTQ+ And Lonely: Head This Way To Party On Christmas Day

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“I really miss clubs, I miss sweaty basements, dancing with strangers, and toilet hook-ups,” says Harry Gay, co-founder of Queer House Party.
“I even miss being picked on by the mouthy drag queens and being shouted at by straight girls demanding I play Countdown by Beyoncé again (of course I will, it’s a bop, but please stop shouting). I miss every aspect of clubbing and nightlife so much, but until it’s safe, I’ll be at home with my QHP family making new and innovative ways for us to come together as a community.”
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That, in a nutshell, is the mission statement of QHP – or Queer House Party – for its Christmas Day digital rave, which is free-to-attend, and promises a plethora of live drag acts and DJs performing down Zoom. The idea is to bring the queer community from around the world together in a safe space on December 25.
“As many as 1.7 million people will spend Christmas alone this year, and amongst the LGBTIQ+ community who are more likely to turn to ‘chosen’ families on Christmas Day due to experiences of exclusion or phobia, this year will be especially difficult,” says Passer, another of the six-person queer household that began staging these digital lockdown raves back in March.
The Christmas Day event begins online from 8pm and runs until late (with direct links to the event splashed around on social media on the big day). But the Queer House Party began to build momentum every Friday night as the place to go to blow off some steam with a cider – or cup of tea – at the beginning of the first lockdown. With hundreds of people partying remotely and all viewable on one Zoom call, it’s was as much fun for attendees like myself to scroll through and spot my friends partying on the call as it was to lose myself in dance.
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Viewers can watch the live performances – two or three cabaret stars often performed during the Friday night events, from their living room or even their driveways! – while waiting for the next banging tune from the DJs. And there’ll be even more live performers than usual this Christmas.
“At its inception, the Zoom party attracted thousands of people each week. Months on, the reasons for our success are clear: we’re camp, radical, accessible, DIY, and community-focused,” says Gay. “While online parties will never truly replicate the full experience of being in an LGBTIQ venue or queer club, we hope what we’ve created is giving people the same sense of community and release we found when out and about on the London scene.”
Queer House Party is also political, as he suggests, it advocating for workers’ unions for queer people, and spreading its political messages on Instagram.
As another housemate Seren/Wacha puts it: “It has never been more urgent to demand space and advocate for those who are trampled on by Tory capitalism, so while Boris tucks into a Turkey the size of his ego, we’ll be kicking off – and raving.”
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Back to the party though, and remember there’s the option of turning your camera off if you’d rather rave anonymously, so there’s no need to dress up. But for extroverts or those who fancy showing off their Christmas outfits, it’s camera ON and an activation of the digital ‘hand up’ button to join the queue to have your home broadcasted in the main Zoom window for all participants to see.
And if you fancy something more chilled out, there’s another meet up event run by the Not Alone at Christmas group on meetup.com, which is also free to attend and begins at 3pm on the day. The event invitation reads: “Remember it’s not the end of the world and there will be millions of people spending Christmas alone at home... Anyone who wants to join can attend and we can have a chat and eat our turkey together.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-25--‘History’s A Bit Boring’ – How Netflix Created Bridgerton, The Period Drama Like No Other

Bridgerton is the televisual equivalent of a trip to Disneyland: larger-than-life characters, and pops of colour emerging from lavish sets and costumes.
The Netflix drama is set in the Regency-era period of 1800s England and is based on the novels of the same name by Julia Quinn.
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The show fills the void left by shows like Downton Abbey by offering an escapist journey into the past, but brings the 1800s up-to-date – the cast is probably more diverse than any period drama before it, and styles mirror current fashions without neglecting obvious truths from the era.
“As much as possible we keep true to history, but quite often, you know, history’s a bit boring,” production designer Will Hughes-Jones said in a virtual press conference. “We’re about doing something vibrant which is accessible to our audience. And sometimes history does get in the way, but we try to keep as historically accurate as we can – until it’s not convenient.”
Showrunner Chris Van Dusen added: “We have this incredibly diverse, multi-racial cast that really tells you this isn’t this typical period piece. The tone of our show is spirited and it’s daring. People talk fast, the story moves fast, the banter is sharp, it’s funny and of course it’s really, really sexy, which you don’t always get in period pieces.”
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Delivering much of that sharp banter is Dame Julie Andrews, who plays Lady Whistledown in the series, the anonymous narrator and holder of gossip about the goings-on between the two central families to the plot, the Bridgertons and the Featheringtons.
Director Tom Verica discussing a scene on set for Bridgerton Netflix
“I personally still cannot believe that actually happened,” said Chris about Dame Julie’s involvement. “She was always at the top of our wish list. It wasn’t even a thing were we thought it would actually happen. We sent her the scripts and she surprisingly said yes. She loved them and she wanted to be a part of it and she has been so amazing to work with.
“She gets to say the most scathing things, the most non-typical Julie Andrews things that you would imagine, it’s a blast.”
Of Julie’s involvement, director Tom Verica added: “She was so open to shaking up the rhythms that she was accustomed to or used to.”
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Netflix has become synonymous with incredibly high budgets, and the attention to detail lavished on Bridgerton is up there with the streaming service’s most ambitious projects.
An industrial-scale warehouse stored 7,500 outfits, each tailor-made for the show, with no two costumes the same.
A behind-the-scenes look at Bridgerton Netflix
“There is a very clear aesthetic that we always look for, fresh and young and aspirational: would a modern girl wear it today even though we are set in 1830?” said costume designer Ellen Mirojnik. “What can we do to disguise the prim and properness that 18th century Regency was all about and make it something new and young?
“We kept the style and the silhouette of 1813 for the most part, but 1813 is shaken up and turned on its head by using more modern fabrics, modern techniques, taking a little bit of what was authentic and mixing it with many different periods of time to create our own style.”
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An embellishment team created individual looks for items, complete with flowers, gems, headpieces and motifs, each of which is bespoke. The whole costume creation process took five months. “Myself and my team are very proud, we never thought we could make it but we did. These ideas and ensembles are not of history, they are of Bridgerton,” added Ellen.
“If I saw an article of clothing I’d start the scene on the detail... to bring out and highlight things that so often get lost [in other period dramas],” added Tom.
Bridgerton's crew filming in one of the elaborate sets Netflix
The same scope and attention to detail was given to the sets. All the carpets were made specially, due to their size. “Even if we could hire them or buy them we wouldn’t have been able to find them, so that was a new thing for me,” says Will Hughes-Jones.
There are nearly 100 locations too, each differently designed. “These rooms are like nothing I’ve ever seen built on a stage before,” Will says.
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He describes being inside the various rooms of the Bridgerton household as “like being inside a piece of Wedgwood ceramic, that beautiful soft blue and lots of creams,” whereas the Featherington’s aesthetic is more acidic: yellows and greens. The idea was to make the vibrant colour palette of the sets work to enhance the costumes, and vice versa.
Costume designer Ellen Mirojnik working to fit one of the 7,500 costumes Netflix
Everything may look different to an ordinary period piece, but that didn’t make it any easier for actors to mentally prepare to play characters that felt both historical and modern at the same time, says Tom.
“I had to take them out of their comfort zone: they’re used to a certain way of doing period pieces and I would really try to keep spontaneity open and throw them curveballs before we go,” he says of a process that he describes as “really shaking up the rhythms” of period drama.
Bridgerton's creatives used 'colour-conscious' casting, meaning actors from a diverse range of backgrounds were proactively chosen for the roles Netflix
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Much of Bridgerton is an imagined reality filmed in huge studios, but the crew did also film in a building frequently used by today’s royal family.
“We filmed in the building next door to where Prince Charles lives, which is regularly used by the royals,” reveals Will. “We would have a very, very short period of time to get in there, get rid of the 20th century, take it back to our period and dress it with the crew bearing down on us. They would then shoot and we’d have even less time to get out.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-25--I’m Spending My Christmas Day Listening To Those In Need

Oaker Min / EyeEm via Getty Images
If Christmas is a time for giving, then my gift to others as a Samaritans volunteer is my time and my complete attention.
I have always felt immensely proud to be a listening volunteer, and *this* Christmas especially. 2020 has challenged us all, exacerbating existing issues and creating new pressures we previously considered unimaginable. Many people who were desperately looking forward to seeing family now face a fresh wave of loneliness and isolation. To be able to provide emotional support during such a tough time is so rewarding, but also humbling too.
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While we’re talking, I won’t be checking my mobile phone, and my gaze won’t be drawn to a television screen flickering over your shoulder. I won’t be earwigging a more interesting conversion in another room – it’ll just be you and me, one-to-one, with no distractions.
It doesn’t matter if we’re not the same age, colour, class or religion – all that matters is where you are on your emotional journey. It may be a very long road that you’ve been trundling down for a while or a road you’ve suddenly, this day, this week or this minute found yourself on. And it won’t necessarily be that you want your life to end but that you can’t see a way past your troubles.
So, you can tell me about it – all of it. I’m here to listen. Confidentially, and without any judgment.
“I have absolutely no agenda. I’m not selling anything, I don’t want to persuade you to join a club, a group or to go anywhere. I’m only here to listen.”
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It might not matter to you that it’s Christmas Eve, or New Year’s Day. You may have gone beyond caring what day it is, if the date does register at all. And if that’s how you feel you can tell me in as much, or as little detail as you’d like. And don’t worry if you can’t find the words straight away, I’ll wait too.
I have absolutely no agenda. I’m not selling anything, I don’t want to persuade you to join a club, a group or to go anywhere. I’m only here to listen. And believe me, listening is a skill I’ve had to learn.
I thought I could already do it, but it turns out that before becoming a Samaritan I had an annoying tendency to be only half-listening. I’m embarrassed to say it, before I was a listening volunteer, if someone was talking to me, I might have been thinking about my follow-up question, wondering what advice I should give, or, worse, waiting to add in a similar anecdote of my own, surreptitiously turning the conversation to be more about me.
But not anymore – now I know better. I may not be perfect, I’m still only human, but I have discovered real listening. I’m attuned to your words, every single one, to try and understand what they mean to you.
It’s important to say I know I I don’t have the expertise to solve your problems. But what I’m aiming for, quite simply, is to share some basic emotions and, if we’re lucky, a laugh or a deep, powerful connection. People have told me that there’s something very comforting in talking to a complete stranger. I hope that’s true. In fact, I’m relying on it.
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“Whoever you may be, know that if I speak to you, I consider it a privilege to talk to you, to hear your thoughts and fears and deepest, most heartfelt anxieties.”
You may have friends or family who you’ve come to believe don’t care, don’t understand what you’re going through, or who you don’t wish to ‘burden’ with your troubles. You may have spoken to professionals who have helped you to a greater or lesser degree. But for whatever reason, if you’ve called us, there’s just you and me.
One of the reasons I decided to become a Samaritan is because I have children. Statistics show that young people are one of the most vulnerable groups and my heart aches to hear it. I truly hope that my children will be able to cope with whatever life throws at them and that, in their darkest hour, they’ll be able to talk to me. But if they can’t, I hope they’ll pick up the phone and talk to a Samaritan. Perhaps that’s why I do it – whenever I can, I want to be present when someone’s child needs a fellow human being to be there for them.
But whoever you may be, know that if I speak to you, I consider it a privilege to talk to you, to hear your thoughts and fears and deepest, most heartfelt anxieties – the story of your life, and the winding road that brought you here. All I want to do is communicate a tiny fraction of that hope by standing beside you, shoulder to shoulder. I hope that things can change, and I want you to know that whatever has gotten worse, can also get much better.
And, if I could manage that, even once, it would be the most precious Christmas gift, ever.
Anne is a Samaritans volunteer. Anyone can contact Samaritans FREE any time from any phone on 116 123, even a mobile without credit, or email jo@samaritans.org or visit samaritans.org.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-25--Extra 800 Troops Sent To Dover To Help Stranded Lorry Drivers

A lorry driver shows their credentials to a member of the British Army as they enter the Port of Dover on Christmas Day. NIKLAS HALLE'N via Getty Images
A further 800 troops have been sent to Dover to help thousands of lorry drivers stuck at the French border.
Some 1,100 troops have been deployed as part of the operation at the English Channel border after France closed its border last Sunday.
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The travel ban, which was lifted on Wednesday, followed the discovery of a fast-spreading new strain of Covid-19 in the UK and caused severe disruption at the Port of Dover.
The army personnel will be carrying out mass testing and distributing food and water, according to the Ministry of Defence.
About 5,000 lorries are still at Manston Airport waiting to cross the Channel, with many of the drivers now forced to spend Christmas Day and Boxing Day in their lorries.
On Thursday, one haulier who was not able to make it back home to Bulgaria in time for Christmas Day told HuffPost UK: “I said if I broke down I’d fly back, that I’d do whatever it takes,” he said.
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“But, she’s accepted it. This is beyond my control.”
“The last promise I made before I left was: ‘I’ll be back for Christmas’. I didn’t say which one.”
Drivers are now allowed to cross into France if they can show proof of a negative coronavirus test result taken within the past 72 hours.
On Friday, transport secretary Grant Shapps said more than 10,000 tests had been carried out, 24 of which had come back positive for Covid-19.
He said: “We need to get the situation in Kent, caused by the French government’s sudden imposition of Covid restrictions, resolved as soon as possible.
“I know it’s been hard for many drivers cooped up in their cabs at this precious time of year, but I assure them that we are doing our utmost to get them home.”
Traffic was moving smoothly through Dover on Friday morning, with French firefighters and a group of Polish medics also supporting the testing effort.
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Germany’s ambassador to the UK, Andreas Michaelis, said some German hauliers had managed to make it home for Christmas, while others remained in Kent.
He tweeted: “Some of the German lorry drivers we’ve been in touch with are on their way home or at home already. Others sadly remain stuck.
“I sincerely hope things will start moving for them soon. This is a difficult Christmas. Our thoughts are with them.”
In a tweet, the MoD said: “We are deploying a further 800 personnel to Kent today to support an increase in the testing capabilities to help clear the backlog of vehicles and ensure traffic can begin to move at a closer to normal pace through Dover.”
A Port of Dover spokesperson said ferry services ran throughout Christmas Eve night and will continue on Christmas Day to help ease congestion.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-25--Joe Biden's Dogs, Champ And Major, Star In A Rockin' Christmas Video

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Joe Biden’s Christmas is going to the dogs.
The president-elect and his transition team tweeted a fun video on Thursday of his German shepherds, Champ and Major, celebrating in contrasting styles.
The clip cuts between the older Champ chilling near the Christmas tree to a quiet version of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and the rambunctious Major chasing and chewing toys to a rock version of the song.
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No matter how you’re celebrating this year, Champ and Major wish you a Merry Christmas. pic.twitter.com/SrZBT4vmpP — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) December 24, 2020
“No matter how you’re celebrating this year, Champ and Major wish you a Merry Christmas,” Biden wrote. The incoming first lady, Jill Biden, also shared the clip.
Major is a shelter dog and his energy has already made an impact this year. The president-elect fractured his foot while chasing the playful pooch late last month and was prescribed a walking boot.
Biden’s Twitter account also shared a plea to respect Covid-19 safety guidelines for the holidays and a video of his and his wife’s interview with Stephen Colbert in which they discuss their tradition of making fake snow for the season.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-25--EU States To Take Decision On Brexit Deal 'Within Days'

Ambassadors to the European Union gather at the European Council in Brussels on December 25. OLIVIER HOSLET via Getty Images
Ambassadors to the 27 European Union member states have said they intend to take a decision on the post-Brexit trade deal within days.
On Christmas Day, diplomats were briefed on the contents of the deal by EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier.
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Sebastian Fischer, a spokesman for the German presidency of the Council of the EU, joked that he was looking forward to the diplomats’ meeting “because nothing is more fun than to celebrate Christmas among socially distanced colleagues”.
“Thank you Brexit,” he added.
Parliament will be recalled on Dec 30 to pass the agreement, where all eyes will be on the size of any rebellion from hardcore Tory Brexiteers in factions like the European Research Group (ERG), which is reconvening its so-called “star chamber” of legal experts to examine the 1,246 pages of text.
But the deal is expected to pass, with Labour signalling for weeks it is likely to back it or, if not, to abstain.
A deal will also have to be backed by the EU’s 27 member states, which are expected to formally back the deal.
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A 34-page summary of the deal has been published on the UK government’s website.
On Thursday the UK and EU announced it had agreed on a deal for their future trading relationship after the Brexit transition period ends on December 31.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told a Brussels press conference on Thursday: “It was a long and winding road but we have got a good deal to show for it.
“It is fair, it is a balanced deal and it is the right and responsible thing to do for both sides.”
Boris Johnson simply tweeted: “The deal is done.”
Barnier, meanwhile, summed up the relief at the end of four-and-a-half years of talks since the UK voted to leave the EU in June 2016, confirming: “The clock is no longer ticking.”
But he added: “Today is a day of relief tempered by some sadness as we compare what came before with what lies ahead.”
Boris Johnson hailed the deal as a “new beginning” for the UK that resolves the European question that has “bedevilled” British politics for generations, but Labour leader Keir Starmer said the deal was “thin”.
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At a Downing Street press conference on Christmas Eve, Johnson said the UK “will as a result of this deal be able to catch and eat quite prodigious quantities of extra fish”, with £100 million for the industry to modernise and expand.
The historic agreement comes after marathon final negotiations went through the night on December 23, fuelled by delivery pizzas, and well into Christmas Eve as the clock ticked down towards the December 31 deadline, when current trading arrangements expire.
The deal means the UK has agreed terms for its £668bn trading relationship with the EU from January 1, after the end of the Brexit transition period during which the country has continued following Brussels rules.
There will continue to be no tariffs or quotas on trade between the UK and EU.
But the UK will leave the European single market and customs union, which have allowed seamless trade for decades, with new barriers including customs controls and checks imposed on British firms trading with the EU.
It means the UK has avoided the potential disaster of a no-deal Brexit, but the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has forecast that, even with this kind of trade deal, there will be a 4% long-term hit to the economy and a delay to the UK’s recovery from Covid.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-12-26--The Full Brexit Trade Deal Has Been Published. Here's What We Know So Far

The full draft text of the historic post-Brexit trade deal – all 1,246 pages of it – was published on Boxing Day morning.
After years of tense negotiations it will finally come into effect on January 1 2021, immediately after the transition period ends.
MPs and peers will be called back to Westminster on December 30 to vote on the deal, meaning they have just days to scrutinise the lengthy document.
Despite this, with the backing of the Labour Party the deal is almost certain to pass at the voting stage. If it fails to do so the UK would be plunged into a chaotic no-deal scenario on January 1.
Johnson has told Conservative MPs that “the devil is in the detail” of the agreement, but insisted to Eurosceptic members of his own party – including the European Research Group (ERG) of Brexiteers who have formed their own panel of lawyers to examine the deal – that it is the “right deal” for the country.
On Sunday, shadow chancellor Annelise Dodds joined Keir Starmer in urging colleagues to back the agreement, insisting that it was necessary to provide “certainty” to businesses ahead of the Brexit transition.
Here are some of the key points, and what has been said about them:
Fishing
The UK gave ground on fisheries, Boris Johnson admitted, but he said that as a result of the deal the country will be “an independent coastal state with full control of our waters” and would see its share of UK fish rising “substantially”.
The deal asserts the “sovereign rights” of EU states and the UK “for the purpose of exploring, exploiting, conserving and managing the living resources in their waters”.
Both sides can apply for licences to fish in the other’s waters and will lay out quotas each year for the amount of different fish which can be caught.
If either side feels that the other is not complying with the rules they can “suspend, in whole or in part, access to its waters”.
The chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations said Johnson had “bottled it” over fishing rights.
Barrie Deas said after the document was published: “When push came to shove, despite the legal, moral and political strength of our case, fishing was sacrificed for other national objectives.
“Lacking legal, moral, or political negotiating leverage on fish, the EU made the whole trade deal contingent on a UK surrender on fisheries.”
Tariffs
The deal is worth £668 billion a year and will enable UK goods to be sold without tariffs or quotas in the EU market – allowing UK companies to do even more business with the continent, the PM said.
The European Commission said the two sides had created “an ambitious free trade area with no tariffs or quotas on products, regulatory and customs co-operation mechanisms”.
It said the deal has prevented restrictions such as 50% tariffs on meat and dairy products with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rates.
According to a senior member of the UK negotiating team, tariffs can be imposed after arbitration in a limited number of areas if competitive divergence arises, but a renegotiation of the relevant parts of the treaty would be triggered if the mechanism is used “too often or too long”.
‘Level playing field’
Brussels said the agreement included binding enforcement and dispute settlement mechanisms which will “ensure that rights of businesses, consumers and individuals are respected”, though Mr Johnson suggested the EU had made concessions on this area.
The agreement talks about “open and fair competition” between the UK and EU, and an economic relationship that will be beneficial if “the commitments relating to a level playing field for open and fair competition stand the test of time”.
Competition authorities on both sides “shall endeavour to co-operate and co-ordinate” and will be able to share information.
Services
The UK said there are “unprecedented measures to allow UK solicitors, barristers and advocates to practise in the EU using their UK title”, as well as a “highly comprehensive deal in digital trade”.
State aid
The deal ends the EU State Aid regime and allows the UK to introduce its own “modern subsidy system so that we can better support businesses to grow and thrive”, the UK said.
Laws
Johnson said that after January 1, British laws “will be made solely by the British Parliament interpreted by British judges sitting in UK courts and the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice will come to an end”.
Transport
The agreement provides for “continued and sustainable air, road, rail and maritime connectivity”, the European Commission said, with provisions to ensure passenger rights and transport safety are not undermined.
Security
The PM said he was “absolutely confident” the deal would protect police co-operation, the ability to catch criminals and to share intelligence across the European continent “in the way that we have done for many years”.
Students
Johnson said the Erasmus student exchange programme – which had seen participants able to study across Europe – would be replaced by a worldwide scheme named after Bletchley Park codebreaker Alan Turing.
Healthcare
The agreement will enable UK citizens to access healthcare when travelling in the EU, with reciprocal cover for EU member states which are responsible for the healthcare of an individual, according to a UK government summary.
State pensions
The agreement provides for the uprating of the UK state pension paid to pensioners who retire to the EU, the government said.
Science
The UK will be able to continue participating in the Horizon Europe scientific research programme, as well as the Euratom Research and Training Programme and the space programme Copernicus.
Review date
A formal review of the arrangements can take place after four years. If either side does not believe the system is working fairly, they will be able to end the trade agreement – meaning the two sides would trade on WTO terms.
The published document says the review is to “ensure an appropriate balance between the commitments made” by both the UK and the EU.