The Daily Mail says a deal on post-Brexit trade with the EU was within reach until the “hardline stance” of France’s President Macron caused negotiations to be suspended.One insider tells the paper a deal is not possible unless Mr Macron backs down.
Christmas spending this weekend is set to boost shops with a “lifeline” that the Daily Express values at £10bn.
The Times says France is responsible for the breakdown of Brexit trade talks and that negotiator Michel Barnier “ambushed Britain at the insistence of President Macron”.
The Guardian has a more positive take on the stalemate in trade talks.It says German leader Angela Merkel has stepped in to encourage both sides to compromise and get a deal over the line.The paper says EU sources are increasingly confident of an agreement before Monday.
The Daily Star says police have swooped on drinkers having a beer with a Scotch egg in a “series of raids on pubs”.It comes after debate over what constitutes “substantial food” under new rules governing the sale of alcohol in Tier 2 areas.
The Daily Mirror leads on its campaign for struggling pubs to benefit from a £2bn COVID tax break being refunded by supermarkets.
Talks ground to a halt over a “ridiculous” EU demand for 10 years’ access to UK fishing waters, The Daily Telegraph reports.The paper says an agreement must be done by the end of the month or Britain will revert to World Trade Organisation rules – meaning tariffs and increased checks on EU goods.
Lead EU negotiator Michel Barnier is pictured in London on the front of the i newspaper. It says talks are going down “to the wire” but that markets are hopeful of an imminent deal, with the pound’s value rising to a two-year high against the dollar.
