Full & effective implementation of Withdrawal Agreement will always be an absolute priority for 🇪🇺

It is the result of long EU-UK negotiations & the only way to protect Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement, guaranteeing peace and stability on island of Ireland. #InternalMarketBill https://t.co/92cq1tY6Nj

— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) October 1, 2020

Belgium's Ambassador to the EU Willem Van de Voorde quoted a 354-year-old treaty during discussions on Wednesday between member states' ambassadors to the EU on the future access of European fishing fleets to UK waters ones the Brexit transitional period comes to an end at midnight on 31 December.

To the confusion of the some of those at the meeting and the delight of others Mr Van de Voorde quoted a treaty signed in 1666 by the then King of England Charles II. The treaty granted 50 Flemish fishermen from Bruges (West Flanders)   "eternal rights" to fish in English waters. Mr Van de Voorde suggested that this was an important historical footnote that emphasised the long relationship between Flemish fishermen and British waters.

The treaty entitled "Privilegie der Visscherie" (Privilege of fisheries) was signed in 1666 when Bruges was part of the Southern Netherlands and under Spanish control. It was a show a gratitude on the part of Charles II for the hospitality that he was given when he stayed in Bruges during the interregnum that followed the decapitation of King Charles I and his own restoration to the English throne.

Speaking as a celebrity I think this number is too low. To maintain celebrity standards it should be at least double that🤨 https://t.co/jZEBaqKhEh

— Jim Spence (@JimSpenceDundee) October 10, 2020

"Identity cards are among the least secure documents seen at the border and ending their use will strengthen our security as the UK takes back control of its borders at the end of the transition period," stated a UK government press release.

Under the scheme, Hauliers will need a Kent Access Permit to proceed to the border.

Richard Burnett, the chief executive of the Road Haulage Association, warned that "firms moving goods across borders will have to undertake customs processes whether there's a deal or no deal."

Hospital bosses urge NHS England to drop 'unfair' fines as Covid admissions rise

The number of people waiting more than a year to start hospital treatment is at its highest since 2008 and almost 90 times higher than at the same time last year. In August, there were 111,026 people who had waited more than 52 weeks to start hospital treatment, up from 1,236 in August 2019.

Brexit: Trade talks with the EU are over, says No 10

A historic gamble on a Trump win or worst case an impasse in election result ...

US election: what a Biden or Trump victory could mean for Britain | The Guardian |

I voted against the Boris Johnson govt's Internal Market Bill which breaks the law & the EU Withdrawal agreement that it already signed. Govt defeated in the House of Lords by 395 votes to 169. No doubt, the govt will use House of Commons vote to overturn.https://t.co/kc0dTUHXtH

— Prem Sikka (@premnsikka) October 20, 2020

Appeal court quashes UK policy of removing migrants with little warning [_link]

— The Guardian (@guardian) October 21, 2020

FDA has vaccination trial on hold, UK and Oxford plough ahead.

UK presses for use of faster passport gates at EU airports post-Brexit https://t.co/TZqNWVcSQi

— The Guardian (@guardian) October 23, 2020

England's schools to receive fewer laptops for distance learning [_link]

— The Guardian (@guardian) October 24, 2020

Secrets and lies: untangling the UK 'spy cops' scandal

Those duped into having relationships with undercover police are hoping for answers from the inquiry.

The existence of a squad of police officers sent deep undercover in political groups was so top secret that many of the UK's most senior officers were completely oblivious until they began reading reports in the Guardian 10 years ago.

When Lisa Jones - who uses a pseudonym - and her friends established that Kennedy was a police officer who had been spying on climate change activists, the story caused a firestorm, collapsing a major trial and quashing the convictions of environmental activists who had been prosecuted for conspiring to shut down one of the UK's biggest power stations.

Senior officers tried to quell the outcry, insisting Kennedy was merely a rogue officer. In fact, the opposite was true. Kennedy was just the latest foot soldier in a very long line of undercover police who had been routinely infiltrating political groups, mostly on the left, since as far back as 1968.

Police spying inquiry to examine targeting of UK black justice groups [_link]

— The Guardian (@guardian) October 28, 2020