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Boris Johnson’s “Brexit showdown” with Brussels officials dominates most newspapers ahead of the expected summit this week between the prime minister and the president of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen.
After it emerged on Monday that the couple had talked on the phone for more than an hour without making much “tangible progress” in breaking the trade deadlock, the fledgling Downing Street turnaround operation ensured that newspapers had a photo of Johnson talking on his landline.
the Mail caught the signal with a headline that read “Last Call for Deal” along with Johnson’s picture on his prime minister landline, also noting that 1,629 days have passed since the referendum supported Brexit in June 2016.
the Quick has the same image but chooses a more bellicose headline with “Duel in Brussels”, while the I it also features Von der Leyen on the phone with the headline “Prime Minister heads to Brussels in attempt to break deadlock.”
the Times has a similar choice of words with its welcome headline that reads “Prime Minister addresses Brexit showdown in Brussels.”
the Telegraph, which also features the prime minister on the phone alongside a headline that reads “Johnson on mission to Brussels”, however, has a rather bleak note, saying the outcome of the talks “could define not only his position as prime minister but Britain’s place in the world for decades to come ”.
He also cites EU sources who note that while the UK could seal a deal, Johnson’s trip could be designed “to show that he did everything he could to get a deal, even if he hopes to return home empty-handed.” .
the Guardian The headline reads “Prime Minister heads to Brussels after UK offers olive branch,” reporting that Britain has offered some concessions on the critical issue of domestic market law to secure a deal before finally breaking ties on January 1.
the Financial times It says “Johnson and Von der Leyen will find themselves looking for a way out of the business impasse,” but their main story is about big business: “Uber disconnects the driverless car unit to participate in rival Aurora.”
The other big story of the day is the start of Britain’s largest vaccination program as the first people prepare to receive the Pfizer / BioNTech coronavirus vaccine.
the Mirror The headline reads “Our Fight Starts Today”, although Scotland’s Daily Record finds the appeal of war images irresistible: “Fifth Day” reads the headline. The V-day line is also irresistible to the editors of the Telegraph, Times and Express. the Metro’s the splash head says “Roll up for first hits.”
