Brexit news – live: the latest updates as ‘unbelievable chaos’ arriving in Irish ports

Boris Johnson has said he wants to see a bonanza in public sector recruitment in 2021 as the UK struggles to end the coronavirus pandemic.

Government figures suggest that the number of doctors and nurses increased last year, but the prime minister said he wanted to go further in the next 12 months.

A Downing Street spokesman said Johnson is ready to ask those seeking a job or career change to consider front-line public sector roles in 2021.

More than one million jobs are believed to have been lost as a result of restrictions imposed to control the spread of the coronavirus.

As part of efforts to reach out to those affected by the job slump, a recruiting barrage is anticipated in the coming months to encourage individuals to consider taking up front-line positions in the NHS, teaching and jobs. prisons.

There will also be a specific television advertising campaign for police officers, starting on Tuesday 5 January in England and Wales.

The independentTravel correspondent Simon Calder answers readers’ questions about new rules and regulations facing travelers interested in exploring Europe after Brexit.

Principals have criticized the government’s “utterly chaotic” handling of reopening schools after a decision to close some elementary schools was announced on short notice.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson confirmed Friday that all of London’s primary schools will remain closed next week as the capital struggles with high levels of coronavirus infections.

Most of the other elementary schools are expected to remain open on Monday, while the secondary schools will reopen on a staggered basis, with students from the exam year returning on January 11 and others returning a week later.

While London’s move has been welcomed as the “right decision,” the government was also accused of making another U-turn just days after it told some schools to reopen for the new term.

Unions have also called for all schools in England to remain closed amid the spread of the new Covid-19 variant.

Tom Prestwich, headmaster of a South London primary school, said he learned of the policy change on Twitter on Friday afternoon.

He told BBC Breakfast: “Actually, we had just sent a letter to parents saying that we would still open next week, and then after that, the story broke almost immediately.”

Mr Prestwich added: “I was half expecting some kind of policy change, but by the time 5pm rolls around on a holiday Friday, you think they might have been left with a decision, although I’m glad they changed this one.”

Troubled families will face a series of financial blows in the coming weeks and months as government support for the coronavirus expires, Labor warned.

The government’s ban on evictions will end on January 11, with January 29 also being the deadline for the self-employed to access subsidies. This will be followed by the January 31 deadline for mortgage vacation applications.

Meanwhile, universal credit applicants will lose the temporary boost to their social security payments on April 6. The government’s licensing regime is scheduled to end on April 30.

The AFP news agency has shared a clip in which Londoners weigh in on Britain’s exit from the European Union, which was completed on New Year’s Eve after the UK struck a last-minute trade deal with the commercial block.

The first ferries arrived in Dover and Holyhead after Britain’s exit from the single market and customs union on Friday, with severe border chaos that has yet to materialize.

Freight and transportation companies attributed the relative calm at ports of entry to the reduction in service on New Year’s Day and warned that there could still be disruptions like those seen last week during border closures.

However, despite the lack of rear end, the new rules still caused problems, with half a dozen trucks rejected from a port for not having the correct documentation to export to the EU.

The independentPolicy correspondent Jon Stone has more:

The great conservative Lord Heseltine has called on pro-Europeans to “fight” and fight to rejoin the EU.

The former deputy prime minister cited the SNP’s stance in pushing for another referendum on Scottish independence as the way forward for the remainder, despite the UK formally abandoning the Brexit transition agreements on New Year’s Eve.

Lord Heseltine insisted that since the 52-48% decision to leave the EU was so close, pro-Europeans should not “lie down” but rather follow the SNP’s lead.

The former Cabinet minister told Times Radio: “You have a country that is deeply divided and it is very important to give hope and keep alive the aspirations of the younger generation.”

“Of course we must fight back. There are millions of people who feel as strong as I do, and we are not going to lie down.”

Lord Heseltine scoffed at the last-minute post-Brexit trade deal with Brussels, calling Boris Johnson’s comments about the UK’s exit from the bloc “ridiculous.”

“We have an agreement that is a continuous battlefield for dissent and disruption, that’s all we have,” he said.

“And, the idea that that’s going to be static and set in stone – well, just take the Scots Nats, they lost the referendum. Show me a speech from a Scots Nat that said ‘It’s over. Oh yeah, we lost.’ Let’s be good boys and girls and accept it. ‘

“Of course they didn’t. They immediately said ‘we almost won, we must try again’. And I have the same opinion on British self-interest. Our personal interest is to be in the heart of Europe.” It’s been like that for a thousand years. “

“Unbelievable chaos” is coming to the port of Dublin following the UK’s departure from the European Union, transport chiefs have said.

The warning comes after several trucks heading to Ireland, which remains in the EU, breached new customs agreements that went into effect at 11 p.m. on New Years Eve.

Ferry operator Stena Line said Friday that it had rejected six trucks from a service from Holyhead to Dublin because the drivers “did not have the correct references.”