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The high-risk Brexit dinner in Brussels on Wednesday night between Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen receives the most attention in almost every newspaper, and the severity of the crisis is not lost on any of them.
“Deadlock at dinner” is the MailThe headline, with the newspaper describing a “dramatic evening with a fish dinner.” He called “grim” a statement from a 10th source that “significant obstacles” and “very large gaps” remained ahead of Sunday’s deadline for a deal.
the Of the telegraph splash says: “Four days to save the trade deal after the Brussels talks went awry.” Johnson reportedly didn’t want to leave “any route to a possible deal untested,” but was depressed about the chances of a deal after his three-hour dinner with von der Leyen. He says there are caveats that even if talks are restarted, a deal is not guaranteed in any way.
the guardianThe front page of the final issue reads “The Prime Minister and the EU agree on Sunday’s deadline to avoid a deal,” and EU leaders warn that a deal is on the brink of failure. It says Johnson told EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier that Britain could not agree to terms that would bind the UK to EU rules. When Johnson met von der Leyen, the president of the EU commission warned him to “keep your distance”, adding that after removing the mask he had to “put it back on immediately”. The prime minister replied: “You drive very well here, Úrsula, and also very well.”
the Quickthe first edition took a hard line unsurprisingly, with “Boris: take it or leave it”, saying that the prime minister “stood firm” against the EU’s attempts to “punish” the UK for leaving the bloc. Its second edition went further with the headline: “Boris moves away from the EU.” It says the Brexit negotiations have “only 72 hours to save the trade talks.”
the Times he also supports Johnson, saying the prime minister “refuses to back down from the Brexit stalemate.” It says the prime minister said that EU leaders must “abandon proposals to punish Britain” if it does not follow future European regulations, while insisting that a good deal is within reach. The newspaper also said that Keir Starmer had hinted that Labor would back a deal, promising to vote “in the national interest.”
the I goes for a play on the food on the leaders’ high-stakes dinner, with the headline: “Fudge for the last supper in the EU negotiations.” It says Johnson has highlighted fisheries and regulatory standards as the main sticking points, but also asks “Cheddar or Brie?”, Quoting a supermarket boss as saying that Brexit could change the way Britain eats.
the Mirror splatters on “Tesco’s food reserve not to negotiate,” saying the supermarket giant is stockpiling food supplies for the new year amid fears that talks in Brussels will fail. He quotes Tesco Chairman John Allan warning of empty shelves and skyrocketing prices if the UK breaches the terms of the World Trade Organization after December 31: “We are hoarding all we can,” says Allan.
the Sun It dedicates only a small space on the cover in its first edition to the Brexit talks, with the headline “Prime Minister’s Meal or No Deal Offer” saying Johnson tried to break the deadlock in Brussels. However, its second issue has the headline: “BoJo’s Vote After 3-Hour Fish Dinner: Let’s End the Mullet,” and the newspaper notes that the talks will return on Sunday.
the FOOT It practically ignores the talks and instead dedicates its Brexit coverage to “the British who were prevented from entering the EU on January 1 when the viruses fell.” It says the end of the Brexit transition period means the UK will be “subject to a system that allows” non-essential travel from only a handful of non-EU countries with low rates of Covid-19 infection, “according to the European Commission.
