
By Gwynne Dyer – “I’ve got a plan so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel,” said Blackadder’s sidekick Baldrick in the BBC’s brilliant historical comedy series ‘Blackadder.’ In fact, he said, “I have a cunning plan” in almost every episode, but the plans hardly ever worked, and it became a popular catch-phrase.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she had no breakthrough to announce on Friday as a week of EU talks with Britain ended, but remained optimistic that sealing a deal on a post-Brexit trade relationship was still possible before the end of the year.

Negligible progress has been made by the UK government to replace EU funds in Wales after Brexit, according to a committee of cross-party MPs. Former Welsh Secretary and senior Conservative MP Stephen Crabb said the situation was simply unacceptable.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government defused a rebellion on Wednesday over its sweeping powers to introduce coronavirus restrictions, promising angry lawmakers more say over the introduction over any new national measures.

British Home Secretary Priti Patel ordered officials to explore plans for building an asylum processing centre on a remote volcanic island in the south Atlantic – more than 4,000 miles from the UK, it has been reported.

British lawmakers on Tuesday adopted a bill to regulate the UK's internal market after Brexit, defying a looming EU ultimatum as the two sides entered a final week of tense talks. Despite deep disquiet even from some members of the ruling Conservatives, the House of Commons passed the bill by 340 votes to 256.

Gibraltar Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Joseph Garcia has said that the combination of leaving the European Union and the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential makings of a perfect storm, the consequences of which will be felt for years to come.

Brexit Britain is part of an “arc of instability” that has emerged around the European Union, the bloc's chairman said on Monday, ranking London's decision to leave the EU along with threats from Turkey, Russia, Libya and Syria.

The British government said it would have large stockpiles in place to provide a continuous flow of protective items, such as masks, to health workers tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, after criticism earlier in the year that supplies were too low.

More than 80% of people in Britain are not adhering to self-isolation guidelines when they have COVID-19 symptoms or had contact with someone who has tested positive, a study has found. A majority were also unable to identify the symptoms of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus.