Today's news: Latest headlines for the UK on Monday 7 December

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— Today's top story in 60 seconds —

Boris Johnson backs down over Brexit bill

Boris Johnson has backed down over controversial elements of his Brexit bill, offering to drop clauses that would break international law if the UK and EU reach an accord this week. The government formally offered to withdraw or deactivate parts of the internal market bill that would allow it to override aspects of the Brexit withdrawal agreement, in a move seen as an olive branch to the EU and an attempt to kick-start the troubled trade talks.

Talks go down to the wire

The post-Brexit trade deal negotiations continue this week as both sides attempt to break the deadlock. The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier reportedly told MEPs the deadline for talks succeeding is Wednesday. The UK is prepared to continue post-Brexit trade deal negotiations for “as long as we have time available”, Number 10 has said.

Will there be a deal?

It’s still not at all clear if an agreement can be reached. Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt told MPs the level playing field remains the “most difficult” issue, with unresolved issues also on fisheries and governance matters. Mourdant said the UK is “prepared” to leave without a deal if “we can’t find compromises”.

Read more from our partners

Why is fishing such a big issue in the trade talks? (The Independent)

Special plans for Brexit-related congestion near port revealed (PA Media)

Brexit is 'biggest unconcluded disaster of modern times', MP claims (Yahoo News UK)

The big coronavirus stories today—

Army could be used to transport vaccine

A coronavirus vaccine may have to be airlifted into the UK by the armed forces in the event of a no-deal Brexit, a government minister has admitted. James Cleverly said the army could be used if lorries from Belgium, where the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine is made, are delayed coming into the country. Read the full story here (Yahoo News UK)

UK cases rise by 14,718

A further 14,718 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the UK, bringing the total number to 1,737,960. The number is a rise of 4.7% on last Monday's figure. A further 189 people were confirmed to have died within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19. Read the full story here (Sky News)

England cricket tour abandoned

England’s tour of South Africa has been abandoned following concerns over a coronavirus outbreak at the teams’ shared base near Cape Town. The conclusion was reached after three failed attempts to get the one-day series up and running. Read the full story here (The Telegraph)

House party with '100 guests' raided

A man is facing a £10,000 fine after police found more than 100 people at a house party in Nottingham shortly after midnight on Monday. Police were alerted to a large gathering on Lace Street in a residential area of the city, which is currently in Tier 3. Read the full story here (The Independent)

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— What else happened today? —

Bomber's brother admits involvement

Jailed terrorist Hashem Abedi has admitted for the first time his involvement in planning the Manchester Arena bombing which killed 22 people, a public inquiry has heard. Abedi, 23, made the admission in prison last month while he was visited by two members of the inquiry’s legal team to be interviewed. Read the full story here (Yahoo News UK)

Monolith appears on Isle Of Wight beach

A “magical” monolith has been discovered on an Isle of Wight beach, just days after similar structures were spotted in the United States and Romania. An anonymous collective called The Most Famous Artist has taken credit for the monoliths in Utah and California. Read the full story here (Huff Post)

Ikea scraps 'beloved' catalogue

Ikea has said it will scrap its catalogue after 70 years as more and more people turn to the internet to shop. The last print run of the catalogue was this summer, the company said, after a history that stretches back to 1951. Read the full story here (Evening Standard)

Bob Dylan’s entire back catalogue sold

Universal Music Group has acquired Bob Dylan’s entire back catalogue in a deal reported to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The agreement, one of the largest in recent years, covers the copyrights to some 600 of the 79-year-old musician’s tracks. Read the full story here (The Guardian)

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(Yahoo News)
(Yahoo News)