Cabinet Office minister Lord David Frost and EU Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic are understood to have spoken on Monday morning, with regards to the legal action the EU is seeking to take against the UK.

Details of their conversation have not yet been released.

A coalition of criminal justice and race equality organisations has written to the prime minster warning that the government’s plans for policing and sentencing will further entrench racial inequality in the criminal justice system.

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill entered parliament last week, and will be debated by ministers on Monday and Tuesday. It contains a number of proposals which the government itself has conceded will have a disproportionate impact on Black, Asian and minority ethnic (Bame) people in equality assessments.

Our race correspondent Nadine White reports:

Campaigners have lost a legal battle over plummeting rape prosecutions at the Court of Appeal.

Women’s groups accused the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of causing the number of cases charged to drop by moving away from a “merits-based approach” and selecting only “safe” cases.

The government’s new measures in its Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill are facing criticism over the “rushed” speed with which the bill has been put together.

The bill is due to receive a second reading on Monday in the House of Commons and includes plans which would allow the police increased powers to tackle non-violent protests.

This would be applicable should the protests cause significant disruption to the public or problems with access to parliament.

Police, together with legal figures have criticised the bill, warning it could pose a threat to free speech and democracy.

Sir Peter Fahy, former Greater Manchester Police chief constable told Times Radio: “People need to be really worried about this.”

He added that there was a “real danger” rushed legislation that could potentially make the job of the “more difficult.”

Sir Peter added: “This weekend has shown the crucial importance of the right to protest, and you’ve got to be really wary of more legislation being rushed through just because certain politicians didn’t like certain protests during the summer.”

The UK has imposed sanctions on six allies of Syrian ruler Bashar Assad a decade after the country’s brutal civil war began.

The asset freezes and travel bans – imposed on foreign minister Faisal Miqdad and other top officials – are a response to the “wholesale assault” from the Assad regime against the people of Syria, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar will make a bold attempt to oust SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon from her constituency seat at the upcoming Holyrood election.

The newly-elected leader has decided to run against Scotland’s first minister in her Glasgow Southside stronghold ahead of May’s Scottish parliament vote.

Labour is urging ministers to urgently put a plan in place for next year’s GCSE, A-level and vocational qualification exams.

Shadow schools minister Wes Streeting has called for a guarantee from the government of a “level playing field” for all pupils who have missed out on learning due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Streeting will use a Westminster Hall debate on Monday to speak to ministers about not repeating the same mistakes made last year.

He said: “The Government’s poor planning and preparation has created a second year of exam chaos.

“Ministers urgently need to set out plans for next year giving teachers and pupils time to prepare and adjust their teaching.

Brussels is expected to launch legal action against the UK today over moves the EU says breach last year’s deal on Northern Ireland.

Boris Johnson’s government has moved to unilaterally change parts of the deal to better suit British businesses – provoking anger on the other side of the channel.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed to overhaul the country’s defence in a move to modernise the armed forces and help make the UK “match-fit.”

Mr Johnson said there would also be an increase in investment in infrastructure and skills across the country.

Plans will be unveiled on Tuesday in the government’s Integrated Review of the UK’s defence and foreign relations.

The review, which was first announced in 2019, will set out the UK’s defence as well as foregin affairs priorities for the next ten years. It is thought that the next ten years will see an increase in cyber warfare.

Other details which have been pre-released include plans to move 500 Foriegn Office jobs to Scotland, as well as the government promising  “further commitments” to “strengthening the UK’s core industrial base.”

More than 1,000 civil service jobs are to be relocated to Scotland in the coming years, the government has announced.

Alongside a previously announced secondary Cabinet Office headquarters in Glasgow with 500 staff by 2024, officials said more than 500 civil servants from the Foreign Office would be stationed north of the border by the middle of the decade.

Our Political Correspondent Ashley Cowburn, has more: 

Ministers have announced new plans to make England’s buses more frequent, cheaper, greener and easier to use as part of the government’s ongoing “levelling up” agenda. 

The strategy, which is backed by £3bn of investment, is intended to encourage existing and prospective passengers to choose buses over cars with the promise of better coordinated services across the country.

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