Star conductor Simon Rattle said on Friday he had applied for German citizenship after Brexit – and lamented the new barriers in the way of young musicians. “My passport is on the way,” said Liverpool-born musician, 65. “Like for many, this was an absolute necessity.”

“The fact that musicians and artists in general suddenly have to get visas for Europe is absolutely not the Brexit bonus we were talking about,” he said, in a reference to promises made by Brexit campaigners. “We will have to fight it.”

The Independent revealed at the weekend that the government “rejected” an offer from the EU to waive touring visas for British bands and musicians. Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke called the government “spineless f***s”.

The term “Lexit” – meaning left-wing Brexit – has been trending on Twitter, as pundits and politicos argue over whether it was ever possible.  

Many anti-Brexit campaigners claim the dream is looking particularly sour today, following reports the government is preparing to tear up key workers’ protections enshrined in EU law.

But Jeremy Corbyn supporter Aaron Bastani claims the only way to ever stop a hard, Tory-led Brexit this was Labour’s position under Corbyn back in 2017.

“Labour’s policy of a second referendum in 2019 was the opposite of ‘Lexit’ and they got destroyed. We all make good and bad calls, but people who said a second referendum was the right choice need to own the mistake.”

Boris Johnson’s official spokesman has responded to the FT  report that the government was considering scrapping some workers’ protections that had been enshrined in EU law.

The No 10 official said policies to stimulate growth would never be at the expense of workers’ rights. The PM’s official spokesman said: “We will continue to look at policies to help stimulate business growth, innovation and job creation but those policies would never be at the expense of workers’ rights.”

Boris Johnson will hold a Downing Street press conference alongside England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty and chief scientific officer Sir Patrick Vallance at 5pm, No 10 has said. 

Brexit disruption has collided with the Covid pandemic to create a significant amount of uncertainty when it comes to moving around the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. 

Our travel correspondent, Simon Calder, has laid out the five tests any traveller should consider before booking a foreign break.

Star conductor Simon Rattle, who this week announced he was cutting short his tenure at the UK’s leading orchestra to return to Germany, has applied for German citizenship because of Brexit.

The Liverpool-born musician, 65, lamented the barriers thrown up by Britain’s departure from the European Union to the careers of young musicians who had grown used to performing freely across the continent. “My passport is on the way,” he said. “Like for many, this was an absolute necessity.”

He said his decision to return to Germany, where for 16 years he conducted the Berlin Philharmonic, was taken so that he could be close to his family in the German capital, but he made his frustration with Britain’s political direction clear.

The Independent reported on Sunday how the UK rejected an offer of visa-free tours by musicians to EU countries.

Boris Johnson is in danger of proving himself “a buffoon” if he continues to underestimate the scale of the problems implementing his Brexit trade deal, an MP from Northern Ireland has warned.

Ian Paisley Jr, a leading figure in the DUP, attacked the prime minister for claiming current disruption to trade amounted to only “teething problems” which would soon be fixed.

“The prime minister is in real danger of proving to people that he is actually a buffoon,” Mr Paisley told BBC Newsnight on Mr Johnson’s attitude to the difficulties being caused by customs red tape.

“If he doesn’t recognise that [his] comments about there being just teething problems going on here … then he really isn’t in touch. We’ve given our blood for the union in terms of our soldiers. And what do we get back? A slap on the face with a wet kipper.”

Schools have again been told by the government not to provide free meals or vouchers to needy pupils over half term, sparking a new row over how to stop children from going hungry.

The government appeared to be setting itself up for another argument with poverty campaigners and unions on Thursday after the Department for Education told headteachers they “do not need to provide lunch parcels or vouchers”.

Instead, advice from the Department for Education says a general pandemic support fund set up to help low-income families during the holidays would be adequate to cover mealtime needs.

Following a report in the FT that the government is considering diluting some of the UK’s employment regulations, Malcolm Mason, employment expert at Keystone Law, said he believed the government would make significant changes due to Chapter 6 of Title XI of the TCA which specifically sets out the need for a “level playing field” between the UK and EU.

“The news that the government is planning to dilute some of the UK employment and labour laws will not come as much of a surprise for many,“ he said.

“Afterall, one of the main issues that was campaigned about in the run up to the Brexit vote was the ability to take control of UK laws. 

“Whilst the new business minister has denied that they will be scrapping some protections, such as the 48-hour limit on the working week, many directives, such as the TUPE, the Fixed-Term workers directive and the Framework Health and Safety Directive have always been an issue for Conservative UK governments and UK businesses and they were strenuously resisted from the outset with considerable and protracted debate and argument.

“Indeed, some were implemented only after requiring EU enforcement proceedings or the threat of such proceedings.

“Right up until the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) was signed, I and many others involved in the employment and HR area believed that going forward, the UK employment legislation, in the relatively near future and subject to parliamentary time, would be revised and parts removed or tweaked to make them more acceptable to UK business.

“This, however, is no longer my view because of the TCA and the need for a “level playing field” between the UK and EU in certain areas (including labour and social policy).”