A tariff-free trade deal between the UK and Australia would damage Northern Irish farming, the incoming leader of the DUP has said.

Edwin Poots, who will soon take over from Arlene Foster, said the proposal posed a “high level of risk” to farmers across the UK.

In a letter to the British environment secretary George Eustice, he wrote: “Australia has a number of distinct advantages over Northern Ireland, and the rest of the UK, in terms of the land available for farming, climate and lower standards, that allows its farmers to be able produce at a considerably lower cost, particularly in the beef and sheep sectors.

“Consequently there is a lot of potential for Australian beef and sheep exports to the UK to expand substantially over time if tariffs are eliminated.

“Australian beef and sheep products have the potential to undercut UK producers and to reduce Northern Ireland’s market share in GB which is our most important market for these products.”

The DUP politician added that if the deal goes ahead, it would set a precedent for agreements with other major exporting countries.

EU citizens living in the UK have shared stories about being their treatment by border officials when arriving back in Britain.

Some said they had been told they could be refused entry at the UK border, despite receiving assurances about settled status.

German national Wolfgang told The Guardian he was detained at Heathrow airport despite having proof of settled status in the UK. “They need to provide a document that guarantees that this is an irrevocable status,” he said.

Labour MP Hilary Benn said: “It’s worrying to hear of these incidents happening. The Home Office needs to make sure that all Border Force staff are fully trained in applying the new rules.”

The prospect of free trade deal with Australia which would see a flood of cheap food imports is causing a lot on discussion on social media.

Martin Kennedy, president of NFU Scotland, is angry that it looks like Boris Johnson has decided to ignore “farmers, environmentalists and our consumers who are interested in animal welfare standards and food production systems”.

He added: “We’re told there will be protections in place but won’t tell us what they are. Unbelievable.”

Australia’s biggest cattle merchant has said the country’s beef exports to the UK could rise tenfold if the two countries strike a zero-tariff free-trade deal.

Hugh Killen, chief executive of the Australian Agricultural Company, said: “We are looking forward to the conclusion of free-trade negotiations with the UK.”

He told the FT the deal could see Australian beef exports doubling or tripling – or even rising tenfold.

Downing Street has said “negotiations are still ongoing” amid reports that Boris Johnson has decided on a planned trade deal with Australia.

The prime minister is ready offer Australia a 15-year transition to a zero-tariff, zero-quota trade pact, according to The Sun. Johnson is understood to have sided with international trade secretary Liz Truss on the need to get a deal done soon.

Downing Street insisted on Friday that farmers would be protected in any deal struck with Australia. “Any agreement would include protections for our agriculture industry and won’t undercut UK farmers,” the PM’s official spokesman said.

“We want a deal that is good for the British public and any agreement would have protection for the agriculture industry.”

Spain will allow UK visitors for holidays from Monday 24 May, it has been announced.

Spain will allow travellers from Britain into the country without a negative PCR test, according to an order published in the state gazette on Friday.

However, Spain remains on the UK government’s amber-list – with the government saying people shouldn’t be going on holiday to such countries.

And it’s looking increasingly unlikely that holiday hotspots like Spain, Greece, Italy and France will make the UK’s travel “green list” in the next update early in June.

The contenders to turn green are thought to include Malta, Finland, Grenada, the Cayman Islands, Fiji, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis, Turks and Caicos and Anguilla.

Big news from Brussels. A digital travel certificate which will allow Europeans to travel freely around the bloc will be ready by the end of June, the EU has said.

The European parliament has agreed the terms of a scheme allowing citizens and residents in EU countries – whether vaccinated or not – to travel freely across the region.

“We are delivering on our commitment to have the EU digital Covid certificate up and running before the summer,” said EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

A new poll has found that young people in the UK are no longer enthralled with the monarchy and would rather do away with the institution.

The YouGov survey shows 41 per cent of people aged 18 to 24 preferred an elected head of the state, compared to 31 who wanted a king or a queen.

In case you missed it, Michael Gove told MPs the government will “not be legislating to prevent all future referenda”.

The Cabinet Office minister suggested the Tory government would not legislate to block a second Scottish independence vote from taking place (though No 10 is confident the Scotland Act 1998 prevent a referendum without consent).

He was pressed on the issue by the SNP’s Pete Wishart, who insisted the recent Scottish elections had resulted in an “emphatic” victory for parties who supported independence.

Gove told the SNP MP and former musician the UK was like his former band Runrig – saying more could be achieved by working together than in solo careers. The flatterer said Runrig “worked brilliantly” together.

Robert Buckland doesn’t appear to be a very good mood this morning, as he carries out the media round on behalf of the government.

The justice secretary ended his GMB interview rather abruptly after he was grilled about the confusion over amber-list countries. The minister said he hadn’t been able to “get a word in edgeways”.

Buckland stressed that “amber is a no” in terms of going on holiday – but said it allowed “necessary journeys”. He said he thought “a lot of” the public could be trusted to self-isolate after visiting a country on the amber list.