Brexit: what changes after 31 January?

• Will Brexit affect passports? Yes. New blue passports will be issued from early 2020 but phased in over a number of months. Your passport will continue to be valid after Brexit (provided that it is in date) no matter which style you have.
   
• Do I need a visa to go to Europe? During the transition period (set to last until the end of 2020) most EU rules will continue to apply in the UK. This includes rules on travel to and from the EU.
  
  The government has said that from 1 January 2021 tourists on short trips (of under 90 days) to the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland will not need a visa to travel—but you may need a visa or permit to stay for longer. 
   
• What will happen to flights? Flights will continue as normal during the transition period. After that, exactly what happens to flights will depend on the outcome of the UK’s negotiations with the EU.
   
• Will we trade with the EU? The UK will remain part of the single market and customs union and continue to trade under the same terms with the EU until the end of 2020. What the UK’s trading relationship with the EU will look like after the transition period depends on the kind of deal we negotiate. 
  
  The Institute for Government has said that both sides may end up “prioritising a largely goods-only free trade agreement”, due to a relatively short negotiation period.
   
• Will there be a medicine shortage? There was talk of potential medicine shortages last year in the event of a no deal Brexit, but it doesn’t seem likely that there will be an immediate shortage of medicines after 31 January 2020. What happens after 2020 will depend on the result of negotiations between the UK and EU.
   
• Can I still apply for settled status? Yes. The EU Settlement Scheme (which allows EU citizens to remain in the UK) is open for applications until 30 June 2021.

FACT CHECK

Wuhan coronavirus: fact checked

We’ve seen plenty of misleading claims about the Wuhan coronavirus spreading online since news of it’s outbreak. 

Here are some key facts:

• Coronavirus is not one single virus. It's a broad category of viruses which includes the common cold, SARS (the severe acute respiratory syndrome of which there were outbreaks in 2002 and 2004) and this new coronavirus identified in people in Wuhan, China. Claims that a patent for this specific coronavirus was filed in 2015 are incorrect. 
   
• There was a recent vaccine trial for a type of coronavirus, but not the type behind the recent outbreak in Wuhan. Regardless, the virus in the vaccine tested wouldn't have been able to replicate.
   
• The Wuhan coronavirus has nothing to do with 5G. Online posts have linked Wuhan's early adoption of 5G to the spread of the virus. Wuhan was one of several cities in China that were the first to trial 5G, but there is no evidence linking the new coronavirus to 5G.
   
• The source of the Wuhan coronavirus has not yet been identified. Several online posts have claimed the lab from which the Wuhan coronavirus originated has a similar logo to that of the fictitious Umbrella Corporation, a company responsible for a viral outbreak which drives the main plot of the Resident Evil game franchise. But this lab is in Shanghai (not Wuhan) and it does not do any work related to the virus. 

IMPACT

Jeremy Hunt publicly corrects the record on botched surgeries

When public figures get something wrong on the record, it’s vital that they correct their mistakes. 

So we’d like to thank Jeremy Hunt for personally correcting himself in parliament during the NHS debate this week, after we contacted him about the incorrect figures he used on botched surgeries in the NHS.

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FACT CHECK

Also this week...

• The poorest in UK are living longer, but it seems they feel worse
• A town with a voting population of around 6,400 did have an election where 41,000 votes were counted
• We live fact checked this week's PMQs claims on climate change spending, net zero emissions targets, GDP growth, arms sales with Saudi Arabia, and special needs schools funding.