‘There is a much bigger prize to be had by no deal’ - readers on the weekend's top stories
Over the weekend, it was revealed that the isolation period for those who come into contact with Covid-19 carriers could be reduced to seven days, amid growing fears of non-compliance with the Test and Trace system.
Elsewhere, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, made his stake in negotiations for post-Brexit fishing rights by saying that he will sink a deal that "sacrifices" French fishermen.
As Wales entered its "firebreak" lockdown, a new rule banning the sale of "non-essential" items in shops caused fury among an already aggrieved Welsh public.
Read on for some of the best comments we received on this weekend's top stories and have your say by leaving a comment in the comments section at the bottom of this article.
Isolation for test and trace could be halved
Officials on the Government's Covid-19 task force are examining the case for cutting the fortnight period of isolation. Telegraph readers argued whether that would increase the levels of compliance with the Test and Trace system.
‘The Government should have been honest in the first place’
@Stephen Gifford:
“People will criticise the Government for not developing better contact tracing system, but the reality is that the Government should have been honest in the first place. It is nigh on impossible to track the nuance of human interactions. It doesn’t work and will never work.”
‘Just isolate if you test positive’
@Graham Barnes:
“How long has it taken the Government to realise that people will not put their lives and incomes on hold for two weeks on the basis of an anonymous contact notification – without knowing who, where, when, or how long they were exposed?
“Their best trick would be to ask contacts to take a test and then isolate if positive. Yes, they would lose some people in the incubation stage but they would gain more by increased compliance.”
Macron vows to scupper Brexit deal that 'sacrifices' French fishermen but faces renewed EU pressure
The French president's hardline stance on fishing rights is one of the last remaining obstacles to complete a Brexit deal. Telegraph readers debated whether France would compromise on fisheries in order to secure an agreement.
‘This is not part of Brexit, this is our sovereignty’
@Terry Farrell:
“Macron still doesn't get it. This is not about fish, this is about our sovereignty. By international law, as an island nation we control the seas around our islands. This is not part of Brexit, this is our sovereignty.
“If Macron blocks a Brexit deal, then France gets no fish quota whatsoever. Is he just too stubborn to understand this? The EU has to accept our sovereignty or there is no deal.”
‘There is a much bigger prize to be had by no deal’
@Simon Brady:
“Hopefully it is beginning to dawn on members of the UK Cabinet that there is a much bigger prize to be had by no deal.
"Not only getting rid of the Withdrawal Agreement but ultimately getting rid of the EU and replacing it with democratic countries working together. A massive free trade area, protected by NATO, without political integration.”
Poor Wales. This must be the most ridiculous lockdown rule yet
Politicians have no business interfering with people's shopping lists, argued Michael Deacon, after supermarkets in Wales were told to only sell essential items. Telegraph readers had their say on the new "firebreak" lockdown rules in Wales.
‘Devolution has done nothing for Wales’
@Gwyn Jones:
“Mark Drakeford has lost it and Wales is doomed. The Labour Assembly are incapable of thinking laterally. The Covid pandemic provided the ideal opportunity for them to do nothing, as usual, for the future of the economy and the country’s wellbeing.
"No wonder, despite the population voting against it, that they would be intent and content in keeping us in the EU. Why? Because they think it is easy to go cap in hand to the EU for bailouts, they don’t seem to realise that that money is ours in the first place.
“The sooner the Assembly is banished and we come under the control of the central government the better. Devolution has done nothing for Wales other than creating another tier of bureaucracy and expense.”
‘Anyone would think he was trying to destroy the high street’
@Vicki Prince:
“Well, at least it's given the English something to be grateful about – that we don't have Mark Drakeford in charge. What a ridiculous and destructive policy. Anyone would think he was actually trying to destroy the high street. I think he and Nicola Sturgeon are between them making the case for a repeal of devolved administration.”
‘Pregnant, jobless and evicted: I missed out on furlough by two days and it ruined my life'
The story of a 31-year-old pregnant woman who lost her job and faces eviction prompted Telegraph readers to debate the cut-off point for the furlough scheme along with what help could be offered to those who fall through the cracks in the Government's support during the pandemic.
‘My sympathies to this mum-to-be’
@P Manning:
“My sympathies to this mum-to-be and her stressful situation as she awaits the imminent birth of her child. What about the dad-to-be? Even if you are no longer in a relationship, he surely must have some responsibility towards his child?”
‘There will always be people who fall through the cracks’
@Kristin Warburton:
“I sympathise with anyone suffering hardship at the moment, but there will always be people who "fall through the cracks", and this woman appears to have fallen through several. She has just missed out on furlough, and gets minimal Universal Credit (which is odd, normally rent is included) and appears to have no family support or support from the baby's father whatsoever.
“If true, she has fallen through every possible gap. But once she has her baby she will be housed and a higher level of benefits will kick in.”
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