By Lizzy Burden, Deirdre Hipwell and Joe Mayes (Bloomberg)
Vital trade and travel links between the U.K. and continental Europe slowly reopened after France eased border restrictions, but huge backlogs that could take days to clear led to tensions at Britain’s busiest port.
Near Dover, police clashed with some truckers angry that they’ve been waiting since Saturday and are trying to get home for Christmas. Many are lined up for coronavirus tests that they need for passage into France.
France cut off shipments from the port in southeast England on Sunday because of concern over a faster-spreading variant of Covid-19 that prompted the U.K. government to lock down London and surrounding areas. That heightened a sense of economic isolation in the U.K. as the high-stakes political drama of Brexit edged closer to its end-of-year deadline.