Theatrics and brinkmanship: Inside the Brexit talks, the covid card/passport row, and onboard the royal train

Our political editor Joe Murphy on the Brexit negotiations: what's real and what's just "theatre" at the roundtable in Brussels. He also discusses what's going on outside the room, with France and Germany bearing down on the talks. And he tells us why he believes it'll be Boris Johnson who will make the compromises needed to get a deal done. 

Also, people getting the first covid-19 vaccinations will also receive a card confirming they've had it. That's led to claims of a covert passport operation beginning, where those who have had the jab will get preferential treatment over others. But the Evening Standard's Nicholas Cecil says the cards are just reminders to make another appointment, and any kind of passport system would be impractical to put in place anyway. 

And, what's it really like on the royal train? The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are getting to use it for the very first time as they begin a whistlestop tour of the country. Royal editor Robert Jobson says the inside is a lot more "practical" than you might think, but he suspects there's a subtle significance to William and Kate being given permission to use the carriages normally reserved for the Queen and Prince of Wales. 

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