Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including Boris Johnson’s Brexit speech

11.58am GMT

In the Q&A Boris Johnson was asked about a story in today’s Times (paywall) saying the the DUP “would be open to a soft Brexit that kept the whole of the UK in a customs union with Brussels”. Johnson said he had seen the story, but that he did not know what the DUP were actually saying on this and that he had concerns about the idea of the UK staying in the customs union.

Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, has just put out a statement saying the Times report is not true. She said:

The report published in the Times this morning about the DUP is inaccurate and no doubt designed to undermine efforts to get the necessary changes to the withdrawal agreement.

The prime minister is very clear on our position. We have been consistent that for us it is the backstop which needs to be dealt with.

11.49am GMT

Q: If parliament ruled out no deal, would you support May?

Johnson says he does not see how parliament can rule out no deal.

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news

• Latest: UK retail sales fell 0.9% in December
• Black Friday partly to blame
• Have we reached ‘peak stuff’?

Earlier:

• WSJ: Steven Mnuchin proposed cutting China tariffs
  
• Treasury denies it, but stocks rise
  
• China cut taxes to spur demand

11.57am GMT

Richard Potter, CEO of retail AI firm Peak, has spotted an interesting line in the retail sales data -- people bought more bargains than ever before in December.

“The volume of goods purchased at a discounted rate stands at an all-time high. Some might say this is self-harm given the big margin squeeze we’re seeing retailers struggle to unlock.

It’s a fact that for many high street retailers the cost to fulfil an online order is higher than in store. So couple this with the Brexit effect one thing is for sure, retail has a transformational year ahead.”

11.00am GMT

The slowdown in retail spending may also show that materialism is fading, and some consumers simply don’t need more things in their lives.

Andrew Westbrook, head of retail at audit, tax and consulting firm RSM, thinks we may have reached ‘peak stuff’

There is undoubtedly significant distress on the high street with retailers having to compete through heavy discounting to gain their fair share of the market, leading to pressure on margins and profitability.

For the retailers that struggled over Christmas, the pressure will now be on to convert stock into cash ahead of the quarterly rent payment date which falls at the end of March.

With health system at breaking point, uncertainty over how virus is being transmitted prompt fears it could range beyond DRC

The number of Ebola cases recorded each day in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is expected to more than double, with concern mounting that uncertainty over how the virus is being transmitted could result in it spreading to neighbouring countries.

On Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) reiterated its warning that there is a very high risk of the outbreak spreading not only across DRC but also to Uganda, Rwanda and even South Sudan. The heightened danger of transmission is due to extensive travel between the affected areas.

Judges rule decision to share evidence with US without death penalty assurances not unlawful

The mother of an alleged hostage killer for Islamic State has lost her legal challenge against a Home Office decision to share evidence with the US without seeking assurances that her son and another suspected jihadist terrorist will not face the death penalty.

El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey are accused of belonging to a group of Isis members, nicknamed the Beatles because of their British accents, responsible for killing a number of western captives.

• Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend
  
• Transfer interactive – every deal from Europe’s top five leagues
• And you can email Simon, tweet @Simon_Burnton or post BTL

11.54am GMT

Check out your Cech knowledge, and also other stuff, in the sports quiz of the week:

Related: Sports quiz of the week: Murray, Marcelo Bielsa and Manny Pacquiao

11.43am GMT

The match previews are starting to drop. Here’s the first, which will cover all your Southampton v Everton needs:

Related: Southampton v Everton: match preview