The Papers: \'Joy\' over prospect of summer holidays for Britons
Newspaper headlines: 'Joy' over prospect of summer holidays for Britons
By BBC NewsStaff
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Many of Wednesday's front pages assess whether Britons will be likely to get a summer holiday this year. The Daily Mirror suggests the prospect of a break has been thrown a lifeline, reporting that the government's quarantine plan requiring people arriving in the UK to self-isolate for 14 days could be relaxed. No 10 said the scheme, which applies to all travellers including most UK nationals, would be reviewed. Health Secretary Matt Hancock also said he was "optimistic" about people's holidays prospects.
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"Don't forget your toothbrush," says the Daily Star alongside a picture of a suitcase plastered with stickers, one of which is from Barnard Castle in a reference to No 10 aide Dominic Cummings' trip to Durham. The paper reports foreign holidays "looked to be back on the cards" and Britons are "delighted". The paper says the government is considering "air bridges" to low-risk areas so tourists can avoid self-isolating for 14 days when they return.
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The Daily Mail makes a plea to Boris Johnson to "save our summer holidays". The paper reports that the prime minister has told ministers to keep alive people's hopes of a getaway summer, and is pushing for the air bridges, which could see people travel without restrictions between the UK and some countries. It quotes a No 10 source as saying the PM "does not want to be standing in the way of people's holidays unnecessarily".
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Home Secretary Priti Patel also mentions air bridges in an article she has written for the Daily Telegraph - but she does not give a date. Writing in the paper with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, she defends the government's plan to quarantine new arrivals and warns tough travel measures are important to prevent a second peak of the virus. Home Office sources stressed that air corridors may not be possible by the end of this month, the paper adds.
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The Guardian has an interview with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who it says launched a "stinging attack" on the prime minister. Sir Keir accused Mr Johnson of "winging it" over the easing of the lockdown and said he needed to "get a grip", the paper says. He also suggested that some changes to relax the lockdown could have been timed to attempt to deflect attention away from the row over Dominic Cummings' trip to Durham.
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The Metro's top story focuses on the latest coronavirus figures in the UK, suggesting there is a so-called "north-south Covid-19 divide" that is getting wider. New infections are nearly twice as widespread in Yorkshire and the north east of England than in London, the paper says. Meanwhile, the striking photo on the front page shows a protester outside a church in Washington clashing with a police officer, as protests over the death of George Floyd continue in the US.
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The i newspaper predicts the pandemic will spark the biggest funding crisis ever seen in UK universities. It says students may have to live in social bubbles with the same people who are on their course. And fresher's week - the time for new undergraduates to socialise with each other - will be virtual, the paper suggests.
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The Sun suggests the UK is heading for "three boosts" in its fight against the virus. It reports that breweries are aiming to produce 250 million pints for pubs in the next two weeks amid hopes they could reopen by the end of June. The paper also suggests that the number of weekly excess deaths could soon be at zero, and EasyJet are planning to fly to three in four destinations by August.
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The Daily Express has carried out what it calls a "damning" survey, which suggests two-thirds of over-55s are willing to pay an extra penny on their income tax to fund social care. It says 41% of all those surveyed backed a ring-fenced tax increase. The paper says the failings of the social care system have been "cruelly exposed by the coronavirus pandemic". Mr Hancock has pledged radical reform, the paper adds.
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has written in the Times - but not about the coronavirus. Mr Johnson has said Britain will have "no choice" but to offer the people of Hong Kong a route to UK citizenship if China strips them of their freedom. Mr Johnson says he would "willingly" change the UK immigration rules to offer Hong Kong's three million residents extended visa-free access to Britain. China is seeking to impose a new law making undermining its authority a crime in the territory.
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The Financial Times says it has seen plans showing the EU is seeking new powers to rein in what it believes is unfair competition from China and elsewhere. The European Commission is suggesting greater scrutiny of companies that are state-owned or subsidised by a foreign government. The paper says the plans are "likely to stoke tensions at a sensitive time in the EU's relations with China".