The Papers: \'Joy\' over prospect of summer holidays for Britons

Newspaper headlines: 'Joy' over prospect of summer holidays for Britons

By BBC News Staff
Daily Mirror
Image caption 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.
Daily Star
Image caption "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 near 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.
Daily Mail 3 june
Image caption 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".
Daily Telegraph 3 June
Image caption 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.
The Guardian 3 June
Image caption 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.
The Metro
Image caption 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 DC clashing with a police officer, as protests over the death of George Floyd continue in the US.
i newspaper
Image caption 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 freshers' week - the time for new undergraduates to socialise with each other - will be virtual, the paper suggests.
The Sun
Image caption 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.
Daily Express 3 June
Image caption 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.
The Times 3 June
Image caption 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.
Financial Times Wednesday
Image caption 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".

The coronavirus pandemic continues to lead many of the papers - but not completely.

The lead for the Times is Boris Johnson's pledge to offer nearly three million people in Hong Kong enhanced visa rights and a potential path to British citizenship, if China pushes ahead with its controversial security law.

"Many in Hong Kong fear that their way of life is under threat", Mr Johnson writes in the paper, adding: "Britain could not in good conscience shrug our shoulders and walk away."

By using such language, the Times says, the prime minister has made the row a "matter of national honour" - which represents a "dramatic escalation of the confrontation with Beijing."

Image copyright Reuters
Image caption Mr Johnson said the UK would "have no choice" but to uphold its ties with the Hong Kong

The Daily Telegraph focuses on the prime minister's domestic agenda, reporting that after a "chaotic fortnight" he is to take direct control of the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Tory MPs, the paper reports, say it could weaken the influence of his controversial chief aide Dominic Cummings.

"Cummings is not in a brilliant place", one explains, "and knowing that makes Boris more determined to do it himself."

Meanwhile, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps have put their names to an article in the Daily Telegraph, making the case for the government's much-criticised quarantine policy.

"These measures are informed by the science, backed by the public and are essential to protect public health", they write.

The joint article is intended as a "show of unity", the Telegraph says.

But it also reports many Conservatives want so-called travel corridors to be rapidly established to get round the restrictions.

The Telegraph says Home Office sources were keen to stress last night such corridors might not be possible by the end of this month - a position that the paper says "may spark a Tory rebellion."

Image copyright Reuters
Image caption Sunny weather has brought many people to the UK's beaches, but many Britons are wondering when they can go abroad

Meanwhile, the Daily Star is encouraged that overseas trips could soon be back on.

"Don't forget your toothbrush!" is its front page headline, below an image of a suitcase adorned with the names of alluring destinations, including Majorca, New York… and Barnard Castle.

"Save our summer holidays!" is the headline-cum-demand on the front of the Daily Mail.

It reports that Boris Johnson has told ministers to "keep alive hopes" of breaks abroad amid a "backlash over his quarantine plan."

A Downing Street source tells the paper: "We will be guided by the science" before adding "but the PM does not want to be standing in the way of people's holidays unnecessarily."

Meanwhile, many of the papers deride the huge queues of MPs that formed on Tuesday - dubbed the "Mogg Conga" - as they waited to vote in person on whether to continue voting in person. 

"A tinge of chaos hung in the air", says the Daily Mail's sketch-writer Henry Deedes. "Think Stansted Airport on August bank holiday, though sans screaming toddlers, thank goodness."

Image copyright Reuters
Image caption Many MPs had to queue outside Parliament before voting because of social distancing rules

For the Guardian, it's no laughing matter. Fewer MPs can physically attend parliament than participate online, and the process is much more time-consuming, it says.

"Mr Johnson has seized an opportunity in a crisis to concentrate power rather than diffuse it", the paper concludes.

In its editorial, the Telegraph suggests it "may not have been a complete waste of time", pointing out that lengthy waits have become commonplace for many people during the epidemic.

"Having to queue like the rest of us should make MPs rethink the rules", its editorial argues.

Elsewhere in the paper, the Telegraph suggests the pressures of the coronavirus crisis appears to be straining marriages - with one legal advice firm reporting a 40%increase in divorce inquiries during lockdown. 

Concerns about finances, employment, as well as having to spend an increased amount of time together can add strain on relationships, a family law expert explains.

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The i newspaper considers the impact of the pandemic on universities.

Sir Anthony Seldon, vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham, tells the paper it is "comfortably... the biggest crisis ever in the history of universities."

Administrators are wrestling with the difficulties of distance learning and a reduction in foreign student income, he says.

Meanwhile students face their own hardships, such as "virtual freshers' weeks", which - the paper points out - means "no pub crawls."

If universities need advice on how to successfully adapt to the requirements of social distancing, it seems they should not look to the Commons for inspiration.

Pubs reopening?

The Sun claims to have some welcome news for many. It says it has been privy to a "secret blueprint to unshutter the nation's boozers", drawn up by the Department for Business.

It could see pubs fully reopen by the end of June, the paper says, albeit with orders placed remotely via an app.

One landlord - Greg Grundy, of The Egremont in Worthing - says there is definitely demand from customers.

He tells the paper: "It'll be a scramble for stock. There's an unquenchable thirst for pub beer out there."

Meanwhile, the Guardian reports UK food bank charities had their busiest month ever at the start of the coronavirus lockdown.

The Trussell Trust says demand went up 89%, while for the Independent Food Aid Network the increase was 175%.

They appeal for an emergency cash support scheme to help struggling low-income households. A government spokesman tells the paper ministers have taken significant action to support those affected by coronavirus.

And finally, if we humans are struggling, then at least the sea horses are doing OK - according to a report in the i newspaper.

Sixteen of them have been spotted at Studland Bay in Dorset - compared to none in 2019 and 2018.

The key has been the absence of human activity, the paper says, with the "lure of calm, quiet waters during lockdown coaxing the spiny seahorses back."