BBC News

Newspaper headlines: Holidays 'saved' and 'pinging the changes'

By BBC News
Staff

Published
image captionThe decision to scrap an "amber watchlist" of countries at risk of moving to red in the travel traffic light system because of Covid concerns is the focus for many of Tuesday's front pages. The Daily Telegraph says summer holiday plans have received a major boost after the prime minister blocked the proposals.
image captionAccording to the i, favourite destinations including Spain and Greece had both been considered for the abandoned amber watchlist. Boris Johnson "flip-flops on changes" to the travel rules, says the paper.
image captionHoliday hopes soared after the amber watchlist plans were jettisoned, says the Daily Express. The increased restrictions had threatened family getaways and the future of many travel firms, it adds.
image captionThe Guardian says the plans for a watchlist were ditched after a revolt in the cabinet and backlash from the travel industry. It has also emerged the chief of the body advising the government on travel rules has left her job, adds the paper, prompting criticism from opposition parties.
image captionMetro highlights tweaks to the NHS app behind the "pingdemic" in England and Wales so fewer people will have to isolate after they come into close contact with a positive Covid case. The paper says the app is said to have averted up to 2,000 cases a day in early July - but the change was based on public health advice. "Pinging the changes", says its headlines.
image captionThe Daily Mail reports on both the changes to the NHS app and a decision to scrap plans for the new travel alert level. It says the prime minister staged a dramatic double U-turn on Covid amid concerns the vaccine rollout is being squandered.
image captionThe Times carries a suggestion from the chancellor that working from home could harm the careers of young people. The paper highlights comments Rishi Sunak gave in an interview to LinkedIn News in which he warned that building lasting work relationships could not be achieved with remote working. Ministers are increasingly concerned that town centres could be damaged by the shift away from offices, notes the Times.
image captionEnergy prices are set to soar, with millions of struggling families set to be hit by the biggest rise in a decade says the Daily Mirror. The raising of a price cap is set to see annual costs up by £150 for about 15 million people, the Mirror reports.
image captionThe Sun says the girlfriend of England footballer Jack Grealish has revealed she was sent 200 death threats a day by trolls on social media during the Euro 2020 tournament.
image captionThe Financial Times focuses on the £7.1bn proposed takeover of British aerospace and defence company Meggitt by US rival Parker Hannifin - reporting the UK government is taking an "active interest" in the bid because of fears it could impact on jobs and investment.
image captionFinally, the Daily Star reports on the news that fitness monitors are to be attached to dairy cows in Buckinghamshire to track their movements.

The Metro hails the tweaks to the NHS Covid app for England and Wales that were announced on Monday with the headline: "Pinging the Changes". It says fewer people should have to self-isolate as a result.

On a similar note, the Daily Mail leads with "Pings Can Only Get Better!". It talks of a "dramatic double U-turn" by Boris Johnson, after he also scrapped plans for a new amber travel watch list, for tourist hotspots in danger of turning red.

image sourcePA Media

The i accuses Mr Johnson of flip-flopping, but the Daily Telegraph's headline credits him with stepping in "to save holidays on the continent".

According to the Daily Express, the prime minister has ditched the rules "to get Britain moving".

The Guardian, quoting cabinet sources, reports that the plans for tougher quarantine restrictions were in reality killed off by a revolt by the Treasury and the Department for Transport.

The paper also says there's "chaos" at the government's advisory body on travel rules, the Joint Biosecurity Centre, after the departure of its director-general. According to the Guardian, the Department of Health and Social Care is refusing to say who is currently in charge, although sources say the search for a permanent successor is under way.

The Times highlights comments by Chancellor Rishi Sunak that it's "valuable" for young people in particular to be physically present in the office, rather than working remotely. Mr Sunak was making the point, in an interview with LinkedIn News, that he'd benefitted by finding mentors in his first job.

But the Times headline sums up his advice rather more briskly as: "Go back to the office if you want to get on". It reports that ministers are increasingly concerned that city and town centres could be damaged by the shift to remote working.

The main story for the Daily Mirror is an expectation that the energy regulator, Ofgem, will announce on Friday that the price cap will rise by about £150 a year.

The Mirror calls it an "energy bills sickener" that will push up costs for 15 million customers. There's no comment from Ofgem in the story, but the Mirror cites a warning last week by its chief executive Jonathan Brearley that global prices for fossil fuels are increasing at an unprecedented rate.

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The Financial Times reports that the government is taking an "active interest" in a proposed £7bn takeover of the British aerospace and defence company, Meggitt, by an American rival.

The FT points out that the bid is the latest from the US to target UK companies, particularly in the defence sector. The business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, who has powers to intervene, is said to be determined to ensure that the deal is in the national interest.

image sourcePA Media

Finally, the Times has noticed that five of Team GB's Olympic gold medals have been won by athletes with the same first name: Tom.

The rider, Tom McEwen, was the latest, following success for his namesakes Pidcock, Daley, and Dean. Add in silver and bronze medals and "Team Tom" have a total of nine.

If they were an Olympic nation in their own right, they would be 11th in the table, above Italy. As the paper comments, it's a good time to be a Tom in Tokyo.