The Papers: 'Man U ace nicked' and second lockdown warning

4 years ago 306

By BBC News
Staff

Published2 minutes ago

image captionThe i's front page reports on Britons making a "last-minute dash" to book late summer holidays, as Portugal officially comes off the government's quarantine list on Saturday. But "sunshine breaks" are not the sole focus of the front page, as the paper warns that swathes of the UK could be on the verge of a "'substantial growth in new infections" raising fears of a second national lockdown. It comes as nearly half a million people in northern England are now facing tighter local restrictions.

image captionThe Financial Times' weekend front page leads on news that Britain's shoppers have given the economy a "post-lockdown lift" after public finances were hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. After months of staying at home, shoppers spent more in July than before the pandemic hit, the paper says. Figures released on Friday show the economy was boosted by a combination of people taking holidays in Britain and the easing of restrictions for non-essential shops and the hospitality sector since June.

image captionThe Daily Mirror leads on news that Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has spent a second night in a jail cell after being arrested over an incident on the Greek island of Mykonos. The Syros prosecutor's office said on Friday that "three foreigners" had been arrested after an alleged altercation with police officers in Mykonos. Mr Maguire's lawyer Konstantinos Darivas said he denies the allegations and is "fully convinced he will be released without any charges on Saturday".

image captionThe arrest of footballer Harry Maguire in Greece also appears on the Daily Telegraph's front page, which carries a social media photograph of the footballer with his fiancée, posted hours before he was held by police. Meanwhile, the paper's splash reports warnings from senior government advisors that a second national lockdown could be enforced as the reproduction number of the virus stands between 0.9 and 1.1, according to Sage scientists.

image captionThe Daily Star's front page also reports on the arrest of Manchester United footballer and captain Harry Maguire in Greece.

image captionThe Times claims there is a split between the prime minister and the chancellor over pension reforms. The Times reports that whilst Rishi Sunak wants to shelve pension protections to stop big rises under the "triple lock" mechanism, Boris Johnson fears that this could lead to a "backlash" from older voters and would break the pledge made in the Conservatives' election manifesto. But a government source has insisted that the two men have not had a "blazing row" about the issue.

image captionThe Daily Mail says voters have urged the prime minister not to "let children down again" by failing to reopen schools in September, following the "fiasco" over exam results. The paper has conducted a poll which it says revealed a "huge majority" of those surveyed believe reopening schools should be the "top priority for ministers", with most people willing to see "pubs close, shops shut or even social gatherings banned if that is what is needed for proper schooling to resume".

image captionThe Guardian claims an exclusive with its front page report that Roger Taylor, the chairman of Ofqual, threatened to resign this week unless Education Secretary Gavin Williamson publicly backed the exams regulator over the U-turn on exam results, which saw students awarded grades estimated by their teachers, rather than by a much-criticised computer algorithm. Mr Williamson is said by the Guardian to have responded to the Ofqual chairman's "ultimatum" with a statement confirming his department had "full confidence" in the exams regulator and that it had been the one to drop the grades calculated by the algorithm.

image captionThe Daily Express's splash focuses on calls by Tory MPs for Brussels to "wake up" to the threat of a no-deal Brexit after EU trade talks reached a deadlock. The UK has ruled out extending the December deadline to reach an agreement, but both sides have yet to agree on competition rules, fishing rights and how a deal would be enforced. The paper quotes Prime Minister Boris Johnson's officials who claim that sealing a deal next month ready for the end of the year "won't be easy" because of the EU's "frustrating tactics".

'Williamson has nowhere to hide'

It reports that Roger Taylor demanded a public statement of support from Gavin Williamson, after Oqual dropped a controversial algorithm in favour of teacher-assessed grades.

But it's Mr Williamson himself who is vulnerable, according to the Financial Times. The paper says three cabinet ministers have told it that the education secretary's political future depends on the success of the full reopening of England's schools next month. "Gav has nowhere to hide if he fails again," says one.

image copyrightStefan Rousseau/PA Media

It says there were concerns about his safety, after photos were published of Boris Johnson's holiday cottage, giving away his location. They also revealed a bell tent next to the cottage, in an adjoining field - but the landowner, Kenny Cameron, told reporters that no-one asked his permission to erect it.

Boris Johnson "thought he was going back to Mustique", writes Matt Chorley for a sketch in the Times. But he "borrowed Gavin Williamson's laptop" to book his holiday, and it "was downgraded to a tent in an angry farmer's field".

'Don't get cancer in 2020'

He says Britain is already too slow at diagnosing patients and therefore Covid-19 will have the "worst effect" on them in Europe. His advice? "Don't get cancer in 2020".

image copyrightStefan Rousseau/PA Media

image captionSignage at the National Trust's Petworth House in West Sussex, as it welcomes back visitors following the coronavirus lockdown

"Is the National Trust turning into a national joke?", asks the Daily Mail, reflecting on a leaked memo, which suggests it should focus less on being a "major cultural institution", and more on, the paper says, "a sort of flashy entertainment provider and 'gateway to the outdoors' for the public."

With suggestions that the Trust will vet properties for links to the slave trade, Charles Moore worries it's becoming too politically correct. Writing in the Telegraph, he argues: "Members are usually fascinated by the family stories in its properties, as part of the human dimension and historical context."

Covid-19 and climate change

"Covid-19 has provided a crucial opportunity to make drastic changes to tackle the climate crisis", is the headline in The Guardian. It reports this year's Royal Institution Christmas lectures will be on "Planet Earth: A User's Guide".

They will examine "the fundamental role of the oceans and the makeup of the air we breathe". One lecture will be presented by the environmental scientist, Dr Tara Shine. She's quoted as asking: "Are we going to say humans destroyed the planet, or that we just pulled it back from the brink?"

The i, meanwhile, says a "last-minute dash" has begun for sunshine breaks, with Portugal braced for a "tourist invasion" after it was taken off the UK's quarantine list.

image copyrightSteve Parsons/PA Media

image captionA man takes a photograph of the waves in Dawlish, Devon as gusts of up to 70mph could hit coastal areas

With a photo of huts blown into the sea at Woolacombe Beach in Devon, it says forecasters predict dramatic swings between extreme weather events will become commonplace.

"Durdle Doorsome" is the headline in the Sun, picturing beachgoers forming a human chain to save a swimmer swept out to sea at Durdle Door in Dorset. "So much for staycations," concludes the Mail.

Elsewhere, the Daily Telegraph has heard a warning from senior government advisers that a second national lockdown could be imposed - with the UK at risk of following Spain's rapid increase in coronavirus cases.

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