image captionCoronavirus restrictions make the front of several of Monday’s papers. The Metro reports there are calls for Boris Johnson to reconsider the 22:00 closing time for hospitality venues. It comes after footage showed crowds of people partying in the street in cities including Liverpool. The early closure “is simply making things worse, not better,” the city’s mayor tweeted.
image captionThe Daily Telegraph suggests people are becoming “increasingly fatigued” by lockdown measures. The paper’s top story tells readers that from Monday, it is illegal not to self-isolate in England – punishable with a fine of up to £10,000 – and neighbours are being urged to report those who are breaking the rules. The paper adds that up to 100 Conservative MPs are now ready to back a call for Parliament to have more say on future lockdown measures.
image captionThe Daily Express also reports on the fines of up to £10,000 for people who refuse to self-isolate. The paper calls it a “dramatic escalation of state surveillance” and says it shows Boris Johnson is ready to defy complaints from Tory MPs that the restrictions are “draconian”. Ministers have said Mr Johnson will defeat the revolt by backbench MPs who want Parliament to have more say, the paper adds.
image captionThe Daily Mail says the revolt by Conservatives is “growing” over the way Mr Johnson’s government is “infringing liberties”. The paper says those who have been told to quarantine could face a knock on the door from police officers who will be able to carry out spot checks and act on tip-offs to check people are self-isolating.
image captionThe Times reports that ministers are planning to bring in a “total social lockdown” across much of the north of England and potentially London. It says the new emergency plan would see all pubs and restaurants shut for an initial period of two weeks, and households would be banned from mixing indoors. The Times says it was an option presented last week, and quotes a government source as saying tougher measures on social interaction are “inevitable in some parts”.
image captionThe mass rollout of a coronavirus vaccine in the UK could be delayed for two years, the i newspaper reports. The paper says experts are warning that the government has failed to speak to the Oxford University vaccine group about the practical steps involved in making sure there are enough supplies to roll-out the jab. One logistics expert says front-line workers and high-risk groups could be vaccinated by the end of 2021, but the entire population “is a real challenge”.
image captionThe Guardian’s top story is on the environment, reporting that 64 world leaders including Boris Johnson have backed a 10-point pledge encompassing measures that would clamp down on pollution, stop dumping plastic waste in oceans and end unsustainable fishing practices. The leaders have called the pledge – which will be launched in New York on Monday – a “turning point”.
image captionThe Daily Mirror carries a photo from a US cattle farm on its front page, as it warns that tens of thousands of cows in the US are “pumped with hormones”. The paper says it has visited some of the farms in the US and warns against such beef being allowed into the UK under any post-Brexit trade deal.
image captionThe top story on the front of the Financial Times also comes from the US, after President Donald Trump said Obamacare – which has provided health insurance to millions of Americans – could be ended after the election. The Supreme Court is set to consider the law again in November, and Mr Trump has already announced he is nominating Amy Coney Barrett to the court who previously criticised a ruling which upheld Obamacare.
image captionThe Daily Star carries a warning for pet owners, after reports that “hungry rats” were eating people’s pet tortoises because normal food sources have dried up. The warning comes from the International Tortoise Association which said: “Please make sure your pet doesn’t become a victim.”
A number of papers lead with the strict new coronavirus self-isolation rules which take effect in England today.
The Daily Mail says people ordered to quarantine face a “knock on the door” from police, while the Daily Telegraph reports that neighbours are being encouraged by the government to report people who break quarantine.
For the Daily Express it is a “dramatic escalation of state surveillance”
The Telegraph suggests lockdown measures are causing increasing fatigue and reports that up to 100 Conservatives MPs are ready to back a rebel amendment which would force ministers to give the Commons a vote on future measures.
The Mail agrees the backbench revolt is growing, but the Express reckons that Boris Johnson is determined to press ahead with the crackdown and will face down Tory rebels.
Lockdown latest
According to the Times, ministers are preparing to enforce a total social lockdown across much of northern England and potentially London to combat a second wave of Covid-19.
The paper says an emergency plan envisages shutting all pubs, restaurants and bars, initially for two weeks.
Households would also be barred from meeting each other anywhere indoors.
The Times reports that the measures were among options presented to Mr Johnson and senior ministers before the latest restrictions were announced – but there was fear of a backlash.
A senior government source is quoted as saying: “The nation and party weren’t ready for us to go any further last week. Tougher measures will have to come though.”
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image captionLondon is among the areas that could see tougher measures on socialising, the Times reports on Monday
There is plenty of sympathy for the more than 3,000 university students now locked down in their halls of residence in England and Scotland following outbreaks of the virus.
The Daily Mirror thinks threatening to keep students on campuses over Christmas is “foolish posturing” and probably impossible to enforce; instead, there’s a good case for reducing tuition fees for online learning.
The Telegraph and the Mail agree that pressure is mounting for such a refund.
But the Sun argues that if the number of deaths are on the rise in December, it would be “madness” to allow students to “yoyo up and down the country” visiting parents and grandparents.
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image captionStudents at Glasgow University are among those being told to self-isolate
The i newspaper suggests that the mass rollout of a Covid-19 vaccine in the UK could be delayed for two years.
It says ministers have failed to get to grips with the supply chain requirements needed to ensure everyone can be immunised.
Key components said to be in short supply include medical-grade glass vials to store the vaccine, refrigerated lorries and aircraft to transport it, personal protective equipment and even pallets to pack it.
The government says it has secured early access to 340 million doses when an effective vaccine is developed.
There’s more optimism about the prospect of a trade deal between the UK and the European Union.
The Financial Times says the negotiations are in a race against time – with the transition period ending on 1 January.
It quotes a British official as saying Boris Johnson “very much wants a deal, but not at any price”.
The Mail suggests that both sides are giving ground to avoids the economic blow that a no-deal outcome would inflict on top of the pandemic – and the Sun reports that Brussels is offering an olive branch on the issue of state aid and and tax breaks for Northern Ireland.
Meanwhile, the Guardian reports that Mr Johnson, the French President Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel are among more than 60 leaders from five continents who have pledged to clamp down on pollution, to embrace sustainable economic development, and to eliminate the dumping of plastic waste in oceans by the middle of the century.
The paper says the move – which will be announced later at the UN in New York – is being billed as “meaningful action” to halt the destruction of nature.
However, President Trump and his counterparts in China and Brazil, Xi Jinping and Jair Bolsonaro, have not signed up.
image copyrightReuters
image captionPrince Harry and Meghan reached a multi-year deal with Netflix, it was announced earlier this month
The Sun leads with a report that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have agreed to be filmed for a fly-on-the-wall reality series.
The paper says it had been thought that their £112m deal with Netflix would involve them working only behind the camera – but a source is quoted as saying Meghan wants people to see the “real her” and to offer a glimpse into the couple’s lives.
The Sun notes that they moved to California after complaining about media intrusion. It bills the forthcoming show: “The Only Way Is Sussex”.
Chilly tennis
And in tennis, Andy Murray won only six games as he crashed out of the French Open in the first round yesterday.
The Telegraph observes that he was wearing tights – and that a number of players complained about the wintry weather in Paris.
Normally, the tournament takes place in late May and early June.
But it’s been rescheduled because of the pandemic. The paper reports that the former world number one, Victoria Azarenka, refused to wait on court for conditions to improve.
She walked off, telling officials: “I’m not sitting here, I’m going to get frozen. I live in Florida.”
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