UK 'hardest hit by Covid fallout' and next Bond 'shouldn't be American'

The Observer reflects on the fallout from the Covid pandemic, as the UK marks five years since the pandemic started with a day of reflection on Sunday. The paper has carried out its own analysis which it says shows Britain performed worse than most other developed nations in its response to the pandemic. The UK spent more money than most other countries on economic help yet saw larger drops in life expectancy and more people too sick to work, the paper says.

For a second day, the Telegraph leads with its investigation into the man who ran a Russian spy ring in Britain, Jan Marsalek. The paper says fugitive Marsalek - who faces no charges in the UK - wanted to create a private army to control migration into Europe. Elsewhere, Reform UK's Nigel Farage has written in the paper warning against infighting within the party, and defending his decision to suspend one of its five MPs. The Telegraph front page also pictures James Bond star Pierce Brosnan who tells the paper the next 007 should not be an American.

The Sunday Mirror looks ahead to a vote in the Commons this week, on Labour's plans to ban persistent anti-social behaviour offenders from town centres. The government wants to bring in new "Respect Orders" which Home Secretary Yvette Cooper hopes will restore trust in the police, the paper reports.

The Mail on Sunday reports on the case of a Palestinian asylum seeker who crossed the Channel this week and was picked up by the UK Border Force. The paper says he is is a "militant" who has shared videos on his social media calling for Jewish people to be killed.

The Sunday Express's front page is also on asylum seekers - but it focuses on the cost of support schemes offered in the UK. It has carried out its own investigation which finds the government and local councils spent a total of £6.6bn over the past five years on schemes for refugees, which sometimes include trips to the zoo, tennis lessons and sandwich deliveries.

The Daily Star reports that Britons are "going goggle-eyed for telescopes". They're buying more than ever before because of the soaring interest in space, the paper says.

The Sunday People reports on figures showing 40 women have been fired from prison jobs in the last four years for having sex with inmates. The figures come just days after 26-year-old Katie Evans - who is pictured on the front page next to the headline - was jailed for having a relationship with a male inmate at HMP Doncaster. Also pictured on the front page is actress Blake Lively, who attended a film premiere this weekend.

According to a Sunday Times investigation, defence firms supplying weapons to the British military are being "attacked and sabotaged" by pro-Palestinian activists. It says the group Palestine Action has claimed responsibility for more than 350 "direct actions" since 2020 - including damage to banks, estate agencies, universities and local government buildings. This weekend the group vandalised one of Trump's Scottish golf courses, the paper says. The group tells the Times that the goal of its direct actions is to "rid Britain of Israeli weapons factories".

And the Sun reports that Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher is facing a new legal battle with the mother of his child, over child support payments. It says a claim has been lodged in New York, and follows a previous settled legal claim.

The Sunday Telegraph welcomes moves by the government to make it easier to dismiss civil servants if they are not performing well.

The paper's opinion column points out that the civil service's headcount has been allowed to swell "beyond reason".

But it argues that the measures need to go a lot further.

The Telegraph thinks ministers should possess the same powers over their departments as chief executives have over their companies - "dismissing the incompetent and ensuring that their orders are carried out".

The lead in the Sunday Times is: "Pro-Palestine activists target defence firms." It suggests that members of the group Palestine Action have carried out attacks on what it describes as the UK's "most strategically important defence contractors" including BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin.

It states that activists have ram-raided factories, cut internet cables and smashed up workshops and offices. Palestine Action is quoted saying: "The primary goal of our campaign is to rid Britain of Israeli weapons factories."

"Britons among hardest hit by Covid five years on" is the headline for the Observer.

It explains that - as events are held to mark the anniversary of the start of the pandemic - there is evidence that the UK is struggling more than other nations to recover.

The paper has analysed international data, and concludes that Britain is facing "larger drops in life expectancy, more people too sick to work, huge levels of homelessness and soaring mental health problems among young people".

Bond actor Daniel Craig at the world premiere of Spectre in 2015

There is anger on the front of the Sunday Express about the reported £6.6bn cost of asylum seeker and refugee support schemes in the UK.

The paper is horrified that some of the money has apparently been spent on activities including trips to the zoo, tennis lessons and even a visit to the Emirates football stadium in London.

The Home Office is quoted saying it has introduced "new controls" to minimise unnecessary spending.

The Sunday Mirror leads on plans by ministers to crack down on "thugs who terrorise communities".

It says Labour's "war on yobs" will involve a new law to be voted on by MPs this week.

This could give police, councils and other public bodies the power to ban persistent offenders from areas where they have "caused misery".

Breaching an order could result in up to two years in jail. The paper's leader calls it "the first step towards safe and secure neighbourhoods in which everyone can thrive".

"Sex cells" is the headline for the Sunday People - with the cells in question being in jails. It reports that the number of female prison staff who have been sacked for having sex with inmates has "trebled in recent years".

According to the paper, government figures indicate that forty women have been fired in such cases in the past four years.

And finally, the Mail on Sunday tries to quell fears which it says have been expressed by James Bond fans, about what Amazon's takeover of the 007 franchise could mean for its central character. It says a source at the American company has confirmed that "certain things" are "sacrosanct". We are told that the next Bond will be a man, and will be "British or from the Commonwealth".

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