Newspaper headlines: Doubt over lockdown easing as Hancock faces pressure

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By BBC News
Staff
PA Media

The front pages are largely divided between those looking back to the handling of coronavirus in care homes and those looking forward to a time when restrictions might end.

The Daily Telegraph thinks the political pressure is "mounting" on the health secretary Matt Hancock to "come clean over care homes" after explosive claims from the prime minister's ex-chief aide, Dominic Cummings. "Hancock feels heat over care home tests," it says - despite his insistence that he didn't lie about checks being carried out as patients left hospital. The paper says he recollects telling Cabinet colleagues that "tests would be done once there was capacity". In an editorial, it says Mr Hancock spent much of Thursday talking about being willing to give answers, without straightforwardly supplying one.

But the health secretary's explanation is questioned by Labour in the Guardian. "There were over 530,000 tests carried out by 20 April," says shadow social care minister Liz Kendall, "yet they couldn't test 25,000 people discharged from hospitals to care homes." The paper calls for a public inquiry, arguing that "the bereaved and Britain deserve no less".

But the Sun warns a hearing could take years and it wouldn't teach useful lessons that could be applied right away. Nevertheless, it too wants the care homes matter cleared up. "Did Matt Hancock falsely give Boris Johnson the impression that all OAPs were being tested?" it asks, adding: "Confusion is forgivable in the heat of the battle. Misleading the PM is not."

The Daily Mirror's front page has pictures of eight elderly care home residents who died after becoming infected. "You told them they were safe," is its headline.

"Don't steal our summer," cries the Daily Mail, as it reports on the prime minister's admission that "we may need to wait" for the lifting of all Covid restrictions in England, currently planned for 21 June, because of the Indian variant. Business leaders and hospitality chiefs warn this would be "devastating" for the economy - adding that traders could go bust if social distancing were kept for longer than necessary.

A masked Boris Johnson, arms folded, appears on the front of the Daily Express. It - like the Times - believes the decision "hangs in the balance".

The i's political editor, Nigel Morris, thinks a delay "could have more impact on national morale than the Cummings onslaught on his old boss".

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The Scotsman leads with a Scottish government apology for a problem with the coronavirus vaccination system, which may have delayed the delivery of appointment letters to patients. The statement doesn't say what the issue is or how many people have been affected. According to the paper, there were reports that as many as half of all appointments booked to take place at the Hydro arena in Glasgow were missed last weekend.

The latest twist in the seizing of a Belarusian dissident from a Ryanair flight makes the main story for the Financial Times. The arrest of Roman Protasevich and his Russian partner after their plane was forced to land in Belarus led to the EU telling its airlines to avoid flying over the country. Now, though, the FT reports that industry insiders are worried about the "politicisation of airspace". That's because of Moscow's refusal to approve new routes which steer clear of its ally, Belarus - forcing two European airlines to cancel some flights.

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A video of Roman Protasevich appearing to confess to crimes was released by Belarus authorities late on Monday

The Times says its investigation has led to renewed concerns that police and social services are failing thousands of girls at risk of sexual abuse. It says child protection experts are worried the police are wrongly regarding children who have gone missing repeatedly as "lost causes". In an editorial, the paper says the findings are troubling, especially as it is 10 years since the child sexual abuse scandal in Rotherham. It warns that too little is being done to investigate exploitation and that too little information is being shared between police, social services and other agencies.

The Guardian reports that schools in England face a repair bill of more than £11bn, nearly double some previous estimates. It says the cost was indentified in the government's national survey, which was repeatedly delayed. Buildings are said to be crumbling, leaking and in some cases riddled with asbestos. The government says it's spent more than £11bn on refurbishing schools since 2015.

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"Blue heaven!" is how the Mail describes a new £20m Rolls Royce convertible. Named "the Boat Tail", the Express describes how the world's most expensive car boasts a fridge and a rear deck which opens to reveal bespoke china, crystal glasses, cocktail tables with chairs and even a pop up parasol. The Telegraph says the convertible was custom-made for the singer Beyoncé and the rapper Jay-Z to suit their taste for picnicking on the French Riviera.

And football's offside rule is something which even the sport's finest minds sometime struggle to comprehend - so, according to the Times, the Premier League is trying to come up with a new answer: artificial intelligence. The paper says secret tests involving AI have taken place at one top flight club, with "extremely promising" results. The system involves using Hawk-Eye technology to monitor players and the ball, sending an instant message to the referee's wristwatch. The Times says the system could restore some spontaneity back into the game and even be in place for next year's World Cup.