BIDEN WANTS RUSSIAN GAS PIPELINE TO GERMANY STOPPED

The Express reports that U.S President  Joe Biden has voiced further opposition to the construction of a gas pipeline between Russia and Germany. His criticism raises the prospects of the Nord Stream 2 project, which is backed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, could be slapped by US sanctions. Asked about the pipeline, Mr Biden told reporters: I’ve been opposed to Nord Stream 2 for a long time … that issue is still in play.’ The project is nearing completion and is intended to carry 100 billion cubic metres of natural gas a year between the two countries  Berlin has warned against halting the pipeline’s construction, with foreign minister Heiko Mass suggesting its creation was part of a plan to de-escalate tensions with Moscow. President Biden has called Nord Stream 2 “a bad deal for Europe” but wants to maintain good links with Berlin. ’We very much want to restore our relationship with Germany after four years of abuse by the previous administration’, a senior administration official told the Politico website.

MORE EU MIGRANTS THAN OFFICIAL FIGURES SHOW

The Times reports that one hundred thousand more EU migrants came to the UK every year over the past decade than was thought, the latest figures suggest. But non-EU migrants were 54,000 a year lower than official estimates since 2012, according to the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford. Overall, net immigration was 43,000 higher each year since 2012 — 15 per cent more than official estimates.  The research suggests that government policy on immigration has been based on inaccurate and unreliable data for a decade.

THOUSANDS OF JOBS LEAVE UK BECAUSE OF BREXIT

The Independent reports that more than 440 financial firms have shifted thousands of jobs and £1 trillion of assets out of the UK and into the EU because of Brexit, with more pain still to come, according to new research. A study by the New Financial think tank indicates that Brexit has hit the City of London harder than first thought and that the impact is likely to grow. It found that banks have shifted about £900bn of assets from the UK – approximately 10 per cent of the total assets held by the UK banking system. Insurance firms and asset managers have moved a further £100bn. The worse news is that this analysis is almost certainly a significant underestimate of the real picture,” the report said. We are only at the end of the beginning of Brexit.

HAUNTED BY SUGGESTIONS THAT BBC NEWS BUILT UP FARAGE  AND UKIP

The Times reports: Samira Ahmed, the presenter, has said that she is haunted by suggestions that the BBC’s news coverage might have built up Nigel Farage and Ukip. In comments likely to reignite concerns about impartiality, Ahmed, host of the audience feedback show Newswatch on the BBC News channel, also said members of the cabinet “won’t resign over obvious issues that you might have expected them to”, citing Robert Jenrick’s role as housing secretary in a £1 billion development proposed by Richard Desmond, a Tory donor. She was speaking before a live audience on Wednesday during a filmed recording of her non-BBC podcast.

TORIES TO LOSE 550 SEATS IN NEXT MONTHS COUNCIL ELECTIONS

The Express reports that Tories are braced to lose 550 council seats at the “super Thursday” local elections next month. The Conservative party scooped up the seats in 2017 town hall votes when Jeremy Corbyn was Labour leader. Key to securing victory is winning over the support from the 10,600 voters who backed the Brexit Party last time. Covid rules mean campaigners have been heavily restricted over the last few months, meaning the party has more limited information about voting intentions and campaigning was suspended nationally after the death of the Duke of Edinburgh as a mark of respect. Polls were postponed at the height of the coronavirus crisis last year over fears for the safety of voters and staff running the polling stations and counts. The scale of the Super Thursday”voting day means that every voter in Great Britain will be able to take part in at least one type of poll, making it the biggest event of its kind outside a general election.

WIDE SPREAD TORY GOVERNMENT CRONYISM SAY LABOUR

The Guardian reports that The Conservative government is infected with widespread cronyism,   Labour has claimed, amid reports the health secretary’s family firm won contracts from the NHS.It has emerged that Matt Hancock failed to declare his interest in the company Topwood to parliamentary authorities for more than two months and had never previously declared his family’s longstanding involvement with it. Documents lodged with Companies House show that on 1 February a minority stake in the firm was transferred to Hancock. According to a report on the Guido Fawkes blog, the firm won contracts with the NHS in Wales the following month, though this is not the responsibility of the UK government.  It was not until 12 April that Hancock declared his interest in the firm. A government spokesperson said: Mr Hancock has acted entirely properly in these circumstances. All declarations of interest have been made in accordance with the ministerial code. Ministers have no involvement in the awarding of these contracts, and no conflict of interest arises.

WE’RE NOT ALL GOING ON OUR BOOKED  SUMMER HOLIDAY

The SUN reports that  Brits who have managed to nab a UK holiday this summer could lose their trip, as  other desperate families are offering to pay more to steal it. Rowena Owen, who runs a holiday letting firm in Kent, said she had been contacted by people offering to pay double to take the bookings from someone else. Also known as gazumping – which is common in the English property market – she said: “We’ve been approached by guests asking to pay double the value of the property to gazump the guests we’ve got – which I’ve never heard of in all my years in holiday letting.” She said she now has a waiting list of more than 200 people, and could rent her properties three times over.  Staycations are seeing another bumper year due to uncertainty of travelling abroad.

TESTS NOT A LOT OF COP

The Telegraph reports that the mass testing rollout has been hit with further controversy after leaked emails revealed that senior officials raised ‘urgent concerns’ about the accuracy of rapid tests. One senior executive cautioned that between just two and 10 percent of positive lateral flow tests (LFT) could be accurate. Twice-weekly rapid tests were made available for everyone in England last Friday through an online ordering system and a new “Pharmacy Collect” service. Leaked emails, seen by The Guardian, reveal that officials are considering downscaling the rollout due to growing concerns around the accuracy of lateral flow tests.

COPS CRACK DOWN ON  BRITS NEW FREEDOMS

The SUN reports that police  are set to ramp up patrols at pubs, parks and beaches this weekend as Brits prepare to make the most of their new freedoms. Primrose Hill in London will shut each night from 10pm while forces across the country have vowed to clamp down on large gatherings.  Drinkers will be making up for Christmas, New Year and Easter parties, with all-day sessions and booze sales set to  double .  In Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire, Chief Inspector Jessica Loxley-Clark, said West Mercia Police will be conducting  high-visibility patrols where there has been increased footfall.  And in Wales, Dyfed-Powys Police has urged people to always have a Plan B.The force  spokesperson said: ‘If you arrive at your Plan A and feel the area is too busy, look to your second option.’ The advice  comes as pub-goers were  expected to down five million pints on a £1.6billion Fab Friday for pubs and shops along with 500,000 bottles of wine at 20,000 pubs and 20,000 restaurants serving outdoors.

UK  MARCH TO FREEDOM COULD BE SCUPPERED

The Telegraph reports that the Indian coronavirus mutation could “scupper” the UK’s march to freedom, a leading scientist has warned, despite the lockdown and vaccine programme leading to cases falling to a seven-month low.But a professor of immunology has called for Britain to be on its guard against a third wave after 77 cases of another possible vaccine-busting mutation was recorded. Public Health England reported that 73 cases of the B.1.617 variant, which was first discovered in India, had been found, while a further four cases were identified in Scotland. Imperial College’s Danny Altmann said that as a result, those arriving into the country from India should be subject to a hotel quarantine if the UK is to shut out variants that could set back the Prime Minister’s lockdown easing plans. Prof Altmann said he suspected the Indian mutation would be escalated to a variant of concern as it holds properties that allow it to evade the vaccines currently on offer and was more transmiss.

AND FINALLY

From the Guardian: Supplies of garden gnomes and other outdoor furniture are running out due to supply chain issues and the popularity of garden centres in the UK during lockdown.  Raw materials have become increasingly difficult to come by and the recent blockage of the Suez canal has also contributed to the national shortage of gnomes. Ian Byrne, assistant manager of Highfield Garden World in Whitminster, Gloucestershire, said there had been a massive upswing in the sales of garden gnomes. ‘We haven’t seen a gnome in six months now, unfortunately’, and went on  saying that garden centres had experienced a boom and that was causing issues with the availability of many popular items. Like many garden centres, Byrne has been contacting suppliers across Europe and China to help ship garden gnomes to the UK.