Fisheries

Guardian
Downing Street fears that Michel Barnier has lost his grip on the fishing negotiations, throwing doubt over Boris Johnson’s hopes of a summer of swift and definitive progress towards a trade and security deal with the EU. The bloc’s chief negotiator had been expected to present a compromise proposal on access to British waters during the talks last week but was blocked at the last minute by member states with large fishing communities. British sources said an unexpected decision by fisheries ministers at a meeting with Barnier to reject a move away from their hardline position had “skewed things late in the process”, preventing a middle ground being found.

Express
FRANCE has warned the UK it is determined and will do everything to fight for the rights of French fishermen after Brexit. French foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said France will do everything it can to ensure Britain gives guarantees to French fishermen in Brexit talks during an interview with a local newspaper, Le Telegramme. Fishing is particularly politically sensitive for France, who fishing industry relies heavily on British waters. Mr Le Drian, who is from the coastal region of Brittany, reiterated France’s determination to defend access to British waters for French fisherman during talks over Britain’s future relationship with the EU.

Sun
BRITISH negotiators fear Michel Barnier has lost control of the fishing talks to hardline EU states in a major Brexit setback. David Frost and his team were alarmed after a group of coastal countries torpedoed the Frenchman’s efforts to find a breakthrough last week. UK officials said Mr Barnier is keen to climb down from the bloc’s unrealistic demands and progress was being made towards a fix. But momentum ground to a halt after he was given a dressing down by fisheries ministers from countries including France and Germany.

Times
No 10 fears that Michel Barnier, the European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator, has lost control of the talks under pressure from France and other countries as a row over access to Britain’s fishing waters threatens to delay progress. David Frost, the UK’s chief negotiator, was ready to explore quotas in terms of numbers and percentages of the catch but the European Commission was unable to go into the detail because of opposition led by France.

Sky News
Fishing, dredging and other damaging activities could be completely banned from areas of England’s coastal waters following the results of an independent review commissioned by the government. The report by former fisheries minister Richard Benyon recommends a minimum of five pilot sites are set aside as Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) without delay, to ensure ocean ecosystems can recover to their former pristine state. Sky Ocean Rescue has campaigned for improved marine protection, highlighting the absurdity of gravel extraction and industrial fishing being permitted in existing conservation zones.

Brexit

Telegraph
Sterling has come under pressure amid fears of a breakdown in Brexit trade talks and speculation the Bank of England will set negative interest rates. A fourth round of talks over Britain’s relationship with the EU reached a dead end last week. Michel Barnier, Brussels’ chief negotiator, claimed that no significant progress had been made. Meanwhile, senior figures at the Bank have stoked concern that interest rates could be cut below zero in a historic bid to support the economy.

EU

Telegraph
Christine Lagarde is taking a big economic risk by doubling down on stimulus when the eurozone money supply is already exploding at rates unseen since the launch of the euro. She is taking an even bigger political risk in doing so after Germany’s top court ruled that the European Central Bank abused its power in earlier bond purchases, straying from monetary management into broad economic policymaking without a treaty mandate. Radical monetary policies are disturbing long-established relationships within German society, whatever the theoretical justification – less scientific than Frankfurt pretends.

Voice of Europe
Many Eastern European nations — including all of the Visegrád Group countries, plus several others — that are European Union member states have sent a joint letter to Brussels stating that they reject any proposal by the bloc to require member states to accept quotas of migrants. They instead propose strengthening the EU’s borders as a solution to the migrant crisis. The Visegrád Group countries — the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia — were joined by Estonia, Latvia, and Slovenia in signing the letter, according to a report by SCEPTR.

Race riots

Mail
Black Lives Matter protesters chased police through the streets of the capital today (Sunday) as hundreds of demonstrators clashed with members of the force during the anti-racism rally. Violent scenes showed police officers bleeding on the streets and others being pelted by objects as they ran for safety as a peaceful demonstration turned violent after thousands descended upon Whitehall, London, today, to take part in the march.

ITV News
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the anti-racism demonstrations had been “subverted by thuggery”, following clashes between pockets of protesters and police. Mr Johnson tweeted that “people have a right to protest” but turning to violence was “a betrayal of the cause they purport to serve.” The Black Lives Matter rallies attracted thousands of people right across the UK and were largely peaceful. But protests in London resulted in 12 people being arrested and eight officers injured during Sunday’s anti-racism demonstrations, Metropolitan Police said.

Breitbart
An activist at the Black Lives Matter protest in London on June 7th was filmed and pictured attempted to set fire to the flags which adorn the Cenotaph, the United Kingdom’s national war memorial. The Cenotaph — “empty tomb” — was dedicated the memory of “The Glorious Dead” in the wake of the First World War, and is the focus of ceremonies honouring the fallen from throughout the British Isles and the former British Empire, of all colours, at several points during the year, Its vandalisation with “BLM” graffiti on June 6th — the anniversary of the D-Day landings — while many veterans remained unable to attend memorial ceremonies due the coronavirus lockdown, caused considerable public upset.

Sun
BLACK Lives Matter protesters have pulled down a statue of a 17th Century slave trader in Bristol. The controversial Edward Colston monument was ripped from its plinth using rope as crowds cheered. The protesters could then be seen jumping up and down on the toppled statue as it came crashing to the ground. It has now been rolled into the river after being dragged towards the water by a group of jubilant protesters. Avon and Somerset Police superintendent Andy Bennett said tonight the force is hunting a small group of people “who clearly committed an act of criminal damage” after the statue was downed.

Independent
Boris Johnson has said anti-racism demonstrations were “subverted by thuggery” after some protesters clashed with police over the weekend. The prime minister said people had the right to protest peacefully but those who clashed with police were “a betrayal of the cause they purpose to serve” – and would be held to account. Thousands of people took part in demonstrations across the UK over the death of George Floyd in the US at the hands of a white police officer. Some 12 people were arrested and eight police were injured during protests in London on Sunday, which saw some clashes between demonstrators and officers.

Star
Black Lives Matter protesters have forced the M6 motorway to be closed after demonstrators spilt out across the dual carriageway. Witnesses said the group took to the motorway near Coventry and were chanting “Black Lives Matter”.  Drivers were urged to look for alternative roots after protesters took over the motorway starting at around 6pm. It is believed a “rolling roadblock” stretched back as far as Junction 2 as motorists found themselves queuing for around an hour.

Morning Star
BLACK LIVES MATTER (BLM) protests continued to erupt across Britain today, with tens of thousands demanding justice for George Floyd and an end to entrenched racism. A massive crowd gathered outside the US embassy in south London, with anti-racist protesters taking a knee and chanting: “No justice, no peace.” Demonstrators highlighted Britain’s guilt in the repression of black and ethnic minorities, demanding the closure of immigration detention centres and holding signs reading: “The UK is not innocent.”

Mirror
Labour’s Lisa Nandy today declared she is “very proud” of Black Lives Matter protesters taking to streets amid the coronavirus pandemic, adding: “You cannot be silent”. The Shadow Foreign Secretary urged protesters to maintain social distancing – and told the small number who have been violent to “stop it”. But she added: “I’m someone who has lived with racism in my life, I’ve seen it with my family, I’ve seen it in our country and I think it requires you to take an active stance against it.

China

Times
Boris Johnson is preparing to announce tough laws to prevent foreign takeovers that pose a risk to national security as concern grows about the influence of China. Downing Street is pressing for legislation to make it mandatory for British companies to report attempted takeovers that could give rise to security risks, backed by the threat of criminal sanctions. Those that fail to do so or ignore the stringent conditions imposed by the government after takeovers could have their directors jailed, disqualified or be fined hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Mail
Boris Johnson is preparing tough new laws to crack down on foreign takeovers that pose a risk to Britain’s national security. In a move that will garner support from critics of China, Mr Johnson is considering making it mandatory for countries to announce potential takeovers that could pose a security risk.  It comes just days after it was revealed the government planned to deepen relationships with its ‘Five-Eyes’ intelligence partners, in a bid to loosen China’s grip on investment into Britain’s technology and research sectors.

iNews
Boris Johnson wants Britain to take a leading role in efforts by the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance to challenge China’s technological prowess and reduce Western reliance on companies such as Huawei, according to reports. The Prime Minister is said to have shifted ground in the debate over Chinese dominance in areas such as 5G mobile phone technology and is backing an initiative to ensure Western countries have an alternative source of equipment.

Times
China has insisted there has been “no delay or cover-up whatsoever” in its coronavirus response as it released a detailed report into the pandemic. It was the country’s most comprehensive account so far, and Beijing used the document to deny criticisms that it had delayed and even sought to cover up the disease in its initial actions. “The fact is that there’s no delay or cover-up whatsoever by the Chinese government,” said Ma Xiaowei, the director of the National Health Commission, citing facts listed in the 84-page white paper report.

Local lockdowns

Independent
Local lockdowns where the epidemic is returning will be “unenforceable”, two northwest mayors are warning – also raising fears that workers told to isolate will be sacked. The region is the most likely to see coronavirus restrictions reimposed – after one study put the R reproduction rate above 1 – but local leaders are protesting they lack the powers and the money. Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, and Steve Rotheram, his equivalent in Merseyside, also highlighted the plight of lower-paid staff told to stay off work by the new test and trace system.

Masks

Times
Face coverings should be compulsory in all healthcare settings, including GPs’ surgeries, the British Medical Association has said. Ministers announced last week that from a week today all hospital staff in England must wear surgical masks and all visitors and outpatients will have to wear face coverings. However, Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the BMA, said that the measures “must also be extended to cover GP surgeries and other health, community and social care settings”.

Hospitality

Times
Ministers have identified June 22 as the date they hope to reopen pubs and restaurants in a plan designed to “save the summer”. Rishi Sunak is one of half a dozen ministers calling themselves the “save summer six” who want to speed up the reopening of the economy. Last night the Financial Times reported that they were aiming for June 22 to allow pub gardens and the outdoor spaces of restaurants to reopen.

Mail
Pub beer gardens could reopen this month under plans to save the hospitality industry from collapse. Boris Johnson wants to fast-track the reopening of outdoor hospitality within weeks after being warned that 3.5 million jobs could be lost this summer if the sector remains locked down. The Prime Minister is also under mounting pressure to halve the two-metre social distancing rule, which industry chiefs say is unworkable.

Quarantine

Telegraph
Boris Johnson’s quarantine policy is set to be decided in court with more than 500 travel and hospitality businesses expected on Monday to join a legal bid by airlines to reverse the restrictions. A new group called Quash Quarantine, which includes major names such as hotelier Sir Rocco Forte, will announce how it plans to stop the policy in its tracks, with options including backing a judicial review or seeking its own injunction. They claim the quarantine rule — which comes into force on Monday — is driven by politics rather than science.

Guardian
Britain’s three biggest airlines have started legal proceedings against the government in a bid to overturn quarantine rules due to take effect in the UK from Monday. BA’s owner, IAG, along with Ryanair and EasyJet, have sent a pre-action protocol letter setting out why they believes the moves, which will force air passengers arriving from abroad to self-isolate for 14 days, are illogical and unfair.

Telegraph
The Government’s flagship passenger quarantine scheme risked descending into chaos after even a Home Office spokesman admitted it was “very hard to imagine how it would work in practice”. Almost all travellers arriving in the UK from Monday are  being threatened with fines if they fail to fill in an online form at ports of entry and then decline to self isolate for two weeks. But according to a leaked Home Office document seen by the Telegraph, there is no method for Border Force officials to ensure if details submitted are ‘genuine’ and fines for inaccurate entries will only be issued if they are ‘manifestly false’ such as claiming you are called ‘Mickey Mouse’ and reside at ‘Buckingham Palace’.

Sky News
With each week that passes, the so-called “new normal” evolves again. Today it’s the introduction of 14-day quarantine at the border. Next week it’s likely to be the reopening of shops that had been deemed non-essential. But as each change is made or mooted, the debate over whether the government is moving too quickly, or not quickly enough, evolves with it. A few weeks ago the narrative was of Boris Johnson’s apparent volte-face – the “hawk” prime minister who had been reluctant to impose a lockdown, transformed by his personal experience in hospital to become a “dove” convinced both of its efficacy and on-going necessity.

Second wave

Times
The virus has no interest in your moral intent. It does not care if you are meeting people because you are angry about racism, because you are honouring VE Day with a conga line or because you want to test your eyesight in Barnard Castle.  It cares only that you meet people. Right now, more people are meeting other people than scientists would like. The first wave is not yet over, but they are warning that a second peak of infections, as Iran is experiencing, could well be on its way.

Mirror
Almost half of people say the government is “not prepared” to avoid a second wave of coronavirus, a poll has found. Some 47% of said they believed the government is not “prepared to stave off a potential second wave of the pandemic.” By comparison 35% think the government is prepared, according to the Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll of 1,500 British adults for the Sunday Mirror.

Holidays

Telegraph
The head of cruise giant Carnival has played down hopes of a proposed August 1 restart of sailing for the world’s largest cruise line, describing the fallout from Covid-19 as “devastating”. Speaking exclusively to The Telegraph, president and chief executive Arnold Donald said that despite reports they had definitively “pronounced a resumption of cruise” at the start of August, they would only sail when “it will be no greater risk, or even lower risk, then other forms of social gathering.”

Mail
Tourists will be allowed to travel freely across the EU by the middle of July, as the government plans to water-down its travel quarantine policy ‘as quickly as possible’.  Boris Johnson wants to agree a cross-EU exemption, which would allow Britons to visit EU countries without having to isolate for 14 days. This comes after transport chiefs attacked the Government’s economically ‘devastating’ travel quarantine, which was implemented on Monday.

Sun
HOLIDAYMAKERS will be able to travel freely across Europe from July without having to quarantine on their return, under a new No10 plan. Boris Johnson wants to agree a cross-EU exemption to the order for all arrivals to the UK to isolate for 14 days. The controversial policy, drawn up by the PM’s chief of staff Dominic Cummings, came into force at midnight. But insiders say Boris now wants it watered down as soon as possible. Senior Cabinet ministers on the Covid-19 Operations Committee meet this week to finalise criteria to start negotiating air and sea bridges, which will be known as ‘international travel corridors’.

Times
Britons will be tempted abroad by a “flood” of cheap airline seats and package holidays once travel restrictions are lifted, industry experts have said. Travel companies are already cutting prices by up to two thirds in an attempt to restore confidence and entice holidaymakers to book overseas trips this summer, with more deals expected in the coming weeks. The sector is gearing up to send tourists abroad as early as next month amid hopes that “air bridges” between Britain and popular tourist destinations, allowing quarantine measures to be bypassed, could be in place.

Electric cars

Telegraph
Drivers will be given up to £6,000 to swap their petrol or diesel cars for electric ones under plans being considered by Boris Johnson ahead of a major speech to relaunch the economy. The move is designed to provide a shot in the arm for UK electric car manufacturing and for the car industry as a whole after it was devastated by the coronavirus lockdown.

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