Brexit 

Express
BREXITEER outrage has erupted after Baroness Kate Hoey exposed attempts by the Republic of Ireland to worsen the ongoing rift between the EU and the UK.
Baroness Hoey told talkRADIO this afternoon that the Republic of Ireland government is to blame for the worsening Brexit crisis. Earlier this week, Lord David Frost urged Brussels to renegotiate the Brexit deal. However, this was swiftly rejected by EU leaders, prompting Baroness Hoey to fire back.
Baroness Hoey told Mike Graham that “the only way this can be put right is to get rid of the Protocol”.
She explained: “The UK Government has admitted that the criteria to meet Article 16 has been met, both societally and economically.
“That was put in there specifically if there were difficulties with the Protocol. There are now difficulties.
“But the Government wants to give the EU more opportunity to negotiate and talk about changes, rather than recognising that the EU is not going to change.”
She continued: “It is in the EU’s interest to keep this going.
“The fact they came out so quickly and rejected Lord Frost’s requests, shows they really, really don’t care about the Northern Ireland situation.
“In the past week, we have seen the dumping of 700 new regulations that Northern Ireland will have to comply with. It is completely unsustainable.
“The EU has still not accepted that we have left and that we are not going back. 

Express
BRITAIN’S calls to renegotiate the Brexit deal has been rejected by Emmanuel Macron’s key ally as the EU’s fury rages.
Following Lord David Frost’s request to renegotiate the Brexit deal this week, the French President’s ally and EU minister, Clement Beaune refused to change the Northern Ireland protocol. Mr Beaune instead, criticised the UK and demanded Westminster respect its own commitments. He said: “The European Union has dedicated days and nights for the past five years to find pragmatic solutions with the United Kingdom.
“The narrative of a rigid and dogmatic Europe is a tall tale.
“We have been working for months to make the protocol requested by the British government and voted by the British parliament work,” he said.
“We can still work on practical solutions, but not empty the protocol of its substance or renegotiate it.
“How could we renegotiate with a partner that cannot respect its own commitments?” 

EU 

Mail
Archie Norman, the chairman of Marks & Spencer, this week issued a cri de coeur on behalf of British retailers who export products from the mainland to Ireland.
Because the Northern Ireland protocol in the Brexit agreement places the border between the UK and Ireland, in effect in the Irish Sea, businesses such as his face a nightmare of red tape when they make landfall in Northern Ireland.
‘It’s not the rules of the Customs Union that are the problem, it is the Byzantine and pointless and pettifogging enforcement,’ he argued. No less than 40 per cent of M&S’s consignments to Ireland face a delay of between six and 48 hours.
And matters are soon to get worse. After September 30, goods destined for Northern Ireland — an internal movement of food within the UK — will suffer the same checks and bureaucracy as exports to the Republic of Ireland, a member of the EU.
So how hard is it for M&S to move goods from Britain to its 17 stores in Eire?
Here the Mail describes a disastrous delivery journey of a consignment of chicken tikka masala — M&S’s bestselling ready meal in Ireland — that took place earlier this year.
It was designed to travel from a factory in Wales to one of M&S’s stores in Dublin. But the trip turned into a 660-mile odyssey and, while this is in many ways a worst-case scenario, it illustrates the potential problems that lie in wait for our food exporters to Ireland. 

Illegal immigrants 

Express
PRITI PATEL continues to reiterate the need for a decline in migrant crossing figures – as 22,000 migrants are expected to reach British shores in 2021.
More than 8,900 migrants have already made the 21-mile trip this year, surpassing the 8,420 journeying from Calais to Dover in 2020. Analysis conducted by The Times indicates the overall figure could reach as high as 22,000.
But officials at the UK Border Force are privately anticipating an even higher tally.
One official said the estimate was “modest” and suggested it could be even higher if arrivals continued at their current pace.
This mirrors claims made by Migration Watch UK.
The independent non-political think tank based in Westminster has said the annual figure could reach as high as 25,000.
An estimated 8,500 more migrants are expected to smuggle themselves from Calais to Dover in the back of lorries, up from the 7,000 that entered the UK by the same means last year.
Priti Patel vented frustration about the number of arrivals with Dan O’Mahoney, Clandestine Channel Threat Commander, a Home Office source revealed.
More than 1,200 migrants crossed the Channel in the last week alone.
One insider at the department told The Times: “She read the riot act to Commander Dan and the team and told them these numbers cannot be repeated. They must come down and come down quickly.” 

Similar stories can be seen in the Guardian, Mail, Telegraph, Times 

Covid 

Mail
Vaccines have reduced tidal waves of coronavirus deaths to a ripple even as cases have surged, analysis reveals.
Covid hospital patients are typically younger, less sick and being discharged faster than in previous waves, as the elderly reap the benefits of getting their jabs sooner.
People are now much less likely to be infected, end up in hospital, need a ventilator or die. And there was more cause for optimism last night as Department of Health figures showed daily infections dropping to the lowest level for ten days.
Yesterday another 36,389 cases were recorded – down nearly one third from the 51,870 reported last Friday. Britain has now recorded a week-on-week drop in cases for two days in a row – the first time this has happened since early May.
The Daily Mail audit – based on Government data – compared key indicators from the current wave with those last autumn and winter. The first wave of the pandemic in spring last year has been excluded because there was so little testing.  

Mirror
Friday has seen a drop in the number of coronavirus cases of 30 per cent compared to the same day last week – but up to 97 per cent of local authorities in England have seen a weekly rise in infections.
There were 36,389 coronavirus cases recorded on Friday, according to Public Health England, a 30 per cent drop in the number of cases compared to last Friday’s 51,870.
The encouraging drop comes despite the government’s controversial decision to go ahead with the fourth and last step of its roadmap to exiting lockdown.
As of July 19 – so-dubbed Freedom Day – all legal restrictions on socialising lifted as lockdown rules came to an end after 18 months, despite widespread concerns it would lead to the “biggest wave of coronavirus” in England and to daily numbers hitting 100,000.
Below is a breakdown of Covid infections by local authorities in the past seven days to July 19.
Of the 315 local areas in England, 307 (97 per cent) have seen a week-on-week rise in rates and eight (three per cent) have seen a fall.

Telegraph
Just last weekend, Prof Neil Ferguson told the BBC it was “almost inevitable” that Britain would soon see 100,000 Covid cases per day and possibly even 200,000 daily infections.
For months now, modellers have been warning of a devastating summer spike that could exceed the highs of previous waves. Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, asked the country to brace for six-figure daily infection numbers.
Yet there are early signs that Britain has already peaked – and has done so at a far lower point than anyone expected. On July 15, the country recorded 60,676 cases, and infections have been largely falling ever since.
Although daily case numbers can be erratic, the seven-day rolling average is telling the same story. 
The slowdown began on July 19, when there was just a 1.7 per cent increase compared to 5.5 per cent the day before. The increase was smaller again the following day, at just 0.5 per cent, before falling by 2.6 per cent on July 22. 

A similar story can be seen in the Guardian 

Mirror
Ministers are reportedly planning to re-introduce Covid restrictions within weeks as cases soar.
A report in the Independent said: “Officials in the Covid-19 taskforce have been drawing up proposals that could see baseline measures, such as mask-wearing, social distancing and guidance on working from home, reintroduced in England by next month.
“The taskforce is exploring the possibility of implementing the restrictions on a local, regional or national basis.”
Sources claimed the decision would be based on the level of pressure on the NHS.
A Whitehall source told the Independent ‘baseline’ measures would be a last resort.
And an insider from Downing Street reportedly added that there would be no return to a hard lockdown, even as a circuit break. 

Pingdemic 

Guardian
England is facing weeks of disruption to bin collection, transport and food supply due to staff self-isolating, companies and councils have warned, amid concerns the 16 August date to lift quarantine for the double-vaccinated could be delayed.
No 10 was on Friday scrambling to set up a system to let more key workers take daily tests rather than isolate for 10-days, over fears that large parts of the economy could grind to a halt over the so-called “pingdemic”.
Ministers initially said that there would only be a narrow definition of critical workers allowed to be routinely excused from quarantine, with about 10,000 workers at 500 food distribution sites and some NHS and social care workers permitted to take daily tests instead of isolation.
On Friday night, No 10 suggested police, fire service staff, border staff, transport and freight could also be brought into the exemption scheme with a further 200 workplace testing sites, as rail bosses and councils warned of reduced services due to high numbers of isolating staff.
The Scottish government announced its own scheme on Friday for key workers that will allow companies to apply for permission to exempt those who work in critical roles and where staff shortages could jeopardise essential services.  

Similar stories can be seen in the Independent, Times, Evening Standard, ITV News. 

France 

Express
EMMANUEL MACRON is facing a “phenomenal” protest on Saturday against his latest coronavirus rules, also dubbed “shame health pass” laws.
The French President submitted legislation to parliament which will stop people entering restaurants and bars without a “health pass”, showing they are vaccinated, have had a recent negative test, or have immunity from COVID-19. Opponents say the state is, de facto, forcing people to get jabbed.
The new rule has attracted criticism from politicians across all parties in France and abroad.
Last weekend, police estimated that 100,000 people joined protests against the measures – some of them under the banner of the Yellow Vests. And another round of protests is planned for this weekend.
Former Senator Yves Pozzo di Borgo said President Macron is the “worst President of the Fifth Republic”.
He added: “He leaves a weakened, indebted and fractured France, but thinks only of his re-election.”
National Rally’s Julien Odoul echoed: “Absolute shame. The brutal and unapologetic definition of macronism.”
Les Patriotes leader Florian Philippot urged French residents to gather in Paris this Saturday.
He wrote: “Well, given the feedback, it’s going to be phenomenal on Saturday at Trocadéro!
“People are going to demonstrate for the first time in their lives! Everyone come! Freedom!”
Francois Asselineau, leader of the UPR, also registered his support.
He tweeted: “I will demonstrate Saturday July 24, 2021 in Paris, all French people must demonstrate for freedom and the demonstration must be apolitical!”
Generation Frexit leader Charles-Henri Gallois, who will be speaking at the protest, told Express.co.uk: “I was not opposed to the political measures against COVID-19 when we had not the vaccination weapon, even if some measures were clearly useless and inconsistent. 

Express
EMMANUEL MACRON said he was “not happy” as his plans for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris suffered a major setback.
French President Emmanuel Macron is in Tokyo today for the opening ceremony of the 2020 Olympic Games. He is one of just a handful of foreign dignitaries in the Japanese capital for the event after organisers stripped back the usually lavish affair and limited attendance. Only around 950 people will be in the stands, including US First Lady Jill Biden, who arrived in Tokyo on Thursday night.
Mr Macron’s trip to Japan will also include a reception with Emperor Naruhito and talks with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
France is preparing to host the 2024 games, and it could prove to be one of the lasting legacies of Mr Macron’s presidency.
But the French President expressed big concerns in 2019 as he admitted some of the poorest districts of Paris were failing to see the benefits of the successful bid.
He said: “At the moment, we are not meeting the goals we should have for the parts of the Paris region that are most affected by this big event. 

Gibraltar 

Express
THE EU’S plot to surrender Gibraltar to Spain has been revealed by one expert who claimed Brussels has not acted in good faith over the Rock’s sovereignty.
Despite the post-Brexit agreement on Gibraltar, one expert has attacked the EU for its “cynical” approach to the British overseas territory. While the EU has criticised the UK over the Northern Ireland Protocol, Dr Lee Rotherham, Director of The Red Cell a Brexit think tank, outlined the outrageous U-turn from Brussels. Following the introduction of a new proposal from the EU, Dr Rotheram claimed diplomats in Brussels can no longer be trusted.
Writing for CapX, he said: “The full story behind this border U-turn will be a scandal.
“Either Madrid has covertly lobbied to overturn its own agreement; or a Commission that claims to represent a ‘rules-based organisation’ and says that Brexit agreements aren’t up for revisiting is being hypocritical, overturning a prior agreement hoping to deliver a permanent border crisis for it to use to its own institutional ends.
“Both prospects are cynical, selfish, and deceitful.
“Whatever the train of events though, it transpires that the diplomats and politicians who cannot be trusted over Brexit turn out to be on the other side of the Channel.”  

Travelling 

Independent
The scale of Britain’s travel industry crisis has been laid bare by figures showing the country’s major airports will have only a fraction of their normal passenger numbers on what should be one of the busiest weekends of the year.
Manchester airport will handle less than 40 per cent of the flights of two years ago, while Gatwick – once the world’s busiest airport of its kind – will have a fifth of its usual number of travellers in August.
Industry bosses blame uncertainty caused by the government’s botched traffic light plan, as exclusive polling for The Independent shows just 12 per cent of Britons still intend to go abroad this summer.
Research by The Independent reveals that even though vaccinated passengers can avoid quarantine when returning from amber list countries, a significant resurgence in demand for international travel has not materialised – leaving Gatwick and the other UK airports handling a small fraction of previous levels of passengers.
Paul Charles, chief executive of the PC Agency, said: “The majority of the travel sector remains deeply unbusy. Consumers are nervous of the government’s poor quality traffic lights system and worried that they will be caught out while overseas, at great cost.
“We need to see governments collaborating more on opening up travel and enabling the fully jabbed to access areas without fear of quarantine.”
The abrupt shift of Portugal from the quarantine-free green list to the amber list – requiring self-isolation – was one of many shocks that has undermined travellers’ confidence. Another was last week’s surprise creation of an amber plus category. 

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