EU 

Telegraph
France is attempting to block a post-Brexit deal for the City of London until Boris Johnson grants European fishermen access to UK waters. 
French officials are seeking to stall the ratification of an agreement which will create a forum for the bloc and the UK to discuss market regulation in an attempt to pressure the Government on fishing rights, Bloomberg reported.
The memorandum of understanding, agreed in principle in March, sets the terms of engagement between the two parties and is regarded as a stepping stone for the City to gain access to the EU’s Single Market, known as equivalence. It must be agreed by all 27 EU member states.
It comes after tensions between the two countries reached a boiling point last week when a flotilla of 60 French fishing boats blockaded Jersey’s main port of St Helier in protest at new restrictions on fishing licences. The Government responded by sending naval ships to defend the port. 
The row highlights the precarious position the City finds itself in after the financial services sector was largely excluded from the Brexit trade deal and stripped of its vital EU passporting rights, which gave companies full access to EU markets. 

Express
EMMANUEL Macron’s France is acting like a “rogue state” with its threat to block UK financial firms seeking access to the EU’s market in a bid to force Britain to back down over access for French fishing boats, an MP has said.
David Jones, deputy chairman of the European Research Group (ERG) believes the move probably stems from Mr Macron’s concern at his re-election prospects next year. Clement Beaune, France’s Minister for European Affairs and a close ally of the French President, has already hinted at the possibility of his country moving to delay access for UK financial services – and insiders have confirmed such a strategy was under consideration.
Specifically, Paris is understood to be ready to block the non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreed earlier this month paving the way towards future cooperation on financial services, citing concerns over delays in obtaining licenses to continue fishing in UK waters.

Mail
Paris has said it will delay a EU financial services deal with Britain until Boris Johnson grants European fishermen fair access to UK waters, sources say.
‘We’ve made a link between the two,’ the source said.
The post-Brexit dispute over access to the UK’s fishing grounds last week saw France and the UK send patrol vessels to Jersey as French trawlers protested there.
A second source, an EU diplomat, said Britain was failing to adhere to the terms of a deal governing its post-Brexit trade ties with the EU.
There can be no progress in other areas if these are not resolved, the person added to Reuters.
‘It’s not just France and it’s not just fishing,’ said the European diplomat. ‘Britain must fully apply the agreements it signed up to, which is not the case right now.’
Britain’s huge financial services sector was largely cut off from the EU, its biggest export customer, on December 31 when the UK left the bloc. 

Express
MICHEL Barnier’s controversial immigration proposals have underlined the fact that he – and the EU in general – simply used the issue to pile pressure upon the UK throughout the Brexit debate, a former Labour MP has said.
But Tom Harris said his “risky” strategy may end up strengthening Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally party prior to next year’s French Presidential elections – as even opening up the almost-unthinkable prospect of France itself quitting the bloc. Tom Harris, a committed Brexiteer who served as MP for Glasgow South, previously Glasgow Cathcart, from 2001 to 2015, was reacting after Mr Barnier called for the suspension of all non-EU immigration into France – something Mr Harris suggested contrasted with the Frenchman’s rhetoric in the wake of the result of the 2016 referendum.
Former shadow environment minister Mr Harris said: “Will Barnier now become a non-person, disowned by those who still yearn for Britain’s triumphant return to the EU’s embrace? Even they will have their doubts.
“Not only can we no longer be sure if Barnier was actually negotiating in good faith with the UK, if he gets his way and actually wins the presidency, he could open the way to France – France! – leaving the bloc.” 

Scotland 

Express
SCOTTISH independence would be viewed as “payback” for Brexit by Brussels, an expert has claimed after discussion with EU-based political analysts.
Director of the Scottish Centre on European Relations, Dr Kirsty Hughes, revealed that diplomats and commentators in the European Union view Scottish independence as “schadenfreude”. The argument over Scotland breaking away from the UK has intensified in recent days after the SNP‘s landslide victory in the Holyrood election last week, which also produced the largest pro-independence majority in the Parliament in the history of devolution.
Dr Hughes told Chatham House: “Some different commentators and diplomats and other people – when I asked them about the scenario in about 10 years time that Scotland might be independent and then asked them about the UK, I got comments like, ‘that would be extraordinary. That would be a national humiliation.”
She added that someone in Brussels noted it would be “schadenfreude and payback for Brexit”.
“I think it’s not just England, the rest of the world has already looked on with a certain degree of horror and bafflement of the self-harm of Brexit.
“Then to see this old state break up, it adds to that sense that UK politics is failing or not working properly.” 

Covid 

Telegraph
Boris Johnson has warned that the highly infectious coronavirus variant first detected in India is of “increasing concern” in the UK after isolated outbreaks have been detected across the country. 
Speaking in the Commons, the Prime Minister said that while scientists are reporting increasingly encouraging data, new variants of the virus “pose a potential lethal danger”. 
“The end of lockdown is not the end of the pandemic,” he said. “The persistent threat of new variants, should these prove highly transmissible and elude the protection of vaccines, would have the potential to cause greater suffering than we had in January.”
He added that there is “high likelihood” of a further surge in cases and hospitalisations this autumn, and declined to rule out a further lockdown.
Earlier, the European Medicines Agency announced that jabs using mRNA technology, such as Pfizer and Moderna, seem able to “neutralise” the Indian strain. 

Guardian
The dramatic rise in UK cases of a variant first discovered in India could undermine the country’s roadmap for reopening, scientists are cautioning.
The variant, called B.1.617.2, is one of three closely related variants that were initially detected in India. Public Health England designated it a “variant of concern” on Friday, acknowledging it appears to be at least as transmissible as the dominant so-called Kent variant in the UK. It is unclear if and to what extent B.1.617.2 can reduce vaccine effectiveness.
Prof Christina Pagel, director of the clinical operational research unit at University College London and a member of the Independent Sage group of experts, speaking in a personal capacity said the rise in B.1.617.2 cases was concerning enough to delay the next stage of the roadmap scheduled for Monday, when a range of restrictions are to be lifted.
According to the Covid-19 genomics UK consortium database – which may include duplicates and does not record whether sequences of the variants are linked to travel – for sequences up to 7 May, there have so far been 1,393 instances of B.1.617.2, making it the second most common variant in the UK. 

Mail
An urgent meeting will be held by experts at the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies committee today in order to discuss the spread of India’s Covid variant – which is now dominant in four local authorities in England.
Scientists at SAGE will examine the spread of the mutant B.1.617.2 virus which is thought to be behind half of all Covid infections in London, Bedford and South Northamptonshire and is feared to be more transmissible than the currently dominant Kent variant (B.1.1.7). 
It comes as sources at Downing Street played down the possibility of a delay to the Government’s lockdown roadmap and insisted its schedule was still on track.
It is understood that while further easing of restrictions are due to take place on May 17, concerns over the rapidly spreading Indian variant could mean ‘a delay is possible’ to the final step of the roadmap on June 21, a member of SAGE told the i Newspaper. 

Telegraph
Boris Johnson has announced a full public independent inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic, with spring 2022 named as the start date.
The inquiry will be put on a statutory footing, meaning it will be underpinned by the Inquiries Act of 2005 and have legal powers such as compelling people to give evidence. 
The full remit of the inquiry has not been defined, but it is expected to look at the government response to the pandemic and what lessons should be learned for the future.
The chair of the inquiry also has not been named, though the Inquiries Act states that whoever is chosen must be independent.
Making the announcement in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Mr Johnson said: “The state has an obligation to examine its actions as rigorously and candidly as possible, and to learn every lesson for the future, which is why I have always said that when the time is right there should be a full and independent inquiry.
“So I can confirm today that the Government will establish an independent public inquiry on a statutory basis, with full powers under the Inquiries Act of 2005, including the ability to compel the production of all relevant materials, and take oral evidence in public, under oath.” 

Masks 

Sun
MASKS in shops and offices are heading for the chop on June 21.
Social distancing will end in another huge lift for fed-up Brits.
Boffins are on board with the plans by the National Economy Recovery Taskforce.
Boris Johnson also aims to scrap the work-from-home order.
An insider said: “The current thinking points to social distancing going and mask wearing only in limited settings like buses, trains and the Tube.
“Obviously this is all dependent on final sign-off but the data is looking good and the political will is there for a proper lift-off.”
The Sun has learned that the National Economy Recovery Taskforce have discussed a “maximalist” approach to lifting “non-pharmaceutical interventions” like masks and staying apart everywhere except for a small list of confined places.
More unlocking measures, such as meeting indoors, are due on Monday, but social distancing and mask wearing have been kept under separate review.
Government scientists are now said to be on board with the taskforce’s plans as virus rates plummet while jabs soar.
Masks on trains and buses remain an option but possibly without the fines to enforce the measure. 

Vaccine 

Express
BRITISH citizens living in Spain have claimed they are being denied coronavirus jabs – with one apparently told: “We don’t vaccinate foreigners.”
The startling revelation is unlikely to improve British/Spanish relations, coming as it does at a time when Madrid is already cracking down ruthlessly on UK expats living in the country following Brexit. And if the allegations are accurate, those refusing to administer injections are in flagrant breach of the rules.
Expats said local officials told them, in the wake of the UK quitting the bloc, they are not entitled to public health cards after Brexit, instead being expected to take out private health insurance.
Speaking to the Telegraph, John McKenzie, 42, who suffers from diabetes and a heart condition, said he had tried on four occasions to register at his local health centre since the start of the vaccine rollout.
He added: “The first time they said they cannot register people on private insurance for the vaccine in the absence of any instruction from the Canarian government.”
On another occasion, Mr McKenzie claimed he was told: “Go away, we don’t vaccinate foreigners.” 

Mail
The UK may pull out of plans to buy a million doses of AstraZeneca‘s experimental Covid antibody drug, it was claimed today.
Ministers announced an order for the doses from the British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant in November and said the final deal would depend on clinical trial results.
But Britain is now considering a U-turn, two sources familiar with negotiations told  Bloomberg.
The UK’s agreement was non-binding and it is having massive success with the vaccine rollout, with two thirds of adults now immunised and deaths and hospital admissions expected to be suppressed by the jabs in any third wave.
Officials are reconsidering the possible role of the antibody cocktails, known as monoclonal antibodies, which inject infected patients with the immune cells it would take them weeks to make naturally.
Britain is already on a mission to find antiviral drugs to fight the virus at home, with Boris Johnson pledging simple Covid drugs will be available by autumn this year.  

Free speech 

Mail
New Government plans to crack down on harmful content online risk stifling the free press, ‘silencing marginalised voices’ and introducing ‘state-backed censorship on a scale never seen in a liberal democracy’, campaigners have warned.
The proposed Online Safety Bill is intended to make tech giants accountable for ‘harmful’ content on their platforms.
But instead of just taking down illegal hate speech, campaigners warned that in its draft form it could also be used to target wider freedom of expression including from the media – and could even result in blanket bans for publishers.
The draft bill hands more power to Ofcom, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden and social media platforms to regulate what news users see on social media.
It says platforms have a duty to protect journalistic content but can still take down or block content or ban companies altogether if they generate complaints.
Ofcom will be in charge of regulating social media firms, with the power to issue fines up to £18million and block access for repeat offences.
The aim is to make Britain one of the safest places to be online in the world – especially for children.
But its implications for the press have prompted a backlash from free-speech campaigners, civil liberties groups and media organisations. 

Guardian
A controversial bill forcing universities in England to promote free speech has been attacked by freedom of expression campaigners, who say the legislation is more likely to have the opposite effect.
A letter to the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, from the leaders of Index on Censorship, English PEN and Article 19 says the government’s plans – including a free speech enforcer with powers to fine universities – “may have the inverse effect of further limiting what is deemed ‘acceptable’ speech on campus and introducing a chilling effect both on the content of what is taught and the scope of academic research exploration”.
The three organisations told Williamson they had significant concerns about the scope of the proposals, which would allow speakers to claim compensation if their free speech was curtailed by universities or student unions, and would appoint a “free speech champion” to the Office for Students (OfS), the higher education regulator in England.
Universities will also have to satisfy new conditions on freedom of speech to maintain their registration with the OfS, which allows their students access to public funding and government-backed loans. 

NHS 

Guardian
Tens of thousands of patients will get quicker access to diagnostic tests and surgery under a new £160m NHS initiative to identify ways of tackling the vast backlog of care that built up because of Covid.
Hospitals will use the money to buy mobile CT and MRI scanning trucks, put on extra surgery in evenings and at weekends, and look after patients at home in “virtual wards”.
The move comes days after Downing Street made clear that reducing patients’ waiting times for hospital treatment would be a “critical priority” for the government for the next few years. Boris Johnson underlined their importance in Tuesday’s Queen’s speech and stressed the need for people with so far undiagnosed conditions, including cancer, to visit their GP and seek treatment.
NHS England has designated groups of NHS trusts working together in 12 parts of the country as “elective accelerators”. They will be given up to £20m each if they manage to carry out 20% more planned activity – diagnostic tests, operations and outpatient appointments – by July than they did at the same in 2019-20, before the pandemic struck.
Thursday’s latest set of NHS England monthly performance data is likely to see the total number of people on the waiting list for treatment rise beyond the 4.7 million who are on it – already a record high – and a further increase in those forced to wait at least a year for their care. 

BBC News
Covid has left a toxic legacy for the NHS, with hospitals facing a huge backlog, putting lives at risk, patient groups and staff are warning.
And in-depth analysis by BBC News has found:
waiting lists have ballooned at some hospitals in England, with more than one out of every 10 of patients in a quarter of trusts left at least a year without treatment
major disruption to cancer services, with some hospitals struggling to treat half of their patients within the target time of two months
concern growing for 45,000 “missing cancer patients”, after drops in GP referrals and screening services across the UK
It comes as NHS England has launched a £160m initiative to tackle the growing waiting lists.
A network of “accelerator” areas is being established to pilot new initiatives, including extra clinics at weekends, virtual assessments at home and new clinics that can complete high numbers of cataract operations 

Exams 

Guardian
GCSE and A-level papers from last year’s cancelled exams, which are being used by many schools in England this summer, are being sold to pupils on social media for as little as £1, the Guardian has learned.
The 2020 papers, which were not sat last summer after exams were cancelled as a result of the pandemic, are being offered on social media websites with straplines such as: “Sitting your GCSEs? Scared you’re going to fail?” and “2020 papers leaked. Easiest 9 ever.”On one site, a seller offers AQA’s 2020 GCSE biology paper 2, complete with the mark scheme. “OK how do I get them,” the purchaser asks. “Pay. By PayPal,” comes the response. Papers from other exam boards are also on offer.
With traditional exams cancelled again this year, schools in England are using a range of assessments – including exams, coursework and mocks – to draw up grades for this year’s cohort. There are fears, however, that the reliability of grades could be undermined by pupils getting hold of papers in advance.

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