Brexit 

Express
BREXIT minister David Frost fears a period of uneasy relations with the EU following the leak of a key document.
Following the leak of a document concerning the Northern Ireland protocol, Lord Frost warned relations could be “bumpy for a time”. Despite the calls to remove the Northern Ireland protocol, the leaked document puts forward a roadmap to phase in the remaining checks for goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Lord Frost insisted the document was “evolving” as it remains unclear if the EU will shift its stance on the protocol. 
Brussels has insisted any resolution must be bound within EU law although Lord Frost claimed “that doesn’t work” for the UK. 
Multiple issues have arisen due to the protocol and some Brexiteers have called for those issues to be resolved ahead of the loyalist marching season this summer. 
Commenting on talks Lord Frost said: “It is not hugely productive, and we will have to see how far we can take it.” 

Fisheries 

Express
A POST-BREXIT fishing row between a British Crown Dependency and France has intensified once more after a vessel was caught illegally fishing in Jersey’s waters.
A Normandy registered vessel, based in Granville, was caught fishing in an environmentally protected area of Jersey’s waters yesterday without permission. Under States of Jersey law, fishing is illegal in the bream-spawning grounds to the north of the British Crown Dependency.
Jersey Government ministers deployed protection boats to send the vessel away and have described the breach as “serious”.
Deputy Gregory Guida, Jersey’s Assistant Environment Minister also added they would lodging a complaint with the European Commission because of the “serious breach”.
In a statement this afternoon, he added of the latest saga: “We issued licences to French boats at the beginning of this month with new conditions.
“Those included the nature and extent of their fishing – where they fish, how they fish and what they fish for – and also two environmental conditions: to protect an area where bream reproduce and to limit the quantity of dredging gear that a boat can pull.” 

Telegraph
A patrol boat confronted a French vessel accused of illegal fishing in Jersey’s waters on Wednesday in the latest twist in the row over post-Brexit licences for EU fishermen. 
The local Norman Le Brocq fisheries protection vessel was dispatched after Jersey fishermen spotted the French boat on marine-tracker websites working in a bream-spawning ground off the north coast.
Some Jersey fishermen attempted to stop the Alize 3, based in the Granville area of Normandy. According to marine radio listeners, the boat’s skipper was adamant his local French authorities had given him permission to work in the area.
The Norman Le Brocq told the skipper to stop fishing immediately and the boat moved towards the west coast of the island.
The vessel is also alleged to have steamed through an area of pots, worth thousands of pounds, laid by Jersey fishermen. It is unclear whether any had been damaged.
Gregory Guida, assistant environment minister, said the breach was “serious” and that Jersey would lodge a complaint with the European Commission. 

Express
THE latest chapter in the dispute over French fishing access to the waters surrounding Jersey clearly indicates a belief by the nation’s fishermen – and ultimately President Emmanuel Macron himself – that there is “one rule for them and one rule for everyone else”, a pro-Brexit campaigner has said in a scathing takedown.
And Jayne Adye, director of grassroots, cross-Party campaign Get Britain Out, lamented the “wilful ignorance” of the French authorities which she said had paved the way for a “complete disregard” for the sovereignty of the UK Crown Dependency. Ms Adye was speaking in the wake of Tuesday’s incident in which a Normandy registered vessel, based in the port of Granville, was found to be fishing, without permission, in an environmentally protected area of Jersey‘s waters.
Jersey’s Assistant Environment Minister Deputy Gregory Guida has vowed to lodge a complaint with the European Commission over what he called a “serious breach”.
The incident comes less than a fortnight after Boris Johnson ordered two Royal Navy gunships to Jersey to face down a threatened blockade of the island by roughly 60 French fishing vessels triggered by Jersey’s imposition of restrictions on the amount of time they can spend in their waters.
Ms Adye told Express.co.uk: “Once again, we see EU fishing vessels and French Government officials believing it should be one rule for them and another for everyone else. 

EU 

Express
MICHEL BARNIER has said the UK needs to honour its signature on the Brexit trade deal agreed with Brussels.
Speaking last night, the former EU chief negotiator also warned the page of Brexit had “not yet turned”. Mr Barnier spoke out as crunch talks take place over the future of the Northern Ireland protocol, agreed between London and Brussels as part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement.
He said: “The British must respect their signature. It is they who caused the problem in Ireland by Brexit.
“We can see the attempts, the pressures, the provocations of the British who do not want to respect their signature.
“They are under observation, not only of us but also of Joe Biden who has Irish origins.”
The protocol was designed by the EU and UK to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. 

Indian variant 

Guardian
Wastewater monitoring is being used to identify cases of the India variant and track its spread, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, has said.
Although coronavirus predominantly infects cells lining the respiratory tract, it is also shed in the faeces of some infected individuals. By collecting sewage samples from wastewater treatment plants, scientists can use PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) machines to detect and quantify the amount of RNA from Sars-CoV-2 in different areas – including new variants, such as the B.1.617.2 variant first detected in India, which is now spreading across the UK.
The wastewater scheme was piloted last summer, and has since been expanded to include  hundreds of sites across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Speaking during the Queen’s speech debate earlier on Wednesday, Hancock told MPs that testing and vaccinations were being surged in six areas because wastewater analysis had identified places where the India variant was being transmitted. 

Evening Standard
The UK is in a “straight race” to vaccinate its population in order to outrun the threat of the Indian Covid variant, according to England’s deputy chief medical officer.
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said the vaccine-rate over the next few weeks would be crucial for ensuring the Prime Minister could lift all restrictions on June 21, as set out in his road map out of lockdown.
As part of efforts to “turbo-boost” the vaccine programme, more than one million people aged 34 and 35 will receive a text message on Thursday or Friday asking them to come forward for their Covid vaccine, NHS England confirmed. People aged 34 and over can also go onto the NHS site to book.
It comes amid growing confidence within the Government that vaccines available in the UK will work against the Indian variant, and that it will prove less transmissible than first feared. 

Mail
Britain is still on track to fully lift the lockdown on June 21 after ministers revealed growing confidence that the Indian variant is not as transmissible as first feared and that coronavirus vaccines are working against it. 
While the number of cases of the new strain has quadrupled in the last fortnight, the number of people being hospitalised has remained ‘fairly flat’ compared to previous spikes.
In further encouraging news, Professor Jonathan Van- Tam, the deputy chief medical officer, said the death rate – now averaging eight a day – was at an ‘extremely low place’. 
But speaking at the Downing Street briefing yesterday, Prof Van-Tam said the rate of transmissibility of the variant was the ‘million-dollar question’ but expressed cautious optimism that it was more likely to be 20-30 per cent higher than the Kent variant. 
Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock said they were increasingly confident that the jabs were effective against all variants – including the new Indian strain. 
The Times reports that the Prime Minister last night told the 1922 Committee of Tory MPs: ‘I know there are anxieties about new variants. But we can see nothing to suggest that we have to deviate from the road map.’
Mr Hancock said no decision on the final unlocking would be taken until June 14, ‘using all the information that we have up until then’. 
Professor Neil Ferguson, whose work led to the first lockdown in March last year, yesterday said there was a ‘glimmer of hope’ that the Indian strain would prove to be less transmissible than the 50 per cent rate first feared.
It is believed the speed of transmission in parts of the north west was down to cases in large, multi-generational households in densely populated areas.  

Telegraph
Britain can achieve population immunity despite the spread of the Indian variant, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) has said. 
Professor Adam Finn, a JCVI scientist from the University of Bristol, insisted he was “optimistic” the UK can overcome Covid. 
He told the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme: “The question is a bit of a moving targets because of course, we’re now confronted with, yet again, another version of the virus and we’re still in the process of understanding how infectious it is.
“The proportion of the population and the evenness with which you give them the vaccine, ultimately will determine when you achieve population immunity for any infection. I’m optimistic that we, particularly in the UK, with the high coverage we’re achieving and the extremely effective vaccines we’ve got that we can achieve population immunity.”
And the Government is tentatively positive that the June 21 reopening is “looking in better shape”, a senior official told Politico. A health official added: “We are learning more about the variant almost every hour and the mood music has definitely improved.” 

Quarantine 

Mail
Families should expect a ‘knock on the door’ when they return from abroad, Priti Patel  warned last night.
The Home Secretary said enforcement was being stepped up to make sure travellers who visit amber-list countries such as France, Spain and Italy obey the ten-day quarantine rule.
Officials have the capacity to carry out 10,000 home visits a day and 30,000 were conducted last week.
Anyone found to be out when supposedly self-isolating risks a fine of up to £10,000 – although few have been levied so far.
The warning came despite growing optimism of an end to Covid curbs next month and after days of confusion over amber-list countries.
Boris Johnson told MPs yesterday that visits to these medium-risk destinations were acceptable only in ‘extreme circumstances’. 
But one analysis said up to 270,000 Britons will fly to amber countries in the five days to Sunday. 

Telegraph
No 10 has been accused of ‘heavy handedness’ after warning amber list travellers to expect a knock on the door upon their return. 
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps sought to put people travelling to countries on the Amber list this morning, reminding travellers of the “heck of a lot of hassle” they will face when returning to the UK, as well as warning that “people will come to your house to check your quarantine”. 
It comes after Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, confirmed that people should expect a knock on the door when quarantining at home upon their return from amber countries, with the Government claiming to have the capacity to carry out 10,000 home visits a day. 
However MPs hit back at what they described as “heavy handedness”. 
David Davis, the former Brexit Secretary, called the move “heavy-handed” and said “it won’t work yet again”.
He said: “It’ll be just as effective as the last test and trace.”
Richard Tice, leader of the Reform Party, said the Government’s priorities are “all wrong”. 
He asked: “Surely we want police to focus on preventing knife crime, catching burglars not spying on holidaymakers.   What sort of police state have we become?” 

Sun
FAMILIES returning from overseas holidays should expect a “knock on the door” from cops checking Brits are obeying the 10-day quarantine rule.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said enforcement has been stepped up to ensure officials have the capacity to carry out 10,000 home visits every day.
When asked by the Daily Mail whether Brits should expect a “knock on the door” when they return home, she said: “Yes, people should.
“There is a service, provision is in place, capacity has been increased for that very reason. People will not go unchecked.
“Significant resources have been put in place – millions of pounds – in terms of the follow-up checking of people around their testing and making sure they stay at home.
“It has been stepped up.” 

Social care 

Guardian
Covid quarantine rules risk falsely imprisoning care home residents, campaigners for families claimed in a new move to take the Department of Health and Social Care to court.
A requirement for new care home residents to self-isolate for two weeks, as well as after an overnight stay away or spell in hospital, is being challenged by John’s Campaign, which claims the policy causes “heartbreak and pain”.
The charity, which campaigns for the rights of people with dementia and their families, said it had heard from a woman whose 57-year-old husband needed to go into hospital every few weeks for throat procedures and was now in more or less constant self-isolation in his room. She described his situation as “inhumane”.
The family of one 91-year-old woman, who was admitted to a care home at short notice and had to be isolated for 14 days, said she was very tearful, adding: “She has had nothing to do, is losing all ability to carry out things like turning on the TV or making a cup of tea.”
With Covid outbreaks in just six of England’s 15,000 care homes in the week ending 9 May 2021, the quarantine rule on trips out has been lifted to allow residents to attend medical appointments, have contact with others outdoors, and go to a day centre or place of worship without isolation afterwards.
But lawyers for the campaign said they would seek judicial review if the rule was not abandoned and replaced with individual risk assessments.
They stated: “[The rule] creates an unacceptable risk of illegality because it makes it likely that care providers will falsely imprison care home residents and deprive residents of their liberty.” 

Rail travel 

Mail
A new public body to oversee key areas of the railways will be set up as part of the biggest overhaul of the industry since privatisation almost three decades ago.
Great British Railways (GBR) will replace Network Rail to operate 20,000 miles of track, signals and tunnels.
And under plans revealed in a White Paper today, it will have additional powers to set most fares and timetables, sell tickets and issue contracts to private firms to run the trains themselves. 
Breaking with Tory policy introduced under John Major in 1993, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said passengers had been failed by ‘years of fragmentation, confusion and over-complication’.
He added: ‘That complicated and broken system ends today.’
The reforms include flexible season tickets that will go on sale next month, allowing commuters to travel for eight days over a 28-day periods – or two trips a week in a month. 
This reflects changing work patterns, with many set to continue working from home, at least partly, after the pandemic.
‘For many, the idea of travelling five days a week to the office is fast becoming a relic of the past,’ Mr Shapps said. 

UFOs 

Mail
President Biden has been in office less than a year but now, in the midst of grappling with the coronavirus and with a wealth of other issues on his plate, he is facing perhaps the biggest question of all: are we alone?
The idea that we may share our universe with alien life is far from new, and there have been regular sightings of UFOs — Unidentified Flying Objects — for decades.
But these have, until recently, been dismissed as hoaxes, or misinterpretations of natural phenomena.
Despite Hollywood’s enthusiasm for the subject, the U.S. Defense Department has always downplayed the significance of such reports and sightings.
Now, however, no less a figure than Barack Obama has raised the stakes by admitting on The Late Show that, when President, he asked whether there was a lab somewhere ‘where we’re keeping the alien specimens and spaceships?’
The answer was no, but he did acknowledge the existence of objects without an ‘easily explainable pattern’.
His comments come days after U.S. fighter pilots revealed seeing Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) off the coast of Virginia ‘every day’ for two years.
The idea of the government secretly investigating sightings of UFOs and other strange incidents has long been thought to belong to the realms of Hollywood or TV: it’s no mistake that The X-Files, featuring a secret organisation dedicated to such other-worldly phenomena, was described as a science fiction drama.
No longer. Once a preoccupation of hardcore sci-fi fans, UAPs (or UFOs) are now being taken extremely seriously at the very heart of government.
Easy as it may be to discount sightings and photos of UFOs by civilians, video footage and pictures taken by U.S. Navy pilots between mid-2014 and March 2015 that emerged three years ago could not be dismissed so easily. 

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