EU

Independent
The European Parliament’s far-right group has tried to stop MEPs from discussing the British government’s breaches of international law on Wednesday.
MEPs are due to discuss Boris Johnson’s overriding of the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol later in the week – with the prime minister expected to be blasted from across the EU political spectrum.
But the ID group, which represents parties like French National Rally, Italy’s Lega, and the German AfD appears to have come to the UK’s aid and tried to get the debate postponed.
In a request submitted this week the MEPs said the debate, which is planned to take centre stage in the parliament on Wednesday, should be postponed and relegated to an unspecified “later part session”.
They want the discussion replaced with a debate about the bloc’s aviation industry.

Labour Party

Sun
SIR Keir Starmer yesterday unveiled a barmy Brexit plan that would hand key powers back to Brussels.
The Labour leader insisted he is ready to “make Brexit work”.
But critics say his five-point blueprint would leave Britain chained to Euro judges, undermine our ability to strike new trade deals and keep the EU’s veto on Northern Ireland taxes.
Sir Keir is desperate to convince voters that Labour is not a party of Remoaners who would lead Britain back into the EU’s single market.
At the pro-Remain Irish embassy in London last night, he insisted to a think tank: “With Labour, Britain will not go back into the EU. We will not be joining the single market. We will not be joining a customs union.”
But he spoke only after senior party MPs admitted they were plotting an EU return.
Showing his hand, he said he would “sort out” the Northern Ireland Protocol by sticking to EU rules on food and livestock exports in a new veterinary deal.
And he called for a new Europe security pact, effectively handing over vital terror and security data with nothing in return.
Tories slammed the move.

Telegraph
Sir Keir Starmer is facing a Labour revolt over Brexit after he vowed not to take Britain back into the Single Market.
In a keynote speech on Britain’s future outside the European Union, Sir Keir pledged to “make Brexit work” and said he would not seek to join the Single Market or a customs union.
But before he had even delivered his remarks, the Labour leader faced a backlash from within his own ranks, with Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, openly contradicting him.
It comes as Sir Keir is expected to find out this week whether he will be fined over beergate, when he was caught on camera drinking a beer in a local MP’s office after a day of campaigning for local elections last spring.
At the time, Covid rules meant indoor gatherings were banned except for work purposes.
Sir Keir has always maintained that he did not break any rules on the basis that the dinner was work-related, but has promised to resign if he is sanctioned and reiterated that promise on Monday.
Mr Khan is seen as a potential contender should the Labour leader be forced to stand down.

Travel chaos

Express
BRITISH AIRWAYS are set to cancel 650 flights from Gatwick and Heathrow, affecting 105,000 passengers this month as airport chaos continues.
BA have told airport slot authorities that they intend to cancel flights in order to attempt to avoid the travel chaos seen last month. Over 76,000 seats are being axed from Heathrow and 29,400 from Gatwick to more than 70 destinations, including Malaga, Ibiza, Parma, Faro and Athens.
The flights cancelled by Britain’s biggest airline represent 14 percent of those scheduled from Gatwick and 7 percent from Heathrow.
A BA spokesperson said the aviation industry was going through the most “challenging” period in its history.
They said: “As the entire aviation industry continues to face the most challenging period in its history, regrettably it has become necessary to make some further reductions.

Mirror
Fears are growing that soaring Covid-19 cases could derail families’ summer holiday hopes.
TV doctor Hilary Jones said while UK governments could decide if they wanted to reimpose coronavirus curbs, other countries may reintroduce measures or tests for foreign tourists – including those from Britain.
UK infections are surging, fuelled by the BA.4 and BA.5 variants, while cases are also climbing on the Continent.
Good Morning Britain medic Dr Jones warned: “There are large numbers of cases in Italy at the moment.
“They could say, ‘Right you’re going to need a Covid pass, you’re going to need proof of vaccination or recent infection’ or, ‘You’re going to need a test before you travel’.
“I would say to people who are travelling – look at the foreign travel advice for that country, see if you need a test before you fly and see if your NHS Covid pass works.”

Covid

Mail
Summer holiday plans for millions of Brits could be in jeopardy as experts fear foreign destinations may reinstate tough Covid curbs to counter surging infections.
Tests, facemasks and vaccine passes could return to favoured holiday hotspots and airports could see further chaos if the number of self-isolating workers skyrockets.
Now MPs and experts have publicly shared their concerns for the future of millions of Brits’ summer holiday plans which could hang in the balance.
Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, warned foreign getaways and even staycations could be scuppered.
She told the Mirror: ‘It is possible that holiday plans will be ruined due to rising Covid rates in the UK.
‘Other countries could reintroduce restrictions on arrivals from Britain, and transport companies – already in crisis from the Government’s mishandling of Brexit and industrial action, are likely to see an increase in staff shortages with more off sick.’

Independent
Almost one-tenth of hospital beds in England are filled with Covid positive patients as case numbers jumped to more than 10,000.
The latest NHS figures for Covid hospital admissions show the number of positive patients in hospital was up by 37 per cent on Monday to 10,658, from 7,822 in the week prior.
The data comes after health officials warned the UK could face a triple threat of Covid, flu and monkeypox in the coming months.
Scientists have called for Covid vaccines to be urgently updated to target new variants, as infection rates soared to almost record levels.
NHS data published on Monday showed the number of new admissions increased to 1,374 on 2 July, up from 1,276 in the week before.
The average number of daily admissions over seven days also increased by 32 per cent week-on-week, the figures show.
The number of Covid-positive patients in critical care units also continued to increase, up from 192 on 27 June to 223 on 4 July.

Times
Hospitals are reintroducing mandatory masks and social distancing as they deal with the highest number of Covid patients since April.
NHS England figures show there were 10,658 patients in hospital with the virus yesterday, up from 3,835 on June 4.
Health chiefs have warned it is likely that hospital admissions in the latest wave, driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub-variants, will exceed this year’s previous peak of 16,600 patients in April.
There are fears that a high level of staff absence due to the virus could lead to another dangerous collapse in ambulance response times and cause more operations to be cancelled.

Mail
Hospitals are set to bring back the wearing of face coverings and reinstate social distancing measures in a bid to curb a recent surge in Covid cases.
Trusts from Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, Nottinghamshire, Devon and Wales have all reinstated guidance that urges people to mask-up because of a spike in infections.
Figures from NHS England show there were around 10,658 patients hospitalised with the virus on Monday.
Infections have doubled in a fortnight across England — with around 1,000 patients now being admitted with the virus each day.
There are fears that a new sweep of the latest Covid variant could decimate NHS staff levels once more, causing knock-on effects for ambulance wait times and the availability of specialists and operations.

Independent
Covid-19 infections in the UK have jumped by more than half a million, with the rise likely to be driven by the latest Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5, figures show.
Hospital numbers are also continuing to increase, with early signs of a rise in intensive care admissions among older age groups.
A total of 2.3 million people in private households are estimated to have had the virus last week, up 32% from a week earlier, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This is the highest estimate for total infections since late April, but is still some way below the record high of 4.9 million seen at the peak of the Omicron BA.2 wave at the end of March.
ONS data show in summer 2020 below 0.1 per cent of the population in England were testing positive while in 2021 it was 1.57 per cent. Now it is 3.35 per cent.

Telegraph
Schools have warned parents that children could be sent home before the summer holidays because of Covid-related staff absences.
Parents of pupils at Waingels College, a comprehensive secondary school in Woodley, Berkshire, were alerted over the weekend that if staff cases continue to rise over the coming days, then year groups would be sent home on a daily rotation basis.
Separately, a parent of a pupil at Furze Down School, a school for children with special educational needs in Winslow, Buckinghamshire, told The Telegraph that two classes had already been moved to remote learning and the school had warned that further pupils could be sent home owing to Covid-related staff absences.
Arabella Skinner, of the parent campaign group UsForThem, said: “Our parents are increasingly concerned about the messages they are receiving from schools about restrictions such as limiting parental access, splitting classes and – at the most extreme – staff absences, potentially forcing year groups to be sent home.”

BBC News
A hospital has reinstated a temporary ban on visits to patients, except those receiving end-of-life-care, due to a rise in Covid cases.
People are also asked to attend outpatient appointments alone at Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire.
Masks are also now required for all on-site visits.
Hywel Dda University Health Board, covering west and mid Wales, is the third Welsh board to bring back masks.
Two of the seven boards, Aneurin Bevan and Cwm Taf Morgannwg, both in south Wales, asked people to wear masks at their hospitals last month.
On Monday evening, Aneurin Bevan also issued a plea for people to stay away from its hospitals unless “absolutely necessary” due to “extreme pressure”.

Guardian
Dangerous incidents at UK laboratories, hospitals and Covid test centres potentially exposed staff to coronavirus and other hazards over the course of the pandemic, according to official reports obtained by the Guardian.
Many involved leaks and spillages of virus-laden fluids, but investigations also took place into a flood at an animal facility housing Covid-infected monkeys, mix ups that led scientists to work on live virus by mistake and a researcher being bitten by an infected ferret.
The Health and Safety Executive recorded at least 47 “dangerous occurrences” involving coronavirus at UK research facilities, hospitals and Lighthouse labs over the course of the pandemic. Reports from 37 cases were released to the Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act. The rest were withheld because of ongoing investigations.
The reports reflect the immense pressure that scientists, healthcare workers and staff at Lighthouse labs came under as Covid swept through Britain. Researchers’ hours soared as they raced to understand the lethal new virus.

Education

Mail
Nadhim Zahawi has intervened in the row over transgender ideology in schools yesterday, insisting parents have the right to know what is being taught.
The Education Secretary pledged action after concerns pupils are being taught contested gender theory as fact.
Last week MPs heard some schools are refusing to show parents teaching materials used in sex education classes about transgenderism.
Yesterday in the Commons Tory MP Nick Fletcher said: ‘Caution is needed if books [are] to encourage a child to question their biological sex and to believe they were born in the wrong body because of gender non-conformity – not conforming to society’s stereotypes.
‘Parents should be able to see what is being shared with children either in lessons or the school library.’

Times
Universities in England will give out fewer firsts and 2:1s in the first commitment to reverse the grade inflation that set in during the pandemic.
Universities UK and GuildHE, which collectively represent nearly every university in the country, have pledged to restore top grades to levels seen before the pandemic.
Michelle Donelan, the universities minister, said the move would help employers to value degrees.
“Hardworking students deserve to know that earning a first or upper second really counts and that it carries weight with employers — who in turn should be able to trust in the high value and rigorous assessment of university courses,” she said.

Guardian
The proportion of top degree grades awarded to undergraduates in England could fall by nearly 25% after universities said they want to reverse the grade inflation seen during the Covid pandemic.
Universities UK and GuildHE, representing institutions across the higher education sector, have jointly announced plans to return to pre-pandemic levels of firsts and 2:1s being awarded over the next two years.
Universities have been criticised by ministers and the higher education regulator for year-on-year increases in the proportions of top grades awarded, and the Office for Students (OfS) accused universities of damaging the reputation of higher education.
By the end of this year, universities are expected to publish degree outcome statements setting out how they intend to bring future awards into line with the proportion of first and upper second class degrees awarded in 2019.

Mail
Universities have promised to reverse degree inflation to pre-pandemic levels so that fewer students will get firsts.
Top marks soared over the last two years because tutors made concessions for students having to work remotely during lockdown.
Last year, those achieving at least a 2:1 reached a record 84 per cent, while the proportion getting a first was 38 per cent.
Yesterday universities vowed to bring grades down to 2019 levels by 2023. This is the first time universities have committed to reducing grade inflation to a specific target.
This would likely lead to an 8 percentage point drop in firsts, and a 5 percentage point drop in 2:1s, compared with 2021.

Eco-protest

Mail
Fuel activists were surrounded by police on a motorway and arrested on suspicion of driving too slowly today after causing delays to major roads in co-ordinated protests against soaring petrol and diesel prices.
The M4 Prince of Wales Severn Bridge, which connects Bristol with South Wales, was closed both ways except to the protest convoy who held a ‘go’-slow demonstration as part of action calling for a cut in fuel duty.
Other protests were held this morning on the M54 in Shropshire; near Ferrybridge services on the M62 in West Yorkshire; and on the A12 near Colchester in Essex, causing up to an hour of delays at the latter.
The activists on the M4 were surrounded by police on the Welsh side of the bridge at about 10.40am and arrested on suspicion of driving at 10mph, which police told Wales Online was lower than an agreed speed. Officers then took the protesters into custody and put their vehicles in a highways patrol compound around a mile away.

Evening Standard
Arrested fuel price campaigners have called for more protests after causing a day of disruption on the motorways over high fuel prices on Monday.
Roads across the country – including south Wales, Essex, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire – were blocked by protesters driving slowly in protest over the price of fuel.
Officers at Gwent Police said 12 people were arrested during one protest on the M4 in south Wales and Somerset near the Prince of Wales Bridge which forced it to close for an hour in both directions.
Gwent Police chief superintendent Tom Harding said all were arrested for breaching the legal notice issued by the police prior to the protest by driving at under 30 mph for “a prolonged amount of time”.

Morning Star
DRIVERS protesting against high fuel prices, including those forced to quit their jobs due to the cost-of-living crisis, targeted major roads in England, Wales and Scotland today.
Convoys of vehicles drove slowly to obstruct traffic in parts of Britain including south Wales, the west of England, Essex, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the A92 in Scotland.
Police officers arrested at least 12 people on the M4 in south Wales for breaching a legal notice issued by the police prior to the protest by driving at under 30 mph for “a prolonged amount of time.”
The actions were organised under the social media banner Fuel Price Stand Against Tax, with protesters calling on the government to slash fuel duty. One sign read: “The government is trying to tax us into poverty.”

Times
Police have been urged to take a zero-tolerance approach to fuel campaigners amid fears that “go-slow” protests on motorways could continue throughout the summer.
Senior government sources said Priti Patel, the home secretary, expected forces to use new powers to prevent a repeat of yesterday, when convoys of protesters brought parts of the road network to a standstill.
The action mainly targeted motorways, with vehicles crawling at below 30mph along two lanes, leaving the outside lane free. Among roads affected were the M4 and Prince of Wales bridge over the River Severn, the M5 in Devon, the M32, the A38, the M180 in Lincolnshire, the A12 in Essex, the A92 in Scotland and the A64 near York.

Independent
Priti Patel has urged police to use new powers to shut down protests after fuel price campaigners held up highways around the country, according to reports.
At least 13 protesters were arrested on Monday for driving too slowly when blocking roads in a call for fuel duty to be slashed to slow the soaring cost of filling up a car.
The so-called “go-slow” protests spread across Britain’s road network. Most of the arrests took place on the M4 though drivers also protested on the M54, M62, A38 and several other roads.
Controversial new laws which came into effect on 28 June give police increased powers to deal with protests deemed to be causing serious disruption.

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