Northern Ireland 

Express
IRELAND has warned Boris Johnson not to take unilateral action and suspend Brexit checks imposed on Northern Ireland.
Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney urged Downing Street to brief his government on its plans for the Brexit deal’s protocol to a hard border. It comes after Lord Frost signalled he would publish a series of proposals to MPs on how to defuse the row over the border fix’s implementation. No10 is concerned that the EU’s red tape in the region is too burdensome and having a chilling effect on trade with the rest of the UK.
Ministers have raised the prospect of unilaterally scrapping a number of the EU-ordered customs controls to protect the integrity of the country.
Speaking ahead of the publication of the plans, Mr Coveney suggested Dublin would like to be given an advanced look at them.
He said: “I hope they will. We’ll have to wait and see. 

Illegal migrants 

Mail
More than 7,400 migrants have made the dangerous Channel dash to reach the UK by small boat so far this year, with 825 arriving in the last three days alone, according to official figures.
The total number of migrants to have been detained by Border Force so far this year has reached 7,478, less than 1,000 short of the 8,410 who arrived last year. But the number is expected to rise with more warm weather forecast in the days and weeks ahead which will make crossings easier.
On Sunday 346 people were detained by Border Force Officers in 15 inflatables and ribs – the largest number to arrive in a single day so far this year. And on Monday a further 254 migrants were picked up in nine separate incidents.
A further 225 people were detained on Saturday. It takes the number of migrants detained by Border Force so far in July to 1,572. In 2019 there were 1,850 migrants who arrived on UK shores by small boat.
Among the arrivals on Monday was a young girl wearing a pink rain jacket over her life jacket. A woman, believed to be her mother, had her arm around her as they were brought into Dover Marina, Kent on a Border Force vessel.
She was sat next to a young boy who was holding the hand of a man wearing a face mask – believed to be his dad. Another younger girl aged around three with her hair tied up in a pink bow was also on board with around 20 migrants shortly before 12pm. 

Breitbart
Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has announced it will no longer bother to attempt prosecuting most illegal migrants even under existing laws, as Home Secretary Priti Patel is once again claiming the Tories are poised to get tough on mass migration.
A new deal between prosecutors, police, border agents, the FBI-style National Crime Agency (NCA), and the Home Office will see prosecutions for illegal entry largely abandoned,  according to The Times, except possibly in cases involving people who have previously been deported.
“Asylum seekers often have no choice in how they travel and face exploitation by organised crime groups,” the CPS claimed in a statement.
“The guidance therefore advises that passengers of boats and other vehicles should not be prosecuted unless they are repeat offenders or have previously been deported — and should instead be dealt with by administrative removal channels,” it added.
The move completely undercuts Priti Patel, the Secretary of State responsible, broadly speaking, for policing, national security, and border control in the Boris Johnson administration, in her latest efforts to convince the public that the Tories are getting tough on illegal immigration, proposing new laws that could see illegal migrants handed four-year sentences.
Such measures will count for nothing if prosecutors do not take illegal migrants to court in the first place.
The Crown Prosecution Service’s stance that illegal aliens will “usually be better dealt with by removal” runs contrary to the fact that the British government’s record on deportations is extremely poor and getting worse, with the number of even convicted foreign national offenders (FNOs) being removed from the country having collapsed by some 79 per cent.
On illegal migrants who have been crossing the English Channel from France and, more rarely, the Low Countries, on small boats, in particular, the government’s record has been similarly abysmal, with Corporate Watch claiming that just 136 out of many thousands had been removed during what was supposed to be a major deportation effort in the months leading to Britain’s formal break with EU governance at the end of December 2020. 

Freedom Day 

Sun
MORE than 1,200 scientists have called on the government to pull the brakes on ‘Freedom Day’ and branded the decision to unlock “unethical” – despite the UK’s successful jab rollout.
A coalition of doctors and health experts wrote to medical journal The Lancet to express their concern despite nearly 81 million vaccine doses being given out.3
The signatories, which include four SAGE members, claim that Downing Street is pursuing a policy of “herd immunity by mass infection” which is “unscientific”. 
In the letter, they warned that millions more adults would need to be double-vaccinated before the virus is allowed to spread freely through the population. 
Lancet editor-in-chief Richard Horton accused Professor Chris Whitty of “wilfully misrepresenting scientific opinion” when he claimed that there was widespread backing in the medical community for Mr Johnson’s decision. 
Their intervention came after Boris Johnson yesterday confirmed Step Four of the government’s roadmap would go ahead from next Monday as planned, despite a growth in cases fuelled by the Delta variant. 
Britain today recorded 36,660 positive cases – the highest figure in six months. Deaths jumped by 50, marking a slight uptick on last Tuesday’s figure of 33.
But fatalities have remained low relative to infections. The last time the UK recorded over 37,000 cases on January 21, fatalities jumped by 1,292. 
The UK’s vaccination programme is also continuing to surge ahead, with 54,296 first doses given out yesterday and 125,360 second doses doled out. 

Working from home 

Telegraph
Ministers have pushed back the publication of new guidance on the return to the office as frustration from business leaders mounts over mixed messages just days before Covid restrictions end. 
Officials at the Department for Business failed to release new documents on Tuesday setting out best practice as society reopens, despite previously suggesting they would do so. 
It comes amid mounting concern from bosses who fear the guidance is unclear and could leave them open to legal challenges if there is a Covid outbreak at work. 
Roger Barker, policy director at the Institute of Directors, said: “There has been real frustration about the mixed messages that they have been receiving from the Government, and we are calling for a focus on rebuilding trust and confidence through clear and unambiguous guidance.” 
Boris Johnson vowed earlier this week to press ahead with the Government’s plans for “Freedom Day” on Monday, but struck a more cautious tone than had previously been expected. 
The Prime Minister suggested that employers adopt a “gradual” return to the office rather than asking staff to come back into workplaces immediately. 
This softening of tone was met with dismay by executives pushing for a return to normal. 
Mike Hussey, of property developer Almacantar, said: “There are a lot of people who would rather be in the office than at home. The ones with the big houses in the country are probably the ones that would quite like to still be at home but it’s very rarely that middle and lower management teams that are in that position. I think the Government should be encouraging them back.” 

Masks 

Guardian
Hospitals, GPs and other health providers will still be able to require patients and visitors to wear masks unless they are exempt, after Public Health England (PHE) said existing guidance on Covid infection control will continue beyond 19 July.
Health providers have been pressing the government for clarity on the status of face coverings in hospitals and GP surgeries when legal requirements on mask-wearing will be lifted, with the NHS Confederation saying it wants mandatory mask-wearing to continue.
In response, PHE made clear on Tuesday that its infection prevention control (IPC) guidance is to remain in place, meaning the current situation on mask-wearing in health and care settings will continue.
Under the guidelines agreed by the four nations of the UK and put in place for the pandemic, it sets out the need for “use of facemasks/coverings by all outpatients (if tolerated) and visitors when entering a hospital, GP/dental surgery or other care settings”. It also recommends physical distancing of 2 metres and thorough hand hygiene, with “patients in all care areas still to be encouraged and supported to wear a face mask, providing it is tolerated and is not detrimental to their medical or care needs”.
The guidance also gives GP surgeries and hospitals the green light to continue with virtual appointments beyond the 19 July unlocking date. 

Similar stories can be read in the Evening Standard, Times, Mirror, ITV News, BBC News 

Cancer 

Telegraph
The cancer waiting list to be seen by a hospital specialist will not return to normal levels until next March, health chiefs have admitted.
More than 16,000 patients are being forced to wait 62 days or more for their first diagnosis or treatment, because of the pandemic. Some 12 per cent of these will typically have cancer.
Dame Cally Palmer, the national cancer director for the NHS in England, said that the NHS had maintained cancer treatment at 91 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
But she said that this “masks some variation in different tumour types” – for instance fewer patients have sought care for lung cancer due to similarities with Covid-19 symptoms.
On the cancer “deficit”, she told the health select committee there had been an increase in “long-waiters” – those who have waited over 62 days after they have been referred for a diagnosis, and possibly for treatment, if the diagnosis is confirmed.
“That level is currently at 16,000 and the intention is to return that to pre-pandemic levels by March 2022,” she said.
“It has been coming down so it was considerably higher than that during the peak of the pandemic, but it has been steadily reducing.” 

Sun
DRINKING any amount of booze increases the risk of developing three cancers later on in life.
More than 740,000 new cancers have been linked to alcohol consumption in a new study – as doctors call for smoking-style label warnings.
To battle the dangers, experts want labels on bottles and cans that detail the health risks of consuming the drinks.
There is a raised risk of breast, oesophageal, mouth and throat cancer even with just a low level of drinking, new research published in The Lancet found.
And just two drinks a day are thought to have led to more than 103,000 cases in 2020.
Globally the proportion of new cancer cases associated with alcohol are highest Central and Eastern Europe and Eastern Asia.
Scientists think Brits don’t truly know the extra risks that come with drinking alcohol – with one in 20 cases of the disease linked to booze in the study.
Dr Sadie Boniface, Head of Research at the Institute of Alcohol Studies, King’s College London, said: “There is low public awareness of this risk, particularly for breast cancer.
“The lower risk drinking guidelines and the health risks of alcohol have not been well communicated. 
“The forthcoming consultation on alcohol labelling will be a real opportunity to introduce independent health information on alcohol products, so consumers can make fully informed decisions about their drinking. 

Mail
Drinking too much alcohol may be behind one in 25 new cancers around the world every year, a study has claimed.  
An international team of experts estimate 741,300 diagnoses, or 4 per cent of new cancer cases in 2020, could be attributed to heavy and moderate drinking.
The analysis — which looked at alcohol sales and medical records in 240 countries — found the majority of cases linked to alcohol were cancers of the oesophagus, liver, and breast. 
Britain ranked mid-table in the global analysis, with 4 per cent of cancer cases in the country linked to alcohol consumption (16,800).
The US performed slightly better, with around 3 per cent driven by excessive alcohol consumption (52,700 cases).
Both countries were well behind the likes of Mongolia, where consuming too much booze was linked to nearly one in ten cancers, and Moldova where it may have been behind one in twelve.
Kuwait, where all alcohol is banned, had the lowest number of cancer cases linked to alcohol consumption.       
The authors admitted their study wasn’t able to look at the impact of the pandemic on drinking rates. Numerous studies have shown alcohol consumption rates went up during lockdown and more cancers were missed. 

Social care 

Mirror
Throughout the pandemic, we clapped them every Thursday night. The heroes risking their lives to look after our loved ones. But the Coronavirus crisis has also revealed what many already knew.
That those who care, and those being cared for, are being failed by a broken system branded a “national disgrace” and a “Deliveroo system” for social care.
Over the past few months, we have been speaking to care workers from Burnley to Hull and Abergavenny who provide vital support for people including the elderly, disabled people, people with chronic illness, mental health problems and learning disabilities, in their own homes.
Care workers do some of our most important work, yet thousands are on poverty pay.
Despite pledges from dozens of councils to pay a Real Living Wage, our investigation with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and ITV News found thousands of jobs below £9.50 an hour or £10.85 in London, including in many of these areas.
We heard from people on outsourced contracts struggling to feed and clothe their families, forced into work by a lack of sick pay and facing spiralling debts.
One told us: “The only way to cover your living costs in this profession is by sacrificing your own health and your family to work ridiculous hours.” 

Road travel 

Telegraph
Ministers will unveil a new blueprint for “decarbonising” Britain’s transport system on Wednesday amid Whitehall wrangling over how to replace petrol tax after traditional cars and lorries are banned from the country’s roads.
Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, will pledge to ban diesel and petrol lorries from 2035 and the sale of new petrol cars from 2030 – while promising billions to encourage cycling.
It had been thought that the plans would also pave the way for a new system of road pricing to replace the £30 billion raised through petrol and diesel duties.
However, following debate in recent days between Whitehall departments, the blueprint is now expected to not include any specific plans for road pricing.
There is growing criticism over the lack of detail in what would be one of the biggest shifts in generations for the country’s transport network. 
Experts also believe there is scant information about how the Government will introduce the new extra charging points needed for electric cars.
On Tuesday night, Treasury sources said they were “not keen” on road pricing, but a government spokesperson admitted that “as we transition to decarbonised motoring, we will need to ensure that revenue from motoring taxes keeps pace with this change”.
Senior industry figures said that meeting the government’s net zero ambitions would have to be paid for, with road pricing an obvious proposal. 

Green  

Express
BREXIT BRITAIN’S growing green revolution could be set for a huge boost after a new report revealed a 10 percent shift in food retail towards a more sustainable and local system could result in up to 200,000 new jobs.
The latest report from food and farming charity Sustain and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), entitled The Case for Local, claim the huge move could support a green economic recovery and restore nature. They are urging Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party Government to use post-Brexit investment funds to fill local food infrastructure gaps in order to drive through numerous environmental and social benefits.
The charities’ report defines “local” as food that is produced within a short distance of where it is consumed.
This, they say, often comes with a social structure and supply chain including co-ops, home delivery box schemes and markets, which is in huge contrast to the vast and wide-ranging UK supermarket system.
The report says every £10 spent with the box scheme results in £25 spent in the local area versus £14 when the same amount is spent in a supermarket.
Both charities cite a recently-released survey of vegetable box schemes that showed that more than two thirds (67 percent) of 101 producers were “small-scale”. 

Guardian
Ministers are resisting calls to reduce VAT on green home improvements, despite pleas from MPs and  builders, as they prepare to set out a national strategy for cutting greenhouse gas emissions from home heating.
Heating Britain’s homes accounts for about 14% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, and that number has barely budged in the past decade. This year, ministers scrapped the green homes grant, a scheme to subsidise insulation and low-carbon heating systems, after only six months. This left the UK with no plan to bring homes into line with the government’s commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has been preparing a new heat and buildings policy to solve the problem, which may finally be published this week. However, the Treasury seems intent on leaving out a key plank of the strategy that has the support of MPs, the construction industry, green experts and campaigners.
In a letter seen by the Guardian, in response to a request to consider VAT cuts for green home improvements, the Treasury minister Jesse Norman wrote last month: “The government has no plans to change the VAT treatment of energy-saving materials at this time.” 

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