Brexit 

Express
UK TAXPAYERS are in the dark about how much money the UK will pay the European Union in years to come after the Government stonewalled a request for information by a pro-Brexit campaigner.
And Jayne Adye stressed clarity for vital given the bloc’s track record of using “every loophole” to gain leverage over Britain – warning Brussels was hellbent on “bleeding our bank account dry”. Ms Adye, the director of the Get Britain Out campaign, was motivated to act by a joint statement issued by the UK and the EU on April 27 after a meeting of the Financial Provisions Specialised Committee. Both sides “noted positive engagement on the second formal reporting package under the Withdrawal Agreement which was provided by the European Commission at the end of March”, the statement explains.
However, figures were notably absent, with Ms Adye therefore submitting a Freedom of Information request asking what was contained within the package.
The response, from HM Treasury and dated May 26, says: “You asked to receive the documents in the reporting package from the EU to the UK.
“We consider the information engages the exemption at section 27(1)(b) where disclosure would be likely to prejudice relations between the UK and any international organisation.
”This is a qualified exemption and we are required to balance the public interest between disclosure and non-disclosure. 

Trade 

Express
BRITONS have launched a furious attack against France, Germany and Italy with the the European Union powerhouses hoping to strike their own post-Brexit agreements with Britain to boost defence cooperation.
Ambassadors, ministers and their teams are reportedly holding behind-closed-doors talks to see if there is a way for the countries to strengthen ties with the UK following Brexit. Governments in Paris, Berlin and Rome are interested in signing their own deals with Boris Johnson’s Government to open up more routes for added cooperation on matters relating to defence, according to The Guardian. But the latest developments come after Britain insisted it was not interested in forging closer security and foreign policy cooperation ties with the EU.
The UK completed its departure from the European Union at the end of last year after singing an 11th-hour trade deal following nearly a year of tense and often bitter talks.
Prime Minister Mr Johnson has basked in Britain’s new-found sovereignty, insisting the country will thrive outside of the bloc.
Now the reports of France, Germany and Italy hoping for their own own post-Brexit agreements with Britain to boost defence cooperation has sparked a furious reaction from Britons. 

Express
BRITAIN has today launched its own post-Brexit independent trade authority that for the first time will allow sanctions to be placed on the EU for unfair practices.
While in the European Union the UK was bound by the bloc’s own trade remedies regime. It meant businesses across the bloc were treated as being from one economic area with Britain unable to unilaterally take action against member states looking to undercut British manufacturers.
The newly formed Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) now has the power to recommend the introduction of tariffs and other such measures if the EU is found to have participated in unfair trading practices.
Attempts by countries in Europe and around the world to use state intervention to subsidise manufacturing to boost exports can be combatted.
International Trade Minister, Ranil Jayawardena said: “Britain’s newly independent trade remedies system will help protect important British industries such as steel manufacturers and ceramics producers from harmful global trading practices.
“The TRA will help create a level playing field for British businesses so they can compete with overseas producers, protecting them from unfair trading practices and unforeseen surges in imports.” 

EU 

Express
THE EU will be plunged into chaos as there are several countries now waiting in line to strike a UK-style trade deal with the bloc, the head of an Icelandic free-market think tank has told Express.co.uk.
Britain and the EU reached a post-Brexit trade deal in December last year – after almost nine months of fraught negotiations. Announced on Christmas Eve, Prime Minister Boris Johnson described it as a “jumbo Canada-style” deal and declared: “All our red lines about returning sovereignty have been achieved. “Everything that the British public were promised during the 2016 referendum and in the general election last year is delivered by this deal.”
The deal is without a doubt a huge triumph for the Prime Minister, who in 2019, won a thumping majority at the general election with the promise “to get Brexit done”.
This new partnership could cause some problems for the EU, though.
In an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, historian and head of an Icelandic free-market think tank Hjörtur J. Guðmundsson insisted many countries, including the ones in the European Economic Area (EEA), will want to strike a similar deal with the bloc.
He said: “In Norway, you now have political parties calling for Norway to reconsider membership of the EEA. 

Northern Ireland 

Express
LORD FROST has travelled to Northern Ireland for meetings with businesses and communities impacted post-Brexit by the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The Brexit minister is visiting the province for a second time in under a month as he seeks to better understand the problems facing the devolved area. Ever since the end of the EU transition period, Unionists and businesses have complained the implementation of the Protocol has led to bureaucratic paperwork and red tape on trade.
Goods travelling across the Irish Sea from Britain are now subject to customs forms which critics argue has undermined the UK’s internal market.
The Protocol was agreed upon by Boris Johnson as part of the withdrawal agreement, but ministers have since said they want to ditch the measures due to the negative impact it is having.
Lord Frost is visiting Northern Ireland to hear first-hand the challenges being faced ahead of a crunch head-to-head meeting with the EU.
A meeting of the UK-EU joint committee on Brexit is due to meet next week and is hoping to commit to a timetable to resolving frictions over the Protocol. 

Covid 

Mail
The UK today reported zero Covid deaths for the first time in 10 months and one of the top virus-tracking scientists in the country declared ‘vaccines work’ as SAGE experts and Tory MPs butt heads over whether June 21’s ‘Freedom Day’ should be delayed in the face of the Indian variant. 
Department of Health figures saw the daily death toll tumble to a stop over the Spring Bank Holiday with six deaths reported on Sunday, one on Monday and none at all today, June 1.  
It doesn’t mean nobody died of Covid yesterday but that any deaths that did happen haven’t yet been registered, likely because it was a bank holiday and paperwork takes longer. 
There hasn’t been a single day since March 7, 2020, on which nobody died with the virus, but seeing the daily fatality count drop to none is a milestone that Britain hasn’t seen since the virus all but disappeared last summer.
Another 3,165 cases were announced, marking a nearly 30 per cent spike on last Tuesday’s 2,439 and the seventh day in a row that there have been more than 3,000. Increasing cases have stirred fears that the now-dominant Indian strain will trigger a third wave and throw the lockdown-easing off track. 
Professor Tim Spector, a King’s College London epidemiologist who has been tracking the virus for more than a year, today said: ‘Virtually all cases are aged under 50 or unvaccinated – so vaccines work.’ 
 

Similar reports appear in the Sun, Times , Telegraph , Guardian, ITV News, Guido, BBC News,  Independent. 

 

Freedom Day 

Times
The UK reported no new coronavirus deaths yesterday for the first time since the pandemic began, raising hope that the remaining restrictions in England may still be lifted this month.
While the fatalities figure may nudge upwards in the coming weeks, especially because of reporting delays over the bank holiday weekend, ministers hailed it as a significant milestone.
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said: “The whole country will be so glad there were no Covid-related deaths recorded yesterday. The vaccines are clearly working — protecting you, those around you and your loved ones.”
Although he cautioned that Britain had not “beaten this virus yet”, it will intensify pressure on Boris Johnson to push ahead with the final stage of the road map to reopening on 

Express 
BORIS JOHNSON has delayed a major update on the end of coronavirus restrictions as damning stats lead to fears ‘Freedom Day’ on June 21 will be scrapped.
The unveiling of reviews into social distancing and plans for the re-opening of large public events have been put back by No10. The reviews were originally due to be published by the end of May but last week Downing Street said the announcement would not be made until this week.
Today, the timetable appeared to slip further as officials indicated the announcement would not be made until June 7 at the earliest, as the rapid spread of the Indian variant sparks concern.
Scientists are speaking out to warn against the lifting of coronavirus measures on June 21 due to the rise of cases of Covid across the UK.
The Indian mutant strain – now officially known as the Delta variant – has led to a surge in infections across Britain.
Daily reported cases have been above 3,000 for seven days in a row now. 

Similar reports appear in ITV News,  Morning Star, Guardian and ITV News 

Education 

BBC News
Tutoring sessions for pupils in England are being promised in school catch-up plans that will cost £1.4bn over three years.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “We will do everything we can to support children who have fallen behind.”
The extra funding will help pupils whose learning has been disrupted by the pandemic.
Head teachers criticised the proposals as a “damp squib” and “hugely disappointing”.
The amount announced is lower than had been previously suggested – think tank Education Policy Institute (EPI) calculated a recovery plan would cost £13.5bn.
“Young people have sacrificed so much over the last year and as we build back from the pandemic, we must make sure that no child is left behind,” said Mr Johnson, announcing “this next step in our long-term catch up plan”.
The recovery plan, in addition to the £1.7bn already announced, will include £1bn for 100 million hours of tutoring and £250m for teacher training and development. 

Illegal migrants 

Telegraph
Channel migrants are threatening “mob unrest” over accommodation delays, warns Border Force union, as record numbers arrived on UK shores.‘’
The record numbers of illegal migrants expect to be moved quickly to their accommodation, says Border Force union.
Lucy Moreton, professional officer for the ISU immigration union, said Border Force was being overwhelmed by the “phenomenal” numbers of illegal migrants now crossing the Channel. 
More than 560 reached the UK over the weekend, including 336 in 19 boats on Friday, a record for a single day in 2021, surpassing the previous high of 209 on April 28.
She said so many had arrived at one point at the weekend that officers had to abandon the normal practice of Covid testing on arrival and instead take them to detention centres or other accommodation to avoid a potentially dangerous build-up of migrants. 

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