This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-59485258
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Newspaper headlines: New booster target and 'don't cancel Christmas' | Newspaper headlines: New booster target and 'don't cancel Christmas' |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Many of the front pages lead with the government's new target to offer a Covid booster jab to every adult in England by the end of January. The i reports that the NHS will set up 1,500 vaccination sites as part of efforts to tackle the spread of the new variant Omicron. | Many of the front pages lead with the government's new target to offer a Covid booster jab to every adult in England by the end of January. The i reports that the NHS will set up 1,500 vaccination sites as part of efforts to tackle the spread of the new variant Omicron. |
| "Armycron" is the headline for the Metro, which reports that Boris Johnson has mobilised the Army to help with the booster rollout. Four hundred troops will help with vaccinations and offer logistical support to help deliver 500,000 injections a day, the paper says. | "Armycron" is the headline for the Metro, which reports that Boris Johnson has mobilised the Army to help with the booster rollout. Four hundred troops will help with vaccinations and offer logistical support to help deliver 500,000 injections a day, the paper says. |
| However, the Times says those newly eligible for boosters will not be able to book until next week and no date has been set yet for inviting under-40s. The prime minister has promised to "throw everything" at the vaccination campaign, adding that he would get this own booster on Wednesday. | However, the Times says those newly eligible for boosters will not be able to book until next week and no date has been set yet for inviting under-40s. The prime minister has promised to "throw everything" at the vaccination campaign, adding that he would get this own booster on Wednesday. |
| The Daily Telegraph focuses on the furious reaction of some Conservative rebels to new regulations requiring people who come into contact with someone who has the Omicron variant to isolate for 10 days. It quotes one Tory MP, Steve Baker, as warning that restricting freedoms was a path "towards hell", noting that the regulations will not expire until 24 March. | The Daily Telegraph focuses on the furious reaction of some Conservative rebels to new regulations requiring people who come into contact with someone who has the Omicron variant to isolate for 10 days. It quotes one Tory MP, Steve Baker, as warning that restricting freedoms was a path "towards hell", noting that the regulations will not expire until 24 March. |
| The Guardian picks up on an apparent contradiction between comments by the prime minister and one of his most senior health officials. Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, suggested people should cut back on unnecessary socialising in response to Omicron, while Mr Johnson urged people not to cancel Christmas parties or nativity plays. | The Guardian picks up on an apparent contradiction between comments by the prime minister and one of his most senior health officials. Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, suggested people should cut back on unnecessary socialising in response to Omicron, while Mr Johnson urged people not to cancel Christmas parties or nativity plays. |
| The Daily Star says the comments mean "mixed messages for Christmas smoochers". "Party snogs are off this festive season - or maybe not," it suggests. | The Daily Star says the comments mean "mixed messages for Christmas smoochers". "Party snogs are off this festive season - or maybe not," it suggests. |
| The Daily Mail says the prime minister has attempted to calm nerves by urging families not to cancel their Christmas plans because of the Omicron variant. Pubs and restaurant have already seen cancellations, while some schools have axed nativity plays and Christmas fairs, the paper reports. | The Daily Mail says the prime minister has attempted to calm nerves by urging families not to cancel their Christmas plans because of the Omicron variant. Pubs and restaurant have already seen cancellations, while some schools have axed nativity plays and Christmas fairs, the paper reports. |
| The Daily Mirror reports that the prime minister and his staff have been accused of breaking Covid rules by attending crowded parties last year, including a leaving do at No 10 on 27 November during lockdown and on 18 December, when London was under tier three restrictions. No 10 did not deny the claims but insisted "rules were followed". | The Daily Mirror reports that the prime minister and his staff have been accused of breaking Covid rules by attending crowded parties last year, including a leaving do at No 10 on 27 November during lockdown and on 18 December, when London was under tier three restrictions. No 10 did not deny the claims but insisted "rules were followed". |
| Away from the pandemic, the Daily Express leads with an interview with Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who has insisted voters can trust him to slash taxes by the next general election. He points to changes in the Budget which will see two million families keep more of their benefits as proof he is a "low tax Tory". | Away from the pandemic, the Daily Express leads with an interview with Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who has insisted voters can trust him to slash taxes by the next general election. He points to changes in the Budget which will see two million families keep more of their benefits as proof he is a "low tax Tory". |
| The Financial Times leads with a story about the US economy, reporting that the chair of the country's central bank, the Federal Reserve, has signalled his support for speeding up the withdrawal of stimulus measures introduced at the beginning of the pandemic. His comments come as investor confidence has already been "rattled" by the emergence of the Omicron variant, the paper says. | The Financial Times leads with a story about the US economy, reporting that the chair of the country's central bank, the Federal Reserve, has signalled his support for speeding up the withdrawal of stimulus measures introduced at the beginning of the pandemic. His comments come as investor confidence has already been "rattled" by the emergence of the Omicron variant, the paper says. |
| The Sun has spoken to a dog walker who came across "the smoking wreckage" of a Range Rover crashed by actress Sheridan Smith. It quotes the witness as saying they thought someone must have died, alongside a picture of the car smashed into a tree. | The Sun has spoken to a dog walker who came across "the smoking wreckage" of a Range Rover crashed by actress Sheridan Smith. It quotes the witness as saying they thought someone must have died, alongside a picture of the car smashed into a tree. |
| A number of front pages highlight what the Guardian calls Boris Johnson's "clash" with health officials over the new Covid rules, after the head of the UK Health Security Agency, Dr Jenny Harries, suggested people should cut back on unnecessary socialising over the festive period. | |
| The prime minister then "contradicted" that advice, reports the Guardian, as he urged people not to cancel their Christmas parties or nativity plays. | |
| The Mail says Mr Johnson rejected "alarmist rhetoric" about the threat posed by the new Omicron variant by calling on people to "keep living your life". The Star is confused; "party snogs are off this festive season - or maybe not", it says, describing the row as "mixed messages for Christmas smoochers". | |
| The main news for the Telegraph is that some of the latest Covid rules have been enshrined in law until March. It says the requirement to self-isolate for 10 days if you come into contact with someone infected with the Omicron variant has sparked fears among some Conservative MPs of a new "pingdemic" - with healthy people being fined if they leave their homes. | |
| The paper's leader column is concerned that a "disconcerting sense of deja vu lies heavy in the air". It says it understands the government is being ultra cautious but argues that with only 22 cases of the new variant in the UK "we are a long way from knowing whether it will supplant the dominant strain". | |
| The prime minister visited a Christmas market outside Downing Street after giving a Covid press conference on Tuesday | |
| The acceleration of the rollout of booster jabs is featured by the Times. It says the prime minister has pledged to "throw everything" at the vaccine drive to combat the Omicron variant, with the aim of allowing more than 23 million people to be able to book a third jab by the end of January. | |
| "Armycron", says the Metro's headline, noting that 400 troops will be involved in helping to deliver the boosters. Writing in the Sun, Mr Johnson issues what he describes as "a call to arms and a call to get jabs in arms", urging people to both come forward for a booster and volunteer to administer the shots to others. | |
| Sign up for a morning briefing direct to your inbox | |
| The Mirror claims Mr Johnson and his staff have been accused of breaking Covid rules by enjoying crowded parties last year. It says the prime minister gave a speech at a leaving do in Downing Street during the second lockdown last November before members of his top team held an unofficial Christmas party the following month. | |
| Up to 50 people are alleged to have been crammed "cheek by jowl" at both events. The paper's leader column says the incidents show the "reckless hypocrisy of a prime minister incapable of leading by example". Downing Street has told the Mirror Covid rules "have been followed at all times". | |
| The latest assessment of Britain's most endangered birds is front page news for the Guardian, after the so-called "red list" increased in size to 70 species. | |
| The paper says this is more than a quarter of Britain's 245 bird species - and almost double the number when the list was first compiled 25 years ago. Swifts, house martins, greenfinches and Bewick's swan are among the species now considered at risk. | |
| ONE OF THE MOST DRAMATIC PERIODS IN MODERN ROYAL HISTORY: The Princes and the Press | ONE OF THE MOST DRAMATIC PERIODS IN MODERN ROYAL HISTORY: The Princes and the Press |
| A PROBLEM THAT STARTS IN SCHOOL?: Zara McDermott investigates sexism and 'rape culture' in Britain | A PROBLEM THAT STARTS IN SCHOOL?: Zara McDermott investigates sexism and 'rape culture' in Britain |