Newspaper headlines: 'Three lie-ins' and 'thousands spared isolation'

BBC NewsStaff
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Some of Friday's papers report that the NHS Covid-19 app in England and Wales could be altered to reduce the numbers of people self-isolating.

The Daily Mail leads with suggestions that the app is to be watered down to stop it "crippling the economy and public services this summer". It says thousands will be spared what it calls "isolation madness," by reducing the app's sensitivity to cut the numbers being asked to quarantine unnecessarily.

The Daily Mirror notes that the head of the UK Health Security Agency has said the app can be re-jigged to work better with an increasingly vaccinated population. But the Sun wants to go a step further on isolation. "Why not scrap it for the double jabbed on July the 19th?" it suggests.

The Guardian says the easing of quarantine rules has opened up summer travel to 100 countries. The i paper describes yesterday's decision as a "travel boost" for families.

But the Times warns that while the change is welcome, further action is needed before most Britons can enjoy a stress-free summer break. The paper notes that most people in their 20s and 30s won't qualify, many people might miss their holiday if they have to self-isolate and there's a risk that amber countries could still be moved to the red list at short notice, with case numbers surging across Europe.

'Pensions shock'

The Daily Express warns of a "pensions shock for millions" as Chancellor Rishi Sunak has hinted that the government's "triple-lock" pledge could be broken to avoid bumper payouts.

Under the promise, pensions could rise by 8% this year, prompting Mr Sunak to wonder whether that would be fair to working taxpayers. The paper accepts that maintaining the triple lock is problematic.

It says that every government should think hard before breaking an election promise, but acknowledges that an 8% rise is something which the Treasury coffers and hard-pressed taxpayers may struggle to meet after a crisis which has cost the country dear.

The Daily Mail agrees that a debate on this thorny issue is overdue, but it believes "it would be unforgivable for ministers to tear up their promise to pensioners - and then backslide on cuts to monstrously bloated foreign aid".

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Many of the papers are still considering England's Euro 2020 semi-final win. "It's The Final Countdown" is the headline for the Metro, as it looks ahead to Sunday's showdown against Italy.

According to the Times, Boris Johnson is considering making 19 July a bank holiday if England win the tournament. Under the headline "Fever Pitch," the Mirror suggests that Gareth Southgate and the team could be in line for knighthoods if they go all the way.

Southgate himself is pictured in many of the papers during a training session yesterday. "I couldn't be prouder to be an Englishman," the Guardian quotes him as saying.

In the Daily Telegraph, Douglas Murray latches onto the pride the team has bestowed on the country.

"Patriotism has had a rough ride in the West over recent decades," he writes, adding that in the UK "we have seen almost everything about our identity... derided or actually dismissed."

By contrast, he notes that "for the first time in years, the cross of St George is flying widely and proudly in the land."