6:55 am, June 13, 2021
Johnson poised to delay lockdown lifting to July
Boris Johnson is poised to sign off plans to delay the lifting of coronavirus lockdown restrictions in England amid growing concerns about the surge in case of the highly transmissible Delta variant.
The Prime Minister is expected to agree to put the final easing of controls on hold for up to four weeks when he meets senior ministers and officials on his return today from the G7 summit in Cornwall.
It could mean that lockdown lifting – which had been slated for June 21 under the government’s road map – will be put back to July 19. The move is expected to be confirmed in a formal announcement tomorrow.
Hospitality bosses demand certainty amid fears of delay
Hospitality chiefs have demanded ‘certainty’ from the government and said further support is urgently needed if it chooses to push back plans to ease pandemic restrictions further on June 21.
Jonathan Neame, chief executive of pub owner Shepherd Neame, has said the government must confirm a date for the axing of all restrictions if there is any delay and avoid recurrent reviews.
He said: ‘The key thing right now is certainty. If there has to be a delay then it should be short and time specific because we need to be absolutely certain that things will change from that date. What we absolutely can’t have is a return to a cycle of five-week reviews without knowing how things will end up.’
Johnson says spread of Delta variant is ‘serious, serious concern’
Boris Johnson has said the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus is a matter of ‘serious, serious concern’.
The PM said there had been a deterioration in the situation, with a surge in cases of the Delta variant – first detected in India – since the start of the month.
‘It’s clear that the Indian variant is more transmissible and it’s also true that the cases are going up, and that the levels of hospitalisation are going up,’ he told Sky News. ‘Now, we don’t know exactly to what extent that is going to feed through into extra mortality, but clearly it’s a matter of serious, serious concern.’
Eriksen may not play football professionally again, says cardiologist
Danish footballer Christian Eriksen may not play again professionally following his reported cardiac arrest during his country’s Euro 2020 game against Finland, a leading sports cardiologist has said.
The midfielder dropped to the ground at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen shortly before half-time yesterday, and was treated on the pitch before being taken to hospital.
Professor Sanjay Sharma, professor of sports cardiology at London’s St George’s University, said UK football bodies were likely to be ‘very strict’ about allowing him to play again.
Queen to welcome Joe Biden for tea at Windsor Castle
The Queen will welcome US President Joe Biden to Windsor with a Guard of Honour and tea at the castle.
The American leader and First Lady Jill Biden will visit her Berkshire royal residence today, after attending the G7 summit in Cornwall.
The couple met the Queen on Friday when she attended a reception for G7 leaders at the Eden Project.
UK could see hottest day of the year so far on Sunday, forecasters say
The UK could see the hottest day of the year so far today as temperatures are expected to continue to climb.
The Met Office said that the hottest temperature recorded on Saturday was 24.8C at Kew Gardens in London.
Meteorologist Alex Burkill said that temperatures are expected to rise further today and could get as high as 29C. If the mercury climbs above 28.3C it will make it the hottest day of the year so far as well as the hottest June 13 on record.
Helipad named after paramedic who died with coronavirus officially opens
A rural hospital helipad which has been named after a paramedic who died with coronavirus last year has officially opened.
The Robert Black Memorial Helipad at Campbeltown Hospital, Argyll and Bute, became operational on April 1 and has already helped 19 patients to be airlifted from the site.
Black was a paramedic for the Scotland Ambulance Service for nearly 30 years and died in May 2020 after contracting Covid-19 aged 52.
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Mission Motorsport sets electric car hypermile record
British veterans from Mission Motorsport – the Forces’ Motorsport Charity – have set a new record by hypermiling a regular Renault Zoe 475.4 miles.
Helped by range-extending tyres created by Enso, the feat was achieved at Thruxton circuit in Hampshire in a car supplied by the Hendy Group.
Driving across 24 hours at an average speed of 19mph – the optimum pace for stretching out the Zoe’s range – the team smashed the previous record by 124.4 miles.
Palladium imports drive trade boost as car industry recovers
Imports to the UK from both in and outside the EU rose in April as palladium imports soared to meet demand from a recovering car industry.
Total imports rose by £1.4bn, or 3.9 per cent, during the month, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The ONS said that South African palladium exporters had seen prices hit record highs during the month, as they sent the metal, a key component in catalytic converters, to car manufacturers in the UK and elsewhere.
One in four people bombarded by scams on a daily basis
One in four adults are being bombarded with scam contact on a daily basis, rising to nearly a third of over-65s, a survey has found.
Some 25 per cent of people surveyed by YouGov said calls, texts and emails from scammers are a daily nuisance for them.
Ferraris most likely to pass MOT first time
Ferrari owners are the most likely to get their vehicle passed through an MOT first time, a new investigation has revealed.
Ferraris aged up to three years old brought an impressive MOT pass rate of 95.4 per cent.
The Italian supercar manufacturer came out on top of the data compiled via a Freedom of Information request by Bookmygarage.com above several other prestige brands, with Bentley and Aston Martin taking second and third places respectively.
Audi applies range of enhancements across its line-up
Audi has introduced a new ‘update programme’ which brings a range of new trim levels, wheel designs and fresh colours – among other features – to many cars in its line-up.
One of the most notable changes is the inclusion of Amazon Alexa into those Audi cars using the firm’s latest MIB 3 infotainment system.
Applying to the entire line-up – apart from the Q2, TT and R8 – it allows drivers to stream music, lock household doors and even control the lighting at their home via voice command and the relevant connected devices.
Getting even warmer
Today, it will be dry and sunny for most, however, western and northern Scotland will see a band of rain gradually moving south-eastwards through the day. It will be very warm and humid in England and Wales, says the BBC.
Tonight, outbreaks of rain will drift into Northern Ireland and southern Scotland, whereas north Scotland will have scattered showers. Elsewhere, it will be dry with clear spells. Remaining mild.
Tomorrow, north-western regions will continue to be largely cloudy, with some light showers in western Scotland. The rest of the country will be mostly sunny and dry. Still hot in the far south-east.
