By BBC News
Staff
The Times says Boris Johnson has beefed up his top team to save his premiership amid increasing concern that a no-confidence vote is inevitable amid the criticism which has followed revelations of parties at Downing Street during lockdown. The Times says the prime minister is calling on the ministerial loyalists who helped him secure the Conservative Party leadership in 2019.
The Guardian says the prime minister is facing calls from opposition MPs to ensure all evidence on the Downing Street parties – such as emails and witness accounts – is published alongside the results of the official inquiry. The Guardian also joins a number of other papers in featuring a photograph of rock star Meat Loaf on its front page, following his death at the age of 74.
The Daily Mirror leads on Meat Loaf’s death – reporting claims he died with Covid. It reports the “rock legend” is said to have hit out at vaccine mandates and masks.
The i weekend says the government is considering pausing its decision to make Covid vaccinations mandatory for NHS workers in England. The “talks” on a “jabs U-turn” come amid concerns at the possible impact on patient care if staff are sacked for refusing to comply with the ruling, says the paper.
The Daily Telegraph reports the attorney general is seeking an injunction against the BBC to prevent the corporation from allegedly identifying a spy working overseas. The BBC says it is unable to comment on the case “beyond confirming that we would not pursue any story unless it was felt it was overwhelmingly in the public interest”.
The Daily Express leads on the news that UK experts are developing a combined flu and Covid vaccine in a capsule. If human trials of the “wonder drug” are successful it could provide a massive boost in the fight against winter respiratory diseases, says the Express.
The Daily Mail’s headline says it is “time to spike the tax hike”. The paper says MPs and business leaders have joined its campaign to halt a rise in national insurance this April, saying the plan risks piling unsustainable pressure on struggling households.
The FT Weekend focuses on the $48bn (£35bn) fall in the value of shares in Netflix. The sell-off in the streaming giant’s stock added fuel to a decline in global equity markets this week, reports the paper.
Tensions between Russia and the West over a potential conflict in Ukraine feature on several front pages. The Daily Star puts its own interpretation on the events – reporting that Britain’s top UFO sleuth has blamed warmongering by Vladimir Putin for scaring off extraterrestrials from visiting Earth.
“This Meat Loaf I keep hearing about – is it the name of a new plot against Boris?” is the caption accompanying the Daily Telegraph’s Matt cartoon, as it covers the death of the rock singer and the continuing pressure on the prime minister – with a nod to this week’s so-called “Pork Pie Plot”.
The Times reports Boris Johnson has reinstated the team that helped him win the Conservative leadership, “to save his premiership”. It says the group – which includes Transport Secretary Grant Shapps – is compiling a spreadsheet detailing the stance of every Conservative MP.
The Daily Express says the prime minister will spend the weekend at Chequers “shoring up” support, with his diary cleared to allow him to speak directly to MPs.
Meat Loaf’s death is the lead for several papers. Describing him as a “swashbuckling showman”, the Daily Mirror says he died of complications with Covid.
The Sun says he was “a bit of a one-trick pony” but acknowledges when his “unparalleled holler” came on, “we sang along, drove a bit faster and bought millions of records… no matter which era”.
In its main story, the Daily Telegraph reports that the attorney general is to seek an injunction against the BBC to prevent the corporation from broadcasting a story about espionage. A hearing is expected to take place in secret at the High Court in the coming days.
The BBC tells the paper the proposed story is “overwhelmingly in the public interest”.
“NHS in talks on jabs U-turn”, is the Weekend i’s front page lead. Sources have told the paper a temporary suspension of the requirement for all front-line NHS staff in England to be fully vaccinated is being “actively” looked at in Whitehall.
The i suggests more than 80,000 workers are yet to have one jab. But a government source said its position remained unchanged, adding ministers are “cracking on” with the policy.
The FT Weekend says holiday firms including Thomas Cook and Jet2 are gearing up for a “surge” in bookings for the February half term, because ministers are expected to remove the day two lateral flow test for fully vaccinated passengers returning to the UK.
Government officials say unvaccinated travellers will still be required to test on days two and eight and the passenger locator form is likely to remain in a simplified form.
“Time to spike the tax hike”, declares the Daily Mail. The paper says MPs and businesses have joined its campaign to scrap April’s national insurance increase.
Former Conservative minister David Jones said the hike would put “far too much pressure on families”, while Mike Cherry, from the Federation of Small Businesses called on the government to “take stock” of inflationary pressures and change course.
And finally, the Daily Telegraph reports that the Church of England is to vote on new laws making it easier for vicars to to install cushions, kneelers and carpets.
Currently, such changes require the Church’s equivalent of planning permission but officials believe the furnishings could help towards the 2030 net zero target. The Telegraph suggests, if approved, the changes would be quite literally a new “softly-softly” approach.
