Away from the Westminster drama, new cases of Covid-19 in the UK on Wednesday (26 May) hit more than 3,000 for the first time in six weeks raising further worries about the spread of the Indian variant of the disease.
Concerns about this variant has also led France to introduce tighter restrictions on UK arrivals from next week after Germany and Austria also took steps to limit travel from the UK.
Cummings says Johnson ‘unfit’ to lead country
Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser Dominic Cummings has accused his former boss of being “unfit for the job” during a seven-hour appearance before MPs. Cummings described Johnson as being like “a shopping trolley, smashing from one side of the aisle to the other” during the early stages of the pandemic in 2020. (Financial Times)
France orders UK seven-day quarantine
Britons travelling to France are set to face a seven-day quarantine, supervised by the French police, as well as having to provide a negative Covid test from Monday (31 May). Tighter restrictions on UK arrivals are being planned by French authorities due to growing concerns about the spread of the Indian variant of the coronavirus. (Daily Telegraph)
Passengers refused boarding amid testing confusion
Around 30 passengers were not allowed to board a flight from Birmingham to Dublin because they had the wrong type of negative Covid test result. Ryanair said the passengers did not have the required PCR test results to be allowed entry to Ireland. (BBC News)
Travel firms hit out at ‘utterly confusing’ advice
Leading airlines and tour operators have written to PM Boris Johnson to complain about the “utterly confusing” advice on international travel from the UK government. EasyJet, British Airways, Jet2 and Tui UK were among the firms to accuse the government of “moving the goalposts” with its current approach. (The Guardian)
UK Covid cases rise to more than 3,000
The number of daily coronavirus cases in the UK has risen to more than 3,000 for the first time since mid-April. The increase is being fuelled by the continuing spread of the Indian variant in several hotspots around the country, which could delay the road map to the further unlocking of Covid restrictions next month. (Sky News)
Arctic heat wave hits new record
Scientists in Russia have recorded a “mind boggling” record-breaking heat wave in the Arctic with temperatures soaring above 30C in the polar region, sparking new fears about the faster speed of climate change. (The Independent)
