UK Newspaper Archive (July 2020-Present)

The Daily Mirror’s front page focuses on Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s Commons warning that more than nine million people across Yorkshire, the North East and Nottinghamshire could soon be in Tier 3 COVID-19 restrictions. 

The Guardian reports on the Welsh government’s decision to enter a 17-day “firebreak” lockdown – despite having the lowest rates of COVID-19 infection of the four UK nations.

The Guardian reports on a leaked NHS document warning of an imminent shortage of hospital beds for people seriously ill with COVID-19 in Greater Manchester. The full story is here.

The Daily Mirror leads with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s demands for a national lockdown, lasting for at least a fortnight, to tackle soaring COVID-19 cases.

The Daily Mail says facemasks and social distancing will be needed until the summer, according to the head of the Oxford COVID vaccine team.

The Guardian leads with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s calls for a national lockdown of at least two weeks as the number of people who have died with COVID-19 soared to a four-month high.

The Daily Express quotes the prime minister as saying the increase in COVID-19 cases is flashing “like alerts on a jet”.

The Guardian says Boris Johnson has warned northern leaders that failure to agree tougher COVID restrictions within days would be “unforgivable”.

The Financial Times leads with the Tory backlash over Boris Johnson’s shift to tougher anti-COVID measures.

The Daily Mail leads with appeals to Boris Johnson not to cause “more pain and damage” with the latest efforts to drive down high COVID infection rates.

The Daily Mirror says England footballer Marcus Rashford – who campaigned for free school meals in England – is among COVID-19 heroes being recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours this year.

The Financial Times leads with Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s targeted furlough scheme for the hospitality industry in COVID hotspots.

The Daily Mirror has a scathing assessment of Boris Johnson’s speech to the Conservative Party conference, saying the prime minister “waffled” about “getting back to normal” but ignored unemployment and COVID. 

Tax rises are on the way to help pay the country’s COVID-19 bill – that’s on the front of the Daily Express.

The Daily Telegraph reports on US President Donald Trump’s insistence that people should not be afraid of COVID-19.

The Daily Telegraph reports that 15,000 positive COVID-19 test results have gone missing, meaning thousands of people who should be self-isolating have not been told to quarantine – risking further spread of the disease. 

The Sunday Times reports that Donald Trump is entrusting his recovery from COVID-19 to an experimental drug amid claims that his “vital signs” were impaired.

SNP MP Margaret Ferrier has been suspended by her party after travelling on a train following a positive test for COVID-19, The Daily Telegraph reports. 

Police are set to start carrying out spot checks and act on tip-offs to enforce strict new COVID-19 self-isolation rules from today, the Daily Mail says.

Neighbours are being encouraged by the government to report COVID sufferers who are not self-isolating to the police, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Boris Johnson is facing a revolt in parliament over the way he is imposing COVID-19 restrictions on the population, The Observer reports.

Students have been given a Christmas lockdown warning as government scientists warn that travelling home poses a risk of “larger outbreaks” of COVID-19, the i reports. 

The Financial Times reports that Rishi Sunak has scrapped his autumn budget as he scrambled to roll out emergency schemes to prop up jobs and businesses as the economy heads towards a bleak Covid winter. 

The Daily Express leads with Boris Johnson announcing new coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday, adding that chief medical officers upgraded the COVID-19 alert level from three to four.

The Daily Express says the government’s top COVID team will issue the public a stark warning on Monday that the UK is at a “critical point” in its fight against coronavirus.

The Daily Mirror says Boris Johnson will address the nation this week after the health secretary, Matt Hancock, said the UK was at a COVID-19 “tipping point”.

The Sunday Times says Premiership Rugby players and travellers to Dubai are being prioritised by the UK’s biggest COVID-19 testing laboratory, despite recent problems with testing.