The Daily Mirror says the testing system has “descended into even further chaos”, as it reports that on Wednesday the UK saw its highest daily rise in cases since May. Its headline comes from a tweet by Labour MP Liam Byrne that reads “Tories aren’t testing” – which itself was intended to be based on the Conservatives’ 1979 advert “Labour isn’t working”.
The Daily Express leads on Mr Johnson’s comments but on lockdown restrictions, not testing. The PM said the government will “do everything in our power” to avoid a second national lockdown – but the paper says he refused to rule out a new stay at home rule. He said another lockdown would be “disastrous”.
The Times reports that ministers are considering telling pubs and restaurants in virus hotspots around the country to close early, by 22:00 BST. It quotes Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick – who was speaking on ITV on Wednesday night – saying a full announcement on further curbs in the north-east of England would be announced on Thursday. The paper’s main picture is of Prince Philip, who is leaving Balmoral to spend two weeks with the Queen at Sandringham.
The warning from schools also leads the front of the i newspaper. It reports that head teachers’ unions have written a letter to Mr Johnson telling him to “personally take charge” amid concern over schools not being able to access tests. Teachers have said they are frustrated that the increase in demand was not foreseen, the paper adds.
We warned of a testing crisis five months ago, the Daily Mail says. It describes Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s admission on Wednesday that there are not enough tests to meet demand as “embarrassing”. The paper adds that the government will publish its list of people who be prioritised for tests later on Thursday.
The Daily Star’s top story is on serial killer Dennis Nilsen, whose story has been dramatised and is being aired this week. The paper says Nilsen once said his dog knew when he had killed someone, saying: “She could see it was not the real Des.”
The problems with testing continue to dominate several papers. The Daily Telegraph says it has learnt more details about the government’s plan to prioritise tests, after shortages. The paper says even people with symptoms will be refused tests unless they’re on the priority list – which could be limited to hospitals, care homes, certain key workers and schools.
The Guardian focuses on the impact the testing shortage is having on teachers, reporting that up to 25,000 teachers in England may be self-isolating, with many of them unable to get a test. One head of an academy trust said 740 state schools in England were either partially or wholly closed due to coronavirus issues.
The lead story for the Metro is on the death of a 12-day-old baby following a dog attack in Doncaster. The paper pictures the mother and newborn baby Elon, as well as a photo of the Chow Chow crossbreed dog.
The Financial Times says Boris Johnson climbed down over the Internal Market Bill, a controversial piece of Brexit legislation, to head off a Tory rebellion.