PM appeals to parents to get children back to school
Boris Johnson will directly appeal to parents to send their children back to school, amid fears they are the final stumbling block in ministers’ efforts to return youngsters to full-time education. The Prime Minister will say today that “nothing will have a greater effect on their life chances” than continuing to keep children at home when schools return at the start of September. His intervention comes amid concern within the Government that “natural reservations” over a return have been hardwired into parents by months of messaging about the health risks of Covid-19. Mr Johnson’s message has been given the added backing of new Public Health England figures showing the reopening of schools in June did not lead to a single child being hospitalised with coronavirus. However, pupils have been given another reason to protest against going back after researchers found anxiety in teenagers fell during lockdown.
Meanwhile, Gavin Williamson has hit back back at criticism of his “holiday” in the week before the A-level grading crisis broke. The Education Secretary said he deliberately stayed in the UK to help solve the exams chaos and prepare for pupils to return to school. His defence came as it also emerged one of his deputies, Gillian Keegan, an education minister, had spent two weeks on holiday in an alpine chalet in Courchevel, posting pictures of her time on Instagram during the A-level crisis. Given what has happened up until now, Julia Hartley-Brewer outlines why the schools crisis is Mr Johnson’s do-or-die moment.
‘Beautiful daughter’, 15, killed in speedboat accident
A schoolgirl killed when the speedboat she was on with her family crashed has been described as a “beautiful daughter” by her father. Emily Lewis, 15, died after the Rigid Inflatable Boat carrying 12 people hit a navigation buoy near the entrance of Southampton Water in choppy conditions on Saturday. Two others were flung into the water, suffering broken arms, but the teenager suffered fatal impact injuries as a result of the high speed crash and died shortly after arriving at hospital. Her father, Simon Lewis, described the family’s pain in a Facebook post.
Period drama: Full stops ‘intimidating’ to Generation Z
Full stops have become the latest casualty of youthful sensitivity as experts say they can be “intimidating”. As teenagers and those in their early twenties, Generation Z, have grown up with phones in their hands, using short messages to communicate with one another, the punctuation mark has fallen out of fashion and become a symbol of curt passive-aggression. Linguists have been debating the use of the full stop and why some young people interpret a correctly punctuated text as a sign of annoyance. Read how the full stop has become an “emotional marker”.
At a glance: More coronavirus headlines
Also in the news: Today’s other headlines
Serial killer fears | Two suspected brutal double murders from 20 years ago in Wilmslow, Cheshire, are being re-examined after a confidential new report found they could have been the work of the same offender. A report into cases written off as murder-suicides has claimed a serial killer could be at large in the north west of England. Read on for details.
Around the world: Mass protests sweep Belarus
The streets of the Belarusian capital Minsk erupted with roar and chants of “Go away!” as at least 100,000 opposition protesters filled the city’s main streets, demanding the resignation of the country’s embattled leader who had vowed to crack down on protests. The massive rally comes two weeks after Alexander Lukashenko was awarded a largely disputed landslide victory in the presidential election. Ensuing protests were met with unprecedented violence by riot police. Nataliya Vasilyeva reports from Minsk. Click here for more pictures of the day.
Comment and analysis
Editor’s choice: Features and arts
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The Sleep Diet | What to eat to help you get a good night’s rest
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Fight for justice | ‘Doctors knew the Primodos risks. We were lab rats’
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Me and My Penis | ‘The ideal of the strong, silent man is dated and damaging’
Business and money briefing
Facebook and Amazon tax | A debate is raging within Whitehall over the future of the Government’s tax on tech giants amid claims the levy could be scrapped. The Treasury rushed to pour cold water on claims that it could be about to scrap the Digital Services Tax after reports over the weekend it was causing issues with a US trade deal. Read more.
Sport briefing
Kings of Europe | Bayern Munich claimed their sixth European Cup after a Kingsley Coman bullet header sunk Paris Saint-Germain. The winger’s inclusion in the starting line-up was a tactical masterstroke from manager Hansi Flick. Read Oliver Brown’s match report from the Champions League final in Portugal, while Jason Burt analyses how Neymar missed his golden opportunity to step out of Messi’s shadow.
Tonight’s dinner
Baked rice with chicken, peppers and chorizo | Inspired by oven-cook risottos, this paella-style rice dish involves no stirring, just beautifully cooked saffron rice, rich with chorizo, chicken and garlic. Read the recipe.
And finally… for this morning’s downtime
The original media moguls | A new book by the actress Olivia Williams examines how “at their height”, the D’Oyly Cartes ranked as “the greatest impresarios and hoteliers in the world” – as dynamic and powerful in their way as any of today’s media dynasties. Rupert Christiansen assesses the family’s influence as impresarios, promoters of Gilbert and Sullivan, and founders of the Savoy Hotel.