Friday morning UK news briefing: Today's top headlines from The Telegraph

Friday morning UK news briefing: Today's top headlines from The Telegraph

Friday morning UK news briefing: Today’s top headlines from The Telegraph

1. Every patient to have right to see a GP as NHS abandons ‘total triage’

The NHS on Thursday night performed a climbdown over plans to use online and telephone “screening” for GP appointments and announced that every patient would now have the right to see their doctor face-to-face.

The Telegraph revealed on Wednesday that family doctors had been told to introduce a system of “total triage”, meaning those seeking to see their GP were being discouraged and told to have an online or phone discussion first. Read the full story.

2. PM to push ahead with reopening despite rise in Indian variant cases

Boris Johnson vowed on Thursday to push ahead with Monday’s lockdown easing despite a spike in Indian variant cases, amid hopes that a local surge in vaccinations can contain the threat.

The Prime Minister is considering bringing forward the point at which vulnerable people in the worst affected areas can get their second Covid vaccine in order to ensure they are protected. Read the full story.

3. Israel declares ground assault on Gaza as crisis deepens

Israel on Thursday night appeared to declare a start to an anticipated offensive on the occupied Gaza Strip as Hamas continued to bombard the Jewish state with rocket fire.

“IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip,” the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said in a brief message, signalling the most serious escalation since the 2014 war. Read the full story.

4. Five million EU citizens apply for UK settled status – nearly double what was predicted pre-Brexit

More than five million EU citizens living in the UK have applied for settled status, nearly double the number thought to be residents before the EU referendum, official figures revealed on Thursday.

The Home Office data showed 4.9 million of the 5.4 million had already been granted settled status, of which 4.88 million were living in England. This compares with the three million that were estimated to have been in the UK at the time of the vote on Brexit in 2016. Read the full story.

5. Prince Harry talks of his ‘genetic pain’ in podcast interview

The Duke of Sussex has said his father treated him “the way he was treated” as he revealed that he wanted to “break the cycle” of “genetic pain” for his own children.

In an extraordinary, wide-ranging interview, Prince Harry, 36, suggested that he had to move to the United States to ensure his own childhood experiences, as well as those of the Prince of Wales before him, were not replicated. ​Read the full story.

Stay up-to-date with breaking news and the latest politics from The Telegraph throughout the day.

source: yahoo.com