BRITAIN is set to be hotter than Bermuda on Bank Holiday Monday with temperatures hitting 26C.
A 400-mile wide “subtropical surge” is due to hit which could mean beaches up and down the country could be packed despite lockdown warnings to stay away.
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A 400 mile-wide 'subtropical surge' is arriving from the Azores
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Sun lovers crammed onto the beach at Bournemouth todayCredit: Bournemouth News
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These lads were enjoying the sunshine in Clevedon Marine Lake in SomersetCredit: � Andrew Lloyd
A weather map showed subtropical heat arriving from the Azores as the Met Office forecast 26C temperatures and sunny weather.
The Met office says the movement of the jet stream is playing a big part in the weekend's weather.
Britain is expected to be hotter than 24C holiday island Bermuda, off the east coast of the US.
Bank Holiday Monday will be warm and mostly fine for southern areas.
Brits though are still being warned to stay away from beaches and beauty spots and to continue to keep to social distancing rules even as the sunnier weather continues.
Bookies are predicting the May Spring Bank Holiday will be the hottest on record for 98 years with the mercury hitting 30C.
The soaring temperatures are set to continue through the week as well and things are expected to get hotter still.
25C-plus highs are due every day through the week, with nudging the 28.2C hottest day of the year expected by Wednesday and again at the weekend, The Weather Outlook said.
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Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said: “Dramatic weather changes saw heat before the weekend followed by a deepening storm not common even in winter, then a resurgence of high pressure.”
“More dry, warm and sunny weather is ahead.” The Weather Outlook forecaster Brian Gaze said: “It's a Bank Holiday sizzle and 28C could be seen by Wednesday and later in the week.”
Ex-BBC and Met Office forecaster John Hammond of weathertrending said: “Heat will build again, but it's been wild in the North.”
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Monday morning is expected to start off fine and dry, according to the Met Office
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Temperatures are set to hit a high of 26C for Bank Holiday Monday
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A couple enjoy a beer in their deckchairs during the fine weather in BrightonCredit: PA:Press Association
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People enjoyed the hot weather in River Lea in east London yesterdayCredit: PA:Press Association
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The Chancellor has put forward 'Project Birch' in order to save certain companies who are facing spiralling debt levels. Aviation, steel firms and aerospace companies have all been earmarked as the industries which could be protected. According to the Financial Times, the core principles would be to rescue companies which may harm the economy if they were to go bust. This comes as Boris Johnson is expected to announce a further relaxation of lockdown measures as the UK moves towards the next phase of the Prime Minister's exit strategy. Ahead of that announcement, some Tory MPs have now called for Dominic Cummings to resign after he was accused of travelling to Durham from his home in London in April.
Former chair of the European Research Group and MP for Wycombe, Steve Baker stated Mr Cummings "must go" following the revelations over the weekend.
Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer also criticised Mr Johnson's decision not to sack his aide.
He said: "This was a huge test of the prime minister and he has just failed that test.
"Millions of people across the country have made the most agonising choices - not visiting relatives, not going to funerals - they deserve better answers than they got from the prime minister."
Mr Johnson also stated on Sunday schools in England will begin to reopen on June 1.
Pupils from year 1 to Year 6 will return to school while on June 15, a quarter of Year 10 and Year 12 students will be able to return in some manner to prepare for exams.
8.58am update: fears over negative tests for NHS staff
Three in ten negative coronavirus tests may be wrong a doctor's union has warned.
The Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) said it fears 20-30 percent of tests were giving NHS staff false-negative results.
In a letter to Duncan Selbie Chief Executive Public Health England, Dr Paul Donaldson stated his fear over the tests.
In the letter seen by The Daily Telegraph, Ms Donaldson said: "A wall of silence seems to have been erected around the issue, with only the occasional claim or hint emerging regarding the current testing regime.
“Separately, statements by PHE officials and others place the incidence of false negatives somewhere between 20 and 30 percent.
"If confirmed, this is a worryingly high rate which raises the prospect of many infected individuals, possibly without symptoms, being passed fit to return to healthcare settings where they will transmit SARS-CoV-2 to colleagues and patients.”
8.27am update: Gavin Williamson admits reopening schools was incredibly hard
Speaking today, Mr Williamson said the reopening of schools, which will begin in a phased manner from next week, was one of "the most difficult" decision he's ever had to take.
He said: "I know that there's such importance in terms of children being able to get their education."
8.10am update: Germany reports 289 new cases
Germany has reported a further 289 infections and 10 deaths from COVID-19.
According to statistics, Germany has now reported 180,328 cases combined with 8,371 deaths.
8.04am update: China emerges as front runner for vaccine development
China is leading the way in the race for a vaccine for COVID-19.
According to data seen by The Sunday Telegraph, of the 224 vaccines in development across the world, 10 have progressed to human trials.
In the date collected by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, six of those 10 are Chinese companies.
One has now progressed to the second stage and is being developed by the Chinese biotech firm CanSino Biologics and the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology.
7.58am update: New Zeland to allow gatherings of up to 100
New Zealand has unveiled plans for gatherings of up to 100 people, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced.
In April, Ms Adren has stated the virus had been eliminated and therefore began lifting lockdown measures.
7.41am update: Rishi Sunak plans bailout plan
Under 'Project Birch', Mr Sunak has increased the ability of the Treasury to be able to create specific plans to help certain countries in the UK.
The plan has been put forward in order to rescue companies which would otherwise go out of business and thus harm the UK economy.
The Treasury told the Financial Times: " In exceptional circumstances, where a viable company has exhausted all options and its failure would disproportionately harm the economy, we may consider support on a ‘last resort’ basis.
“As the British public would expect, we are putting in place sensible contingency planning and any such support would be on terms that protect the taxpayer.”
Coronavirus: The government draws up plan to rescue key firms - BBC News
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The UK government has indicated it is prepared to rescue large British companies severely affected by the coronavirus crisis.
The Treasury said "last resort" support could be made available if a firm's failure would "disproportionately harm the UK economy".
The move follows indications that a number of big firms are seeking government help to survive the crisis.
These include
Jaguar Land Rover
, which is in talks to secure a £1bn loan.
The government has already put in place various initiatives to help companies weather the pandemic, including loan programmes, deferring of tax payments and the furlough scheme, which allows workers to receive 80% of their salary paid by the government.
According to latest figures, eight million workers are covered by the furlough scheme.
However, concern is growing that some big firms are still in difficulties even after making use of these options.
It could involve the state taking stakes in companies, although extending existing loans would be preferable.
A Treasury spokeswoman said: "We have put in place unprecedented levels of support to help businesses get through this crisis.
"Beyond that, many firms are getting support from established market mechanisms, such as existing shareholders, bank lending and commercial finance.
"In exceptional circumstances, where a viable company has exhausted all options and its failure would disproportionately harm the economy, we may consider support on a 'last resort' basis.
"As the British public would expect, we are putting in place sensible contingency planning and any such support would be on terms that protect the taxpayer."
The BBC understands the Treasury would have to notify Parliament of any spend incurred, and although companies might seek financial assistance, this does not mean such support will be given.
Companies in trouble
On Saturday,
Sky News reported
that Tata Steel, Britain's biggest steel producer, had approached both the Welsh and UK governments for financial aid that could run into hundreds of millions.
Image copyright
AFP
Earlier this week, Welsh MP Stephen Kinnock told parliament that Tata Steel, which owns the steelworks in Port Talbot, needs around £500m in order to survive the pandemic.
And according to the Financial Times, aviation industry bosses have been asking the government for a "long-term investment facility" that would help to support supply chains.
Jim O'Neill, former Treasury minister and ex-chief economist at Goldman Sachs, told the newspaper he had been in discussion with government officials about creating a public sector-owned funding body to take stakes in firms that would be "inherently stable" in times of normal economic activity.
The UK government is conducting a new review into the impact of allowing Huawei telecoms equipment to be used in British 5G networks.
The National Cyber Security Centre involvement comes after the US brought in fresh sanctions on the Chinese company, citing security fears.
In January, the UK resisted US pressure to ban Huawei from contributing to 5G.
A UK government spokesman said: "The security and resilience of our networks is of paramount importance."
"Following the US announcement of additional sanctions against Huawei, the NCSC is looking carefully at any impact they could have to the UK's networks."
The sanctions restrict Huawei from using US technology and software to design its semiconductors.
The US Department of Commerce is concerned Huawei has flouted regulations implemented last year that require the firm to obtain a licence in order to export US items. It says Huawei got around this rule by using US semiconductor manufacturing equipment at factories in other countries.
The tech giant was banned from supplying kit to "sensitive parts" of the network, known as the core. In addition, it is only allowed to account for 35% of the kit in a network's periphery, which includes radio masts.
UK mobile operators were told by the NCSC - part of the intelligence agency GCHQ - that they would have three years to comply with caps on the use of Huawei equipment in their networks.
Responding to the review, Victor Zhang, vice-president at Huawei, said: "Our priority remains to continue the rollout of a reliable and secure 5G networks across Britain."
He added: "We are happy to discuss with NCSC any concerns they may have and hope to continue the close working relationship we have enjoyed for the last 10 years."
Critics argue it is a security risk to allow the Chinese company to play any role at all in the UK's 5G network, due to of fears it could be used by Beijing to spy on or even sabotage communications.
In March, a backbench rebellion within the Conservative party signalled efforts to overturn the move. And on 4 April, a group of 15 Conservative MPs called for a rethink on relations with China in their own letter to the Prime Minister, written a day before he was admitted to hospital.
In response, Huawei wrote an open letter to the UK government, urging it not to "disrupt" Huawei's involvement in the rollout of 5G.
In January, after a prolonged and difficult debate, the government decided to allow Huawei to play a role in 5G but to limit its market share to 35% of the network and keep it out of the most sensitive parts.
But there was a significant backbench rebellion over the issue in March and pressure has grown domestically since the Coronavirus crisis began to take a tougher line on China.
At the same time the Trump administration has not let up in its campaign for the UK and other allies to exclude Huawei entirely.
Even though this review is based on the technical considerations about the impact of US sanctions, it could potentially offer the government a route to move away from its earlier decision and exclude the company or impose further limits - although that may involve economic costs at home and increased tension with Beijing.
Huawei stressed that the coronavirus pandemic had placed "significant pressure" on British telecoms systems and highlighted how many people in the country - particularly those living in rural communities - do not have good access to the internet.
5G, which promises faster mobile internet data speeds, a stable network that can handle more connections, and more bandwidth for a multitude of different technological applications, has been touted as being a way to bridge the digital divide in areas where broadband internet rollouts have been inconsistent.
According to latest data released by Huawei, the firm has so far won 91 5G contracts across the world.
Huawei has always denied that it would help the Chinese government attack one of its clients.
Three out of four of the UK's mobile networks had already decided to use and deploy Huawei's 5G products outside the core in the "periphery", namely Vodafone, EE and Three.
Two of them - Vodafone and EE - now face having to reduce their reliance on the supplier, as more than 35% of their existing radio access network equipment was made by it.
The cabinet is to meet later to discuss the further easing of the coronavirus lockdown as Boris Johnson continues to be engulfed by claims his senior aide Dominic Cummings breached the rules.
The prime minister is this week expected to set out details of plans to lift restrictions.
But some Tory backbench MPs say the row has undermined the government's message and want Mr Cummings to resign.
Mr Johnson has defended his aide, who had travelled from London to Durham.
Speaking at Sunday's Downing Street briefing, the prime minister said he believed Mr Cummings had "no alternative" but to make the journey at the end of March for childcare "when both he and his wife were about to be incapacitated by coronavirus".
The plans to be outlined by the government will reportedly include information about the reopening of some non-essential shops in June.
However, BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said Mr Johnson is finding it difficult to shift the political focus away from his key adviser.
Those criticising the prime minister include scientists on key government committees.
Stephen Reicher, a professor of social psychology who has advised the government on behavioural science during the pandemic, said the prime minister's backing of Mr Cummings made him feel "dismay".
He said trust was vital to maintaining public health measures. "You can't have trust if people have a sense of them and us, that there's one rule for them and another rule for us," he told the BBC.
Two Church of England bishops have also criticised the prime minister.
The Bishop of Leeds, the Right Reverend Nick Baines, said Mr Johnson was treating people "as mugs" and the Bishop of Bristol, the Right Reverend Vivienne Faull, accused the prime minister of having "no respect for people".
Labour has called for an urgent inquiry into the allegations against Mr Cummings.
Meanwhile, an investigation has been launched into a tweeted posted on the official UK Civil Service Twitter account, which asked "Can you imagine having to work with these truth twisters?". The since-deleted message appeared shortly after Mr Johnson's daily news briefing.
Boris Johnson failed to close down Cummings story
If Boris Johnson's decision to appear at Sunday's press conference was an attempt to close down the story about Dominic Cummings' behaviour during the lockdown by handling it himself, it failed completely.
It certainly was not an attempt to give the public the full information.
Instead the prime minister refused to answer the questions that remain about the specifics of his adviser's visit or visits, to the north east of England while his team was telling the public again and again and again that they had to "stay at home".
The prime minister said he held "extensive" discussions on Sunday with Mr Cummings, who he said "followed the instincts of every father and every parent - and I do not mark him down for that".
The Observer and Sunday Mirror have reported two further allegations of lockdown breaches by his aide, although Mr Johnson called "some" of the claims "palpably false".
One report alleges that a witness saw Mr Cummings in Barnard Castle, more than 25 miles from Durham, where he had been self-isolating, on 12 April.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he would have sacked Mr Cummings if he were prime minister, and he said Mr Johnson's failure to to take action was "an insult to sacrifices made by the British people".
Sir Keir said: "This was a huge test of the prime minister and he has just failed that test.
"Millions of people across the country have made the most agonising choices - not visiting relatives, not going to funerals - they deserve better answers than they got from the prime minister."
Media playback is unsupported on your device
Ministers to publicly support Mr Cummings include the Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove.
But Sir Roger Gale is among the Conservative backbench MPs to have publicly questioned Mr Cummings' position, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: "It's up to the prime minister to exercise judgement about who he has around him. In this case, I do think that that judgement is flawed."
Another Tory, former minister Paul Maynard, said of Mr Cummings: "It is not as if he was unfamiliar with guidance he himself helped draw up. It seems to me to be utterly indefensible and his position wholly untenable."
Meanwhile, in a statement posted on Twitter, Amanda Hopgood, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Durham County Council, said "a number of local residents have reported seeing Dominic Cummings on several occasions in April and May".
She said that "given the clear public interest" she has referred the matter to Durham Police to see if there had been a breach of the coronavirus regulations.
The cabinet is to meet later to discuss the further easing of the coronavirus lockdown as Boris Johnson continues to be engulfed by claims his senior aide Dominic Cummings breached the rules.
The prime minister is this week expected to set out details of plans to lift restrictions.
But some Tory backbench MPs say the row has undermined the government's message and want Mr Cummings to resign.
Mr Johnson has defended his aide, who had travelled from London to Durham.
Speaking at Sunday's Downing Street briefing, the prime minister said he believed Mr Cummings had "no alternative" but to make the journey at the end of March for childcare "when both he and his wife were about to be incapacitated by coronavirus".
The plans to be outlined by the government will reportedly include information about the reopening of some non-essential shops in June.
However, BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said Mr Johnson is finding it difficult to shift the political focus away from his key adviser.
Those criticising the prime minister include scientists on key government committees.
Stephen Reicher, a professor of social psychology who has advised the government on behavioural science during the pandemic, said the prime minister's backing of Mr Cummings made him feel "dismay".
He said trust was vital to maintaining public health measures. "You can't have trust if people have a sense of them and us, that there's one rule for them and another rule for us," he told the BBC.
Two Church of England bishops have also criticised the prime minister.
The Bishop of Leeds, the Right Reverend Nick Baines, said Mr Johnson was treating people "as mugs" and the Bishop of Bristol, the Right Reverend Vivienne Faull, accused the prime minister of having "no respect for people".
Boris Johnson failed to close down Cummings story
If Boris Johnson's decision to appear at Sunday's press conference was an attempt to close down the story about Dominic Cummings' behaviour during the lockdown by handling it himself, it failed completely.
It certainly was not an attempt to give the public the full information.
Instead the prime minister refused to answer the questions that remain about the specifics of his adviser's visit or visits, to the north east of England while his team was telling the public again and again and again that they had to "stay at home".
Mr Johnson said he held "extensive" discussions on Sunday with Mr Cummings, who he said "followed the instincts of every father and every parent - and I do not mark him down for that".
The Observer and Sunday Mirror have reported two further allegations of lockdown breaches by his aide, although Mr Johnson called "some" of the claims "palpably false".
One report alleges that a witness saw Mr Cummings in Barnard Castle, more than 25 miles from Durham, where he had been self-isolating, on 12 April.
Media playback is unsupported on your device
Labour has called for an urgent inquiry into the allegations against Mr Cummings and party leader Sir Keir Starmer said he would have sacked him if he were prime minister.
He said Mr Johnson's failure to to take action was "an insult to sacrifices made by the British people".
Sir Keir said: "This was a huge test of the prime minister and he has just failed that test.
"Millions of people across the country have made the most agonising choices - not visiting relatives, not going to funerals - they deserve better answers than they got from the prime minister."
Media playback is unsupported on your device
Ministers to publicly support Mr Cummings include the Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove.
But Sir Roger Gale is among the Conservative backbench MPs to have publicly questioned Mr Cummings' position, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: "It's up to the prime minister to exercise judgement about who he has around him. In this case, I do think that that judgement is flawed."
Another Tory, former minister Paul Maynard, said of Mr Cummings: "It is not as if he was unfamiliar with guidance he himself helped draw up. It seems to me to be utterly indefensible and his position wholly untenable."
Meanwhile, in a statement posted on Twitter, Amanda Hopgood, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Durham County Council, said "a number of local residents have reported seeing Dominic Cummings on several occasions in April and May".
She said that "given the clear public interest" she has referred the matter to Durham Police to see if there had been a breach of the coronavirus regulations.
