Thousands of VIPs will be allowed into England without the need to quarantine under plans to stop the final of the European Championship being moved from Wembley to Budapest, The Times can reveal.
Ministers are discussing a proposal to exempt Uefa and Fifa officials, politicians, sponsors and broadcasters from having to self-isolate on arrival despite concerns that this could lead to an increase in coronavirus infections and provoke a backlash from the public.
About 2,500 designated VIPs attending games at Wembley would not have to abide by the quarantine restrictions imposed on ordinary travellers. They would be allowed to attend matches at Wembley during the knockout phase of the tournament as well as training sessions and meetings with the UK government.
Police and security failures on the night of the Manchester Arena bombing cost lives and the Islamic State-inspired attacker should have been identified as a threat, a public inquiry has found.
Sir John Saunders, its chairman, yesterday outlined missed opportunities to stop Salman Abedi, who killed 22 people when he blew himself up in the aftermath of a pop concert in May 2017.
The failures included officers from British Transport Police disappearing for a two-hour meal break, including a five-mile drive to buy a kebab. Fifteen minutes before the blast a security steward “fobbed off” a member of the public who reported concerns about Abedi, and police had opportunities to spot him before the attack.
Father of Manchester Arena victim: We were failed on every level
Sir John, issuing his first conclusions after hearing
Wales is delaying further easing of lockdown restrictions for four weeks after seeing a spike in cases of the Delta coronavirus variant, as the nation again faces a "serious public health situation".
First Minister Mark Drakeford said: "In the space of just a few short weeks, the Delta variant has entered Wales and quickly spread throughout the country.
"There is sustained and accelerating transmission, not just in north and southeast Wales but in all parts of Wales.
"It is now the most dominant variant in new cases in Wales. We are once again facing a serious public health situation."
Cases of the Delta variant are spreading across Wales. In the space a few weeks, cases have been confirmed in all parts of the country.
We have reviewed all the evidence and will pause changes to the rules for 4 weeks.
There are nearly 490 cases of the Delta (India) variant in Wales, while more than four out five new COVID-19 cases are Delta, according to the Welsh government, citing the latest figures.
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Two-thirds of these are not linked to travel or contact with another case, it added.
On Friday, Mr Drakeford is expected to encourage people to have their second jabs - and the nation is aiming to roll out more than half a million vaccine doses over the next four weeks.
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It was previously thought there could have been an announcement on a relaxation of the rules around meeting people indoors.
But on Twitter, he wrote: "We have reviewed all the evidence and will pause changes to the rules for four weeks."
He said the government will use that time to "vaccinate even more people", pointing out the nation has the highest vaccination rates and the lowest coronavirus rates in the UK.
Image:First Minister Mark Drakeford says there is 'sustained and accelerating transmission' in Wales
At the previous lockdown review earlier this month, when Wales started to move into alert level one, Mr Drakeford said he hoped to announce up to six people would be able to meet inside private homes from 21 June.
Other changes would have seen increased numbers attending indoor events and reopening ice skating rinks.
Rules in Wales were last relaxed on 7 June when outdoor events with up to 10,000 people were allowed to resume, and other events, such as concerts, football matches and sporting activities, could recommence for up to 4,000 people standing and 10,000 people sitting.
The regulations will be reviewed again on 15 July.
Meanwhile, some technical amendments are being made to the rules now to make them easier for people to understand.
These include the number of people who can attend a wedding or civil partnership reception or wake, organised by a business in an indoors regulated premise, such as a hotel, which will be determined by the venue's size.
And small grassroots music and comedy venues will be able to operate on the same basis as hospitality venues.
Wales is delaying further easing of coronavirus restrictions for four weeks after seeing a spike in cases of the Delta variant, as the nation again faces a "serious public health situation".
First Minister Mark Drakeford said: "In the space of just a few short weeks, the Delta variant has entered Wales and quickly spread throughout the country.
"There is sustained and accelerating transmission, not just in north and southeast Wales but in all parts of Wales.
"It is now the most dominant variant in new cases in Wales. We are once again facing a serious public health situation."
Cases of the Delta variant are spreading across Wales. In the space a few weeks, cases have been confirmed in all parts of the country.
We have reviewed all the evidence and will pause changes to the rules for 4 weeks.
There are nearly 490 cases of the Delta (India) variant in Wales, while more than four out five new COVID-19 cases are the Delta variant, according to the Welsh government, citing the latest figures.
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Two-thirds of these are not linked to travel or contact with another case, it added.
On Twitter, Mr Drakeford wrote: "We have reviewed all the evidence and will pause changes to the rules for four weeks."
More on Covid-19
He said the government will use that time to "vaccinate even more people", pointing out the nation has the highest vaccination rates and the lowest coronavirus rates in the UK.
On Friday, he is expected to encourage people to have their second jabs - and the nation is aiming to roll out more than half a million doses over the next four weeks.
Rules in Wales were last relaxed on 7 June when outdoor events with up to 10,000 people were allowed to resume, and other events, such as concerts, football matches and sporting activities, could recommence for up to 4,000 people standing and 10,000 people sitting.
The regulations will be reviewed again on 15 July.
Image:First Minister Mark Drakeford says there is 'sustained and accelerating transmission' in Wales
Meanwhile, some technical amendments are being made to the regulations now to make them easier for people to understand.
These include the number of people who can attend a wedding or civil partnership reception or wake, organised by a business in an indoors regulated premise, such as a hotel, which will be determined by the size of the venue.
Small grassroots music and comedy venues will be able to operate on the same basis as hospitality venues.
And primary school children in the same school contact group or bubble will be able to stay overnight in a residential outdoor education centre.
The pause on lifting more restrictions in Wales comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday the final stage of England's lockdown roadmap would be delayed.
The government had planned to lift all restrictions on 21 June but that has now been put back until 19 July due to a spike in infections.
Boris Johnson has said that there are “significant benefits” to working from the office despite his government pressing ahead with plans to strengthen employees’ rights to stay at home if they wish.
The prime minister has expressed his determination that office life, and in particular city centres, will return closer to normal once the threat of coronavirus recedes. But parts of the government are working on ways to give people new freedoms to set their own working patterns.
The government will launch a consultation later this year on how to improve existing rights for people to request flexible working from their employers.
The plans, revealed by The Times in March, will consider ways to ensure that people who have moved to a hybrid of
Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi should have been identified as a threat on the night of his attack - and it is "highly likely" more lives could have been saved, an inquiry has found.
Sir John Saunders, who is chairing the probe into the 2017 terror attack, said "more should have been done" by police and security before Abedi detonated his device outside an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 innocent people and injuring hundreds more.
In a damning first report from the inquiry, Sir John said the arena's operator SMG, security company Showsec and British Transport Police (BTP) were "principally responsible for the missed opportunities" - but there were also "failings by individuals".
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Arena bombing: 'Failings by individuals'
He said the "most striking missed opportunity" was that a member of the public, Christopher Wild, raised concerns about Abedi to security guard Mohammed Agha minutes before the bombing - but the effect of the steward's actions "was to fob (Mr Wild) off".
Sir John said: "The security arrangements for the Manchester Arena… should have prevented or minimised the devastating impact of the attack. They failed to do so.
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"There were a number of opportunities which were missed leading to this failure.
"Salman Abedi should have been identified on 22 May 2017 as a threat by those responsible for the security of the arena and a disruptive intervention undertaken.
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"Had that occurred, I consider it likely that Abedi would still have detonated his device, but the loss of life and injury is highly likely to have been less."
Image:Salman Abedi killed 22 innocent people when he blew himself up at Manchester Arena
The missed opportunities set out by the inquiry included:
• The actions of security guard Kyle Lawler who tried to use his radio to alert the security control room after concerns were raised about Abedi but could not get through, before he left the foyer "unconcerned". Mr Lawler told the inquiry he had a "bad feeling" about Abedi but did not approach him for fear of being branded a racist
Image:Security guard Kyle Lawler
• SMG's "inadequate" CCTV system that left a blind spot allowing Abedi to hide for an hour in the foyer of the arena before he blew himself up
• No "adequate security patrol" by Showsec in the foyer of the arena for 30 minutes before the attack, as Abedi hid out of sight from CCTV cameras
• Mr Agha failing to notice Abedi acting suspiciously in the foyer of the arena about an hour before the attack after Showsec did not adequately train him
Image:Security guard Mohammed Agha
The inquiry heard none of the four BTP officers on patrol were in the arena's foyer at the time of the attack - despite instructions that one officer should be positioned there at the end of the concert.
Sir John said a "competent BTP officer would have taken action that could have saved lives", had one of the officers been in the foyer instead of leaving it unattended after 10pm.
Image:None of the four police officers on patrol were in the foyer when the bomb went off
Two of the officers, PC Jessica Bullough and PCSO Mark Renshaw took a two-hour meal break that evening - which included a five-mile trip for a kebab - which PC Bullough told the inquiry was "unacceptable".
Among nine recommendations in his report, Sir John said a "Protect Duty" for better security at venues should be written into law, following a campaign from the mother of victim Martyn Hett.
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'Today our heartbreak turns to anger'
The inquiry chairman said Mr Wild had been "very responsible" to alert security after forming the view that Abedi might "let a bomb off".
"That was sadly all too prescient and makes all the more distressing the fact that no effective steps were taken as a result of the efforts made by Christopher Wild," he added.
Sir John described the terror attack as a "wicked act inspired by distorted ideology of the so-called Islamic State".
He said that the responsibility for the attack lies with Abedi and his younger brother Hashem, who was jailed for life for helping plan the atrocity, but his inquiry had to decide "whether more could and should have been done" to stop the bomber.
The retired High Court judge said he was "urged by everyone to avoid looking for scapegoats" and insisted he had "not looked to blame anyone".
But he said where "individuals have fallen below the proper standard of carrying out their roles of protecting concertgoers I have said so".
In response to the report, SMG said it was "committed to working with the inquiry to help the families of victims and survivors better understand the events of that evening, as well as look at the lessons learnt".
The arena's operator said it would be reviewing the findings and recommendations and "any additional actions we should take, we will take as we continuously challenge ourselves to be better".
BTP Chief Constable Lucy D'Orsi said the force would be "carefully reviewing the findings", and that it has been examining "procedures, operational planning and training since this dreadful attack took place in 2017".
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Arena victim's mother calls for 'Martyn's law'
The inquiry's report is the first of three being published in the coming months.
A further report will follow on the emergency response and the experience of each of those who died, and finally an analysis of whether the atrocity committed by Abedi could have been prevented.
Analysis: Learning from mistakes of Manchester Arena attack can be its legacy
By Tom Parmenter, north of England correspondent
The responsibility for the Manchester bomb lies with the 22-year old who detonated it and his younger brother who helped build it. That's not in doubt.
The point of understanding what happened and what went wrong is to ensure something meaningful and tangible can come from the horrific night in May 2017 that is seared into the collective memory of this city.
Taken together, the series of security lapses on the night of the attack mean that, in the inquiry chairman's view, it is "highly likely" lives could have been saved.
The suicide bomber would still probably have detonated his bomb - but if the security operation had done its job, he would have been monitored while acting suspiciously and potentially challenged.
Had police officers been in the foyer, as per their orders, it would have been them being alerted by a member of the public rather than poorly trained security teams who had radios that failed them.
Arena management could have closed the doors so that fewer people would have been in the foyer where he ultimately detonated the device at 10:31pm.
The word "if" is used repeatedly throughout today's report.
Sadly nothing changes the hard facts of what happened over four years ago. It is through truly learning from the mistakes that contributed to the 22 deaths, and the appalling injuries people suffered, that can be the legacy of the attack.
It is the least that the victims of the cowardly terrorist deserve.
Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg has hailed Health Secretary Matt Hancock as a "successful genius" - after he was allegedly branded "hopeless" by the PM.
It comes after Boris Johnson's ex-aide Dominic Cummings released messages critical of the health secretary.
Mr Rees-Mogg dismissed them as "trivia", adding that Mr Hancock's work had made the world safer.
But Labour's leader said the prime minister's border policies showed he was "as hopeless as Hancock".
Sir Keir Starmer added that not imposing stronger controls on arrivals from India had forced the four-week extension of England's Covid restrictions.
On Wednesday, Mr Cummings - who was forced out of Downing Street after an internal power struggle - released a series of WhatsApp exchanges between himself and his former boss, dated to early last year.
In one of them, Mr Johnson purportedly called Mr Hancock "Totally [expletive] hopeless".
In another, he appeared to say his procurement of personal protective equipment had been a "disaster," and that he wanted to hand some of Mr Hancock's duties to Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove.
Downing Street did not deny the authenticity of the messages, but insisted the prime minister had full confidence in the health secretary.
In the House of Commons on Thursday, Labour's Thangam Debbonaire asked: "Why did the prime minister keep on as health secretary someone he thought was hopeless in a global health crisis?
"The British people recognise incompetence and waste when they see it. They know what's right and what's not and they know when a minister is hopeless."
But Mr Rees-Mogg replied: "There's a great line from Dr [Samuel] Johnson, that in lapidary inscriptions [engravings in stone] a man is not on oath.
"And I think the same applies to text messages, which are essentially the trivia, the flotsam and jetsam, the ephemera of life, and they're fundamentally unimportant."
He praised the plan agreed at last weekend's G7 summit in Cornwall to distribute one billion Covid vaccines to poorer nations, lauding Mr Hancock's role in arranging the UK's contribution "so successfully".
'Hopeless as Hancock'
He called his cabinet colleague "the brilliant, the one and only successful genius who has been running health over the last 15 months", adding that "he has done so much to make not only the country but the world safer".
But speaking later on Thursday, Sir Keir Starmer criticised the government's decision not to add India to the travel red until 23 April, arguing it had hastened the spread of the Delta variant of the virus first identified there to the UK.
He said the spread of that variant had made the four-week delay to the next stage of England's unlocking - supported by Labour at a vote on Wednesday - "inevitable".
He said the Delta variant "wouldn't be here" if tougher travel rules had instead been applied after 1 April, calling it "the only reason we're not unlocking".
"There's only one reason we've got the Delta variant, and that's because the prime minister failed to secure the border," he added.
"So the prime minister is as hopeless as Hancock."
