Test-and-trace ‘revolution’ and MPs ‘fume’ on Zoom

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s appearance before MPs on the Commons Liaison Committee on Wednesday did not impress the Guardian.

And it describes his responses to repeated questions about his adviser, Dominic Cummings – and the row about whether or not he broke lockdown rules – as “stonewalling”.

The lead in the Daily Mirror keeps its focus on the Dominic Cummings controversy. There are large photographs of Mr Johnson and Mr Cummings. In a sideswipe at the government’s request – that people who may have Covid-19 do their “civic duty” and self-isolate – the headline demands of the two men: “Why don’t YOU do YOUR duty?”

The BBC journalist Emily Maitlis is pictured on several of the front pages. The Times reports that the corporation “took the unusual step of rebuking one of its best-known presenters” after she said on Newsnight that Mr Cummings had flouted the lockdown restrictions, and the country knew that.

The paper’s leader concludes that “to state opinions as facts, and to ascribe those opinions to everyone watching, is presumptuous and damages the BBC”.

The Daily Mail reports on what it describes as an “MPs’ quarantine rebellion”. It says a group of 40 Conservatives – including seven former ministers – are urging the government to think again about making people who arrive in the UK isolate themselves for 14 days.

The Mail says the rebels believe the measure – which is due to come into force on 8 June – “will risk millions of jobs, and deny Britons the chance to go on holiday”.

The list of signatories, it suggests, reads “like a who’s who” of the travel and hotel industry. The letter warns that the plan is “unworkable, ill-thought out and damaging”.

The Home Office insists the measure is an essential part of its strategy to prevent a second surge of Covid-19 cases.

As the number of people in the US who have died with coronavirus passes 100,000, the Washington Post seems perplexed by the muted response of the country as a whole.

There has been, it points out, “no outcry for national unity or memorials”. The Post accuses the Trump administration of not galvanising national feeling. “There is empathy,” it concludes, “but it’s localised”.

Finally, the Sun celebrates the fact that pubs in the UK may open once again next month, according to the prime minister.

There’s a picture of Mr Johnson holding a pint of bitter aloft, with the headline “Ale meet again”.

The paper’s opinion column describes pubs as “the beating heart of Britain”. The i reports that – as discussions continue about ways to maintain social distancing – “beer gardens could become the new focus for socialising”.