Newspaper headlines: ‘It’s the back of Trump’ and ‘vaccine pivot’

image captionAll of Wednesday’s front pages carry a mention of Joe Biden’s inauguration in Washington later as the 46th US president. “At last, it’s the back of Donald Trump”, reads the headline in the Metro. Mr Trump is departing “after four long years as America’s most controversial leader,” it says.

image captionJoe Biden is pictured on the front of the Daily Telegraph as it reports he will sweep away some of Donald Trump’s most controversial policies hours after he is sworn in. It says Mr Biden will get straight to work by targeting his tax cuts, Covid policy, limits on immigration from mainly Muslim nations and departure from the Paris Climate Agreement.

image captionThe Daily Star chooses to sum up Donald Trump’s presidency with a headline that reads: “Well, that was a weird dream”. It describes the last four years as a “bizarre nightmare” that is “all over now”.

image captionThe lead in the Financial Times focuses on comments from senior Republican Mitch McConnell, who has blamed Donald Trump for provoking the mob assault on Washington’s Capitol building. The Senate leader worked in lockstep with the president for most of the past years but broke ranks on the eve of Joe Biden’s inauguration, notes the FT.

image captionTheresa May has accused Boris Johnson of abandoning the UK’s “global moral leadership” during his Downing Street tenure, says the Daily Mail. In an article to mark the start of Joe Biden’s inauguration, she accuses her successor as PM over cuts to overseas aid and a threat to break international law during the Brexit trade talks.

image captionThe i mentions the “next president” on its cover. But the Covid pandemic is the focus for its lead – reporting the government is planning a “pivot” on the UK vaccine rollout after the over-50s get the jab. It says ministers want to immunise people who are most likely to pass on the virus including teachers, police and office workers using public transport.

image captionAnd the Daily Mirror leads on an appeal from Metropolitan Police Chief Dame Cressida Dick and teaching unions for their workers to be “rushed to the front of the coronavirus vaccine queue”. Ministers are being urged to vaccinate the key workers to protect them – with one teacher telling the paper the jab is “key to reopening schools”.

image captionThe Guardian says the government is set to announce a U-turn over plans for daily mass testing of teachers and pupils in England for Covid. The paper says the move to pause the programme comes only five weeks after it was unveiled as a “milestone moment” that would help fully reopen schools after the February half-term.

image captionBoris Johnson has warned senior ministers that the UK must not be allowed to drop its guard in the fight against coronavirus, reports the Daily Express. On the day the country recorded another 1,610 deaths – its biggest single day figure – the PM stressed sticking to lockdown rules is “as important as ever”, it says.

image captionThe Times says UK ministers are increasingly concerned about the pace of the coronavirus vaccine rollout after a reduction in the supply of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. It also carries news of a letter to the paper from some of Britain’s biggest musical stars that accuses the government of failing performers with its Brexit deal by not reaching an agreement over tour visas.