The papers: ‘New jabs to beat variants’ and ‘Darcy’s rage’

image captionMany of the front pages focus on the future of the UK’s vaccine rollout, after early trials suggested the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine offered minimal protection against mild disease from the variant first discovered in South Africa. The i says current vaccines, including the Oxford jab, still offer “vital” protection against serious illness but updates will enhance its ability to tackle the South Africa variant. The NHS is planning an annual campaign of booster injections to tackle new strains of the virus, the paper reports.

image captionVaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi has told the Telegraph the public can still have confidence in the Oxford jab, despite suggestions it is less effective against the South Africa variant. Writing for the paper, Mr Zahawi said the vaccines being used “work well against the Covid-19 variants currently dominant in the UK”.

image captionMillions of people are likely to need a third Covid vaccine dose this year to help tackle new variants of the virus, according to the Times. The paper says the government accepts a top-up campaign increasingly looks necessary and NHS chiefs hope the extra doses can be given at the same time as winter flu jabs.

image captionThe Metro leads with new figures showing the UK is vaccinating almost 1,000 people a minute, with more than 12 million first doses of coronavirus jabs delivered so far. The paper quotes Vaccines Minister Mr Zahawi, who also welcomed the continued fall in new cases – but insisted it was too early to ease lockdown.

image captionMeanwhile, the Daily Mail reports that illegal immigrants will be granted an “amnesty” to come forward for coronavirus jabs. The paper says the “unprecedented” move aims to help the UK reach herd immunity and accelerate the easing of lockdown. It will mean the Home Office will take no action if they register with a GP to get the jab, according to the Mail, but officials insist illegal migrants will not be able to use the scheme as a way to acquire other rights.

image captionThe Guardian leads with an investigation claiming the Queen successfully lobbied the government to change a draft law to conceal her private wealth from the public. The paper has published a series of government memos from the 1970s suggesting her private lawyers put pressure on ministers to alter proposed legislation to prevent her shareholdings from being disclosed. In response, Buckingham Palace said claims the monarch blocked legislation were “simply incorrect” and the Queen’s consent was a “purely formal” process, with consent always granted where requested by government.

image captionThe Daily Star warns of possible power cuts and serious disruption, with weather warnings for snow and ice in place for large parts of the UK. “Darcy’s rage” is the paper’s headline – a reference to the name of the storm which brought strong winds and snow to south-east England on Sunday.

image captionThe Financial Times reports that ministers and business leaders have raised concerns over the spiralling cost of insuring British directors. The paper says prices have more than doubled in the past year because of an expected wave of pandemic-related claims, prompting fears that smaller businesses are struggling to shoulder the burden.

image captionThe Daily Express calls on readers to join its “green Britain revolution” to help the environment and boost the UK economy by £21bn. Launching its new campaign, the paper is urging the prime minister to take a lead on green issues through bold initiatives.

image captionThe Mirror leads with a story about a Dunblane survivor who is expecting her first baby on the school massacre’s 25th anniversary. Amy Bestwick was eight when Thomas Hamilton shot dead 16 children and a teacher in March 1996. Alongside the headline “Miracle of Dunblane”, the paper says “new hope” has come “from horror”.