Thursday morning UK news briefing: Countries that could join green list

The confidential nature of the Queen's weekly audiences with her serving prime minister has always been diligently protected.

But a brief clip (watch it below) of Her Majesty receiving Boris Johnson offered a rare insight into the historic meetings, as she revealed that Matt Hancock had told her: "Things are getting better."

The Queen, 95, described the Health Secretary as a "poor man", an apparent reference to the pressure he has faced throughout the pandemic.

Victoria Ward has more on the monarch's first face to face audience with the PM since March 11 last year.

It came as health officials said that deaths from Covid were now so low they could not be seen on official graphs.

Madeline Grant watched vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi do a mass back-slapping victory lap.

Meanwhile, ministers are today expected to approve plans for fully vaccinated citizens to be able to travel to amber list countries later this summer and not be subject to quarantine when they return home.

Some destinations - including the Balearic Islands, Malta and some Caribbean islands - could also be added to the green quarantine-free list this afternoon. These are the countries that could go green, amber and red today.

As we reported last night, German chancellor Angela Merkel has threatened to scupper hopes of foreign holidays in Europe this summer by demanding that EU countries introduce mandatory quarantine for travelling Britons amid growing concerns over the spread of the delta variant.

Matt pokes fun at Covid rules in today's cartoon.

I want my life back, Britney Spears tells court

Britney Spears said she was "not here to be a slave" and claimed she was forcibly kept on contraception as part of a controversial conservatorship arrangement. Breaking her silence before a US judge, the 39-year-old pop star denounced her father's legal control of her life and finances as "abusive" and likened it to "sex trafficking". Ms Spears also accused Jamie Spears of enjoying the control he had over her affairs and said his team had pushed her to do back-to-back musical tours when she did not want to. "I'm not lying," she said. "I just want my life back." Read more on the extraordinary speech to the courtroom in Los Angeles.

Harry and Meghan did not like dumb in Dumbarton

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex rejected the title Earl of Dumbarton for their son Archie because it contained the word "dumb", it has emerged. Multiple sources have told Associate Editor Camilla Tominey that both Harry and Meghan declined to use the title of Scottish nobility because they feared Archie may be bullied or attract unfortunate nicknames. Meanwhile, librarians in Washington DC have unearthed a short story called 'A Face Without Freckles is a Night Without Stars' written by the Duchess when she was just a schoolgirl. Read a passage.

At a glance: Coronavirus morning briefing

• Jabs push | Vaccine centres closing as staff 'go mobile'

• Wembley | Officials move the goalposts for foreign fans

• Weddings | Father-of-bride could walk down aisle mask-free

• Long Covid | More than two million have suffered, study finds

• Russia | Mandatory vaccination drive targets the reluctant

Also in the news: Today's other headlines

Entrepreneur 'suicide' | John McAfee, the antivirus software pioneer, reportedly died by suicide in his prison cell in Barcelona last night after a Spanish court approved his extradition to the US on tax evasion charges. The 75-year-old eccentric British-American tech entrepreneur was arrested in October last year for allegedly failing to pay taxes on years of income. If convicted, he would have faced up to 30 years in prison. US Correspondent Josie Ensor reports how McAfee led a colourful life.

• Navy analysis | Boat-rocking by Kremlin is a familiar tactic

• Gordon Brown interview | 'Union will not be saved with flags'

• Countryside | Farmers to get cash for better walkers' access

• Barbican | Boss to quit after staff claim 'institutional racism'

• Landmark | Mothers cannot be sacked for refusing weekend work

Around the world: Paratroopers drop into desert

British paratroopers dropped into the desert at dawn as the UK joined forces with Jordan in a military warning to Russia. Some 150 soldiers from the 16 Air Assault Brigade jumped 800ft down into the barren terrain outside Amman where they simulated an attack on a town. Read our dispatch from Defence Correspondent Danielle Sheridan at RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus. View more striking world pictures of the day.

Comment and analysis

• Allister Heath | UK sleepwalking into vortex of permanent decline

• Tom Harris | SNP's loyalty to the EU is opportunistic and cynical

• Alan Cochrane | Government should let SNP continue to implode

• Michael Deacon | Vicars and strippers - why cashless doesn't work

• Reader letters | Let local firms build more beautiful housing

Editor's choice

1. Humble, hard-working, an A* pupil | How Bukayo Saka became a footballer to be proud of

2. Midlife fitness Q&A - part two | From how to eat during the menopause to banishing moobs

3. Real-life art detective | Inside story of the man who returns stolen works to country houses

Business and money briefing

Evading ban | Small businesses will be exempt from a ban on junk food advertising under plans to be revealed by ministers today. As part of efforts to tackle obesity, the Government will introduce a ban on unhealthy food adverts online and before the 9pm television watershed.

• 'Honeytrap' | Mortgages where higher fees outweigh low rates

• Investment tip | These shares are not as pricey as they seem

• Alex | View today's cartoon strip on the world of finance

Sport briefing

We meet again! | England have been handed a blockbuster last-16 European Championship tie against Germany after a night of high drama in the tournament's so-called "Group of Death". It is a mouthwatering opportunity for Gareth Southgate's team to overcome tournament heartache in the 55 years since England beat West Germany in 1966 to win the World Cup. Oliver Brown says Southgate is uniquely placed to navigate this old rivalry. Read what the Germans are saying.

• Sancho £72m bid | Manchester United close to sealing deal

• Cricket | Brilliant Buttler leads England in cruise to victory

• Crystal Palace | Club close on new manager Lucien Favre

Tonight's dinner

Sausage, red pepper and tomato traybake | This healthy meal by Pip Payne will keep you full for hours. View the recipe and try our Cookbook newsletter.

And finally... for this morning's downtime

'I still struggle to forgive Mum' | She was an ordinary British teenager before being forced into marriage. Farhana Raval recounts the violence and abuse she suffered in a seven year-long relationship. Now, she wants to see a change to UK law.