Newspaper headlines: 'New tiers eve' and PM's Brexit 'triumph'
BBCThe coronavirus crisis and Wednesday's Brexit vote are the main topics on the day's newspaper front pages.
The Times reports that hospitals in London are running out of intensive care beds and drawing up plans to send patients to other parts of the country.
The Guardian says doctors fear hospitals could soon face "horrendous choices" about which Covid-19 patients receive potentially life saving treatment because the NHS is so dangerously overloaded.
According to the i paper, the government is to place most areas in England under the highest tier four - "stay at home" - restrictions. The Sun says Lancashire, the Midlands and Cumbria could be affected. "New Tiers Eve", is its headline.
The Daily Mirror says care home bosses have accused the government of breaking a promise to get residents and staff urgently vaccinated. It says the vaccine is being rolled out to the 2,900 largest homes, but there are 15,000 homes in the UK.
An NHS spokesman tells the paper that despite the logistical challenges, thousands of care home residents and tens of thousands of staff have received a jab. The official adds that the Oxford vaccine - when approved - will be easier to manoeuvre.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the prime minister is expected to chair a meeting today to decide if delaying the opening of secondary schools in England to all pupils for just a week until the middle of January will be sufficient to stem the disease.
One source tells the paper: "Delaying for a week is not going to be enough for the scientists. If we are going to do something, then it needs to be for the whole of January".
Football 'cool-off'
The Telegraph also reports that Premier League clubs have discussed a two-week "cooling-off" break in the season next month over fears of coronavirus outbreaks causing chaos. The informal talks followed the positive tests that caused the postponement of the Manchester City-Everton game on Monday and affected several more clubs yesterday, it says.
The passage of the UK-EU trade bill through Parliament makes the lead for several papers, as they report extracts of Boris Johnson's speech to MPs.
The Daily Mail says that at the same time as the votes are held, the deal will be signed in Brussels before being brought to London by an RAF plane for the PM to add his name.
The Queen will be on standby at Windsor Castle and is expected to give royal assent shortly before midnight, it adds. The day will be high on ceremony, the Telegraph says. Or as the Express puts it, it promises to be a "truly momentous day".
Finally, the papers consider how Pierre Cardin - who died on Tuesday - changed international fashion. The Mail says that as well as shaking up the industry with bubble-dresses and geometrical designs, he was also one of the first to bring high fashion to the masses by selling collections in department stores.
For the Telegraph, Pierre Cardin was credited with moving French haute couture away from stuffy exclusivity and into youth-oriented ready-to-wear and unisex designs. The Financial Times says the fashion designer believed everyone deserved a bit of style.
