Covid-19: MPs call early response a failure, and record bid to boost pubs

Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Tuesday morning. We'll have another update for you this evening.

The UK's failure to do more to stop Covid spreading early in the pandemic was one of the worst ever public health failures, a joint report by two committees of MPs says. A policy of trying to achieve herd immunity led to a delay in locking down that cost lives, say the MPs from all parties. However, they also praise several "big achievements", calling the vaccination process - from research to rollout - "one of the most effective initiatives in UK history". The government says it will learn lessons from the report.

Government borrowing this year could be more than £50bn lower than was forecast in March, thanks to the UK's strong economic recovery in the wake of the vaccine rollout, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. But "ever-growing spending on the NHS, and an economy smaller than projected pre-pandemic" will mean there is no room for big spending announcements on other public services, says the think tank's director Paul Johnson.

If you're seeking some winter sun, Thailand could soon be an option. The country plans to end quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated travellers from at least 10 nations - including the UK - from 1 November, officials say.

It could be a good time to be seeking work, according to the boss of a Cardiff-based employment agency. Whereas thousands of applicants were chasing a few jobs as the pandemic took hold, candidates are now in "a position of control and power", with the number of vacancies among his clients up 35% on pre-pandemic levels, says Yolk Recruitment's Pavan Arora (below). BBC Wales looks at the effect on businesses.

It's fair to say wine merchant Matt Ellis likes a drink. In fact, he's such a fan of pubs he visited 51 in the space of 24 hours, starting in The Regal, Cambridge, and ending at the Weeping Ash, in nearby St Neots. It was part of a world-record bid aiming to raise awareness of the sector's plight during the pandemic.

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