There are around 77,000 NHS staff - just over 5% of the workforce - in England who haven’t had at least one dose of the Covid jab. It’s a mandatory requirement, as it is with care home staff in England, and front-line workers in the NHS must be fully vaccinated by April - or face redeployment or dismissal. But this could change. Ministers are meeting later to decide whether the compulsory vaccination policy should or shouldn’t be scrapped. The meeting comes days before unvaccinated NHS staff must have a first jab to allow enough time for them to be fully vaccinated by 1 April. Getting jabbed is a "professional duty", Health Secretary Sajid Javid says. However, given the policy was announced when the Delta variant was dominant, he says, it was right to "reflect" on the current situation as there are now more cases of the Omicron strain.
In the run up to the vaccination deadline, staff have been protesting against the policy. Some say they’re prepared to lose their jobs if they have to have the jab, while others would consider working in Scotland and Wales where vaccination isn’t compulsory. The Royal College of Midwives is worried the policy could have a "catastrophic impact" on maternity services. While the Royal College of GPs and Royal College of Nursing are calling for the deadline to be delayed over fears of a staffing crisis. However, Mr Javid says those still unvaccinated aren’t all in patient-facing roles and it was "reasonable to assume" that not everyone would get vaccinated. The policy’s being "kept under review", he adds, and it’s understood no final decision has yet been made.

It’s the two-year anniversary of Brexit, and to mark that the government’s announced a new bill to overhaul EU laws that were copied over during the transition period. The government claims the Brexit Freedoms Bill will cut £1bn of red tape for businesses but it’s sparked anger from devolved nations . Prime Minister Boris Johnson says this will "further unleash the benefits of Brexit", making UK businesses more competitive but there’s been a backlash from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The plans - which the government have been working on since September - undermine the devolution settlement, according to a source, who also claimed a meeting about the proposal was "last-minute, fractious, and cack-handed". The bill, Downing Street says, will change the way Parliament can amend and remove legislation, which currently has to go through a special process.

The UK was hit with storms Malik and Corrie at the weekend. Two people died, rail services were cancelled, trees came down and some 16,000 households are still without power. It’s affecting people living in northern England and Scotland, and engineers are working to fix the issue. "We're in for quite a challenging few days," says Scotland's Deputy First Minister John Swinney who feared more homes could lose power during Storm Corrie on Sunday night. The clean-up comes as a further weather warning remains in place in much of Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of northern England. Read more here.

Compulsory jabs for NHS staff in England, a government "policy blitz" and the planned National Insurance hike are some of the stories leading this morning’s newspapers. Health Secretary Sajid Javid is set to scrap mandatory vaccinations for NHS workers, according to the Daily Telegraph. The Guardian claims the prime minister’s making a bid to take back control with plans including a Brexit bill and flying to Ukraine, as the wait for the Sue Gray report into lockdown parties continues. This "policy blitz fightback" from Boris Johnson isn’t enough, says the i. The Metro focuses on the National Insurance tax hike, reporting Mr Johnson is facing a "mutiny" from some Tory backbenchers. Meanwhile, tennis star Rafael Nadal is pictured on most of the front pages after he made history by winning the Australian Open - his 21st Grand Slam title. Read the newspaper review in full here.

They’re one of the most hotly-tipped bands around, at one point did four gigs in a day and claim they’re the hardest working musicians since the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, died. So it’s unsurprising Yard Act have plenty more concerts lined up including a special homecoming gig in Leeds, for Independent Venue Week. Meet the band - and their one-man entourage, Pete - here.
It’s been her home for decades and she’s been running her village shop in what people say is the middle of nowhere for nearly 50 years, but at 81, May Stocks has no intention of giving up. Her store, in a tiny hamlet near Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, opens six days a week and she drives round delivering the papers every day. Take a look at May in action.
And finally, to a teenager who’s fighting to send an elephant back home. The elephant named Shankar was taken from Africa 24 years ago, put on a plane to India and now lives in Delhi zoo. Sixteen-year-old Nikita Dhawan is on a mission to send the lonely elephant home. Read more here.

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