Sunday newspaper round-up: Pandemic, 3.0m Jobs, AstraZeneca

Fresh evidence of China’s shocking cover-up of the pandemic outbreak has been found in censored media reports from Wuhan. Samples taken from sick patients and analysed by at least five laboratories had confirmed the existence of a lethal new coronavirus before China told global health authorities about an infectious disease that it claimed was unidentified. - Mail on Sunday

Boris Johnson has ordered ministers to lift the lockdown quickly to avoid the possible loss of three million jobs. In a significant shift in the government’s approach to Covid-19, the prime minister signed off new measures to open up the economy at a meeting with Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, on Friday night. Johnson stepped in after a crunch meeting on Tuesday where he was warned by Alok Sharma, the business secretary, that failure to reopen the hospitality sector in time for the summer could cost up to 3.5 million jobs. Johnson replied: “Christ!” - Sunday Times

AstraZeneca has approached rival pharmaceuticals company Gilead Sciences about a potential merger, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday. Any merger – which would be the biggest healthcare deal on record – would bring together two of the companies leading the drug industry’s efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic. A combination of the two would be valued at about £200bn. AstraZeneca, valued at £110bn, recently overtook Royal Dutch Shell to become the UK’s largest company by market value. Gilead was valued at about $96bn (£74bn) at Friday night’s closing price. - Guardian

Sinosceptic Tory MPs have urged HSBC to withdraw backing for China’s proposed security laws in Hong Kong, amid warnings that depositors could leave the bank in protest. The China Research Group has written to the bank urging it to drop support for the laws, which would ban subversion against China in Hong Kong. The group said the bank’s position was “ultimately self-defeating” and asked HSBC to “confirm that you wish to operate within a rules-based international system”. - Sunday Times

British Airways has launched a legal challenge to the government’s “unlawful” quarantine rules, arguing that they are disproportionate and littered with problems. IAG, which owns Britain’s flag carrier, began proceedings on Friday over plans to force passengers arriving in the UK to quarantine for 14 days. - Sunday Times

British Airways is heading for a vicious showdown with unions after relations appeared to spiral out of control over the airline's plan for drastic job cuts. In a flurry of incendiary briefings last night, the two parties seemed further apart than ever over proposals to lay off up to 12,000 of its 43,000 staff – more than one in four. A series of bitter accusations over the breakdown are understood to have taken place behind the scenes, with both sides now locked in a Mexican standoff. - Mail on Sunday

Crisis-hit shopping centre owner Intu Properties has lined up KPMG to handle a potential administration if efforts to gain breathing space from its lenders fail. The contingency plans from the owner of Essex’s Lakeside and Manchester’s Trafford Centre, first reported by Sky News, come ahead of critical talks over its £4.5bn debt pile. - Sunday Telegraph

HSBC has waded further into tensions between Britain and China by warning Downing Street against a ban on the equipment maker Huawei in 5G telecoms networks. Mark Tucker, the bank’s chairman, made the private representations to Boris Johnson’s advisers, according to industry and political sources. HSBC is understood to have claimed that it could face reprisals in China if Huawei was blocked from selling equipment to the next generation of networks being built by Britain’s mobile operators. One source said Mr Tucker had been “on manoeuvres” in Westminster in relation to Huawei in recent weeks.- Sunday Telegraph

Online fashion phenomenon Boohoo has been criticised for a massive £50m bonus plan for its chief executive as its share price soars in the Covid-19 crisis. John Lyttle will receive the huge sum if he increases the company's value to around £6billion in a five-year period to March 2024. But the lockdown has boosted online retailers, accelerating Boohoo's share price growth – more than doubling its value to £4.8bn since Lyttle's arrival in March 2019. - Mail on Sunday