Elsewhere, passengers at Stansted faced disruption as a suspected power failure affected the airport’s baggage system.

Melbourne, meanwhile, is finally planning to lift its latest Covid-19 lockdown and reopen to international travel, while the volcanic eruption in La Palma shows no sign of ending.

Here are the latest national headlines travel woke up to on Monday (18 October).

Urgent call to protect MPs after killing

Prime minister Boris Johnson will lead tributes to Sir David Amess in the House of Commons on Monday (18 October), as the debate intensifies about how security should be stepped up for politicians after the veteran MP was stabbed to death at a surgery in his Essex constituency on Friday (15 October). (The Guardian)

Flights missed amid baggage system ‘chaos’ at Stansted

Passengers at Stansted missed flights when a baggage system failure plunged departures into "chaos". Travellers on Sunday said they were faced with long queues at the airport as staff had to manually process luggage. Stansted said the system suffered a power issue. (BBC News)

Treasury prepares to launch online sales tax

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is stepping up plans for a new online sales tax to “level the playing field” between tech giants and the high street, after deciding to delay an overhaul of business rates. The treasury is working on an e-commerce tax and is looking at what type of goods and services will be covered by the levy. (The Telegraph)

Eruption on Canary Island shows no sign of slowing

Officials on the island of La Palma have said there is “no end in sight” to the volcanic eruption, which has been spewing out molten lava for a month. The island was hit by more than 40 tremors on Sunday (17 October). Around 7,000 people have been forced to leave their homes due to the ongoing eruption. (Sky News)

Bank of England chief warns it ‘will have to act’ to tackle inflation

Bank governor Andrew Bailey has hinted interest rates could soon be raised due to rapidly increasing inflation in the UK, as the price of energy and other items soars. Bailey warned the bank would “have to act” during a virtual meeting of global central bankers at the weekend. (Financial Times)

Melbourne to open up after latest lockdown

The Australian city is finally set to lift its current Covid-19 lockdown later this week when stay-at-home orders are due to be removed. Melbourne has spent more time in lockdown during the pandemic than any other city in the world, with residents enduring six lockdowns lasting for a total of 262 days since March 2020. (Evening Standard)