1)no i did not replace the fuel pump yet

2)with the carb inlet disconnected when cranking i do notice what appears to my untrained eye a reasonably healthy flow of fuel BUT as outlined earlier i was only able to achieve that after manually injecting/priming fuel into the line from the tank end.
(there is one filter at the carb inlet though)

i did wait and repeat the sequence and got the same result, i will try again tomorrow and see if the fuel still flows after an overnight rest.

thanks