Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Most of Wednesday’s front pages feature an image of empty rail stations as the first day of the biggest UK strike in 30 years started.
“Hush Hour” is how the Metro describes its front page image – a shot of a single train at London’s Clapham Junction during what should have been rush hour.
The Daily Mail claims it was the “Day we went back to the 70s” on its front page. The paper claims the Labour party is in chaos over the industrial action, with 25 left-wing MPs defying an order from leader Sir Keir Starmer not to join picket lines.
Sticking with references to the 1970s – the Sun’s front page says the strikes represent a return to the “Class War” of the 1970s.
The Daily Express agrees. The paper reports that the RMT leader Mich Lynch “couldn’t resist” blaming “old Etonians speaking Latin and Greek” for the dispute.
Unsurprisingly, the Daily Mirror’s front page backs the unions. The paper points out that the head of Network Rail earns 20 times more than a struggling train guard – the paper says it’s time to “level up”.
The Financial Times reports that rail bosses have called on unions to agree to almost 2,000 job cuts. The paper quotes the PM as saying the rail sector must modernise or “go bust”. Meanwhile, the RMT and rail companies will be resuming talks on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, the Times leads with the government plans to publish a Bill of Rights, calling it a “radical reform of the country’s human rights laws.” The paper says the changes will allow ministers to overrule European judges who stop Britain from removing illegal migrants.
The Guardian’s headline – “Tory Bill accused of fatally weakening human rights” is the paper’s take on the proposals. The paper says last week’s ruling by the ECHR grounding the first Rwanda deportation flight was a factor in bringing the bill forward and that campaigners and leading lawyers believe the government is systematically eroding people’s rights.
