Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Thursday’s front pages are dominated by news IS bride Shamima Begum is denied return to the UK after a court rejects her claim she was unlawfully stripped of her British citizenship.
Elsewhere: David Bowie’s archive is donated to V&A to inspire the next generation and prime minister Rishi Sunak launches crackdown on the asylum seeker backlog, fast-tracking thousands of cases.
Govt plan to reduce backlog of asylum seekers
Several newspapers today report on the government’s plan to reduce the backlog of asylum seekers by eliminating interviews for migrants from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Syria, Yemen, and Libya. The Daily Mail describes the fast track as an amnesty in all but name and warns that it could encourage more people from these countries to come to the UK. Conservative MP Marco Longhi opposes the scheme and believes that those who entered the UK illegally should be removed and have their claims processed overseas, according to the Daily Telegraph. However, the Daily Express views the plan as a practical solution to a long-standing problem.
Shamima Begum legal battle
The Sun advises Shamima Begum to accept the court’s decision after losing her legal battle to restore her British citizenship. The paper criticises her lawyers for boasting that the fight is not over and that appeals will cost taxpayers millions. Meanwhile, an editorial in the Times questions why Shamima Begum cannot return to the UK and argues that leaving her stateless in a desert is not a solution to terrorism. However, the paper acknowledges that closely monitoring her would require significant security resources.
The Times has seen a draft of an NHS plan to tackle staff shortages in the health service. The document warns that without a significant boost in training, the NHS will be short of over half a million workers. It calls for a doubling of medical school places by the end of the decade, which would require the establishment of several new medical schools.
The Guardian reports that pollutants known as “forever chemicals” have been found at high levels across the UK and Europe. These chemicals do not break down in the environment, accumulate in the body, and may be toxic. They are commonly found in consumer products, firefighting foams, waste, and industrial processes. In the UK, the highest level was detected in a discharge from a chemicals plant on the River Wyre near Blackpool.
David Bowie gift to nation
Finally, many newspapers feature images of the late musician David Bowie’s extraordinary costumes, which have been gifted to the nation. The Daily Mirror reports that his personal archive will donate a collection of his handwritten lyrics, letters, sheet music, costumes, photography, music videos, album artwork, and awards to the Victoria and Albert Museum, which will open The David Bowie Centre for the study of Performing Arts in 2025.
