Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Tuesday’s front pages report on a variety of stories including the election of Humza Yousaf as the new SNP leader. He won 51.% of the vote and is considered the ‘continuity leader’ – highlighting how deeply divided the SNP is. A picture of Prince Harry features on several of the front pages, as the prince along with Elton John and other celebrities turned up to the High Court for legal action against Associated Newspapers – over allegations of phone tapping and other breaches of privacy.
SNP leadership race
The Scottish edition of Metro greets the election of Humza Yousaf as the new leader of the Scottish National Party, with the front-page headline “It had to be Yousaf”. The Daily Record calls him “Humza the First”, noting that he is the first person of colour, Muslim, and son of immigrants to become Scotland’s first minister. The Daily Telegraph reports that Yousaf plans to move the independence movement into “fifth gear” with a pledge to immediately request a new referendum.
However, the Scotsman warns that Yousaf faces an “uphill battle” to unite a “divided party”, and the i newspaper quotes one of his rivals, Kate Forbes, who says “continuity won’t cut it”. Labour sources have told the Times that they hope to win as many as 20 seats in Scotland at the next election. Meanwhile, the prime minister is on the front of the Daily Express vowing to fight “every day” to stop Scotland from leaving the United Kingdom.
The governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, is quoted in the Telegraph as saying that early retirement is driving up prices and interest rates, as the number of people aged between 50 and 64 who are economically inactive is “particularly striking”.
The Daily Mirror covers the government’s plans to give schools and colleges £2.5bn pounds to upgrade their buildings and open up extra places. Teaching unions have warned that some facilities are at risk of collapse.