Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Wednesday’s front pages feature a variety of stories including new plans to house migrants on an accommodation barge, old cruise ships and former RAF bases. The King’s state visit to Germany also makes the front pages.
Migrant housing plan
The government has reportedly acquired an “accommodation barge” capable of holding hundreds of migrants, which is currently being refitted, according to The Times. The paper quotes a government source who claims that the giant barge would act as a deterrent to those crossing the Channel illegally. Meanwhile, the Daily Mail reports that former cruise ships and old RAF bases will also be used to end what it calls the “hotel farce” that is costing taxpayers millions of pounds each day. The Guardian suggests that registering cruise ships as hotels rather than detention centres could help avoid possible legal challenges.
The Independent highlights the case of an Afghan pilot who is facing deportation to Rwanda after fleeing the Taliban and arriving in the UK via a small boat, as he could not find a safe and legal route. Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood tells the paper that the case illustrates the lack of a functioning process for Afghans to apply for asylum, and that “this is not who we are as a nation.”
More money for NHS
According to the Daily Telegraph, the British government’s ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 has been “thrown into chaos” after the EU watered down its own restrictions in response to opposition from German carmakers.
The Financial Times reports that the chancellor plans to inject more money into the NHS to fund a new pay deal for health workers, while hopes for an agreement to end teacher strikes have reportedly soured. The paper quotes health insiders claiming that £3bn will be put into the NHS, although the Treasury denies that any amount has already been agreed. Teaching unions are now reportedly calling for the same willingness to fund a classroom pay offer as was shown towards the NHS.
The Guardian leads on the Scott Trust’s apology for its founders’ involvement in trans-Atlantic slavery. The Trust is reportedly planning to spend over £10m on a decade-long programme of restorative justice. The paper’s editorial column claims that it has begun a “reckoning with its history” and calls on other individuals, institutions, and states to follow suit.
Finally, the Telegraph reports that the King is expected to dine with his German cousins during his first state visit to the country as monarch, and is likely to refer to his German ancestry in a speech at a state banquet. The Times features a new portrait of the King, wearing a bracelet that signifies his work on climate change and appearing in what the paper calls a “relaxed mood.”
