Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Wednesday’s newspaper front pages report on various stories. Several of the papers lead on the devastating floods in Libya – as 10,000 remain missing as a dam bursts.
The state pension triple lock and England’s 3-1 win over Scotland are also popular front-page leads this morning.
Libya floods
The Guardian leads with the floods. The paper’s headline says “beyond comprehension” as it claims whole neighbourhoods have been “washed away.”
The Metro says local officials have described “apocalyptic scenes”, whilst the Sun says “catastrophic.”
The Financial Times features a picture of the devastating aftermath of the floods. The paper says “recovery efforts are likely to be complicated by the weakness of the state,” as rival factions “carved the country into a patchwork of fiefdoms,” in the last 12 years.
Pensions triple lock threat
The Guardian’s front page reports on state pensions, saying a one-off cut is being discussed by Treasury officials, and it could save £1bn – by preventing a 8.5% rise, as job and wages figures for August were unveiled on Tuesday.
The Daily Mail warns its readers that the policy “could be watered down.” According to the paper, Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride described the policy as unsustainable.
The Daily Express reports PM Rishi Sunak has been warned that “he must keep his triple lock promise to 12 million pensioners and drop ‘sneaky’ changes to save cash.’
The i newspaper also leads on the future of state pensions, it reports that both Labour and Conservatives have failed to back the triple lock policy beyond the election.
Spies for China
The Times lead story reports that MI5 warned the Tory party that two of its potential candidates to become MPs “could be spies for China.” The paper has been told that MI5 contacted the Tories about two people in 2021 and last year, raising concerns that they had links to China’s United Front Work Department.
Former defence secretary Ben Wallace speaks to the Daily Telegraph and claims that human rights laws have become a serious risk to national security by thwarting efforts to stop international terrorists.
Former PM Sir Tony Blair tells the FT that if Labour wins the next general election that party cannot tax and spend its way out of what he called a “Tory mess”. Blair credits Keir Starmer with bringing Labour back from the “brink of extinction.”
