Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
There are a few stories dominating Thursday’s newspapers including reports on Labour’s migrant plans. Some of Thursday’s front pages feature photographs of Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un greeting each other as they met for talks in Russia on Wednesday.
Labour migration plans
The Daily Telegraph reports on Labour’s plans to tackle migration if the party were to win the next general election. The paper says Labour is considering taking a share of asylum seekers reaching Europe as part of a deal in which the EU would “take back” asylum seekers who illegally entered the UK via the Channel.
The Mail leads on the same topic, saying that Labour will offer to take in more asylum seekers from the EU if Labour wins the next general election. The paper says Sit Keir Starmer will also commit Labour to a deal with the EU that would allow the UK “to return some migrants who are deemed to have no claim here.”
“Starmer vows to smash people-smuggling gangs,” says the headline on the front page of The Times. The paper says the Labour leader has called the government’s policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda inhumane, unworkable and poor value for money.
The Financial Times makes space on its front page to report that the EU is launching an anti-subsidy investigation into electric vehicles from China – it says the probe “could become one of the world’s biggest trade cases.”
Putin and Kim meet
Pictures of the two leaders meeting feature on the front page.
“Handshake of horror,” says the Daily Mail. The Daily Mirror labels them “tyrant allies”. The Daily Star has captioned a photo of the two leaders with “despot the difference”.
The Times reports Kim has pledged to back Putin’s battle in Ukraine in a “support deal.” The Daily Telegraph’s editorial says Putin “may just have made his greatest blunder” by seeking a closer relationship with Pyongyang.
Former PM Boris Johnson’s comments in The Spectator, in which he says the UK and US should boost their military support for Ukraine, have been picked up by some of the papers. The Daily Express points out that the call comes after the former prime minister made another visit to Ukraine last weekend. The i reports that Mr Johnson’s intervention will be seen as a sign that “he intends to maintain pressure” on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, “particularly on issues close to his heart”.