There is a variety of stories dominating the UK headlines this Friday – Heathrow Airport closed for at least 24 hours to Nicola Sturgeon cleared in the SNP embezzlement case – there’s a lot happening today, so grab a coffee – here’s your daily news breakdown.
Heathrow Airport closed for at least 24 hours after fire
The UK’s busiest airport, Heathrow, will be closed all day on Friday after a fire at a nearby electrical substation that supplies it with power. The airport has warned there will be “significant disruption” over the coming days and has told passengers not to travel “under any circumstances” until it reopens.
- BBC News says Heathrow will be closed until midnight on Friday but the airport is warning of “significant disruption” in the days after that.
- Daily Mail says 120 planes which were already in the air were diverted or turned around in addition to flights being cancelled as a result of the fire.
- France24 says the disruption at Europe’s busiest hub has disrupted flight schedules around the world. They say that two of the flights bound for London were diverted to Paris.
PM issues warning to Putin
There are a few headlines regarding the prime minister this morning with several reporting on plans for British military deployment in Ukraine. PM Keir Starmer has issued a warning to Vladimir Putin that there will be “severe consequences” for the Russian president if UK troops were attacked.
- The i says the PM has stepped up plans for a 31-nation military force to provide security guarantees to Kyiv as part of a possible Trump-brokered peace deal between Russia and Ukraine
- The FT frames it as the PM having a change of heart regarding putting boots on the ground in Ukraine. The paper says air and sea support is favoured instead.
- The Times features a warning that Britain will not shy away from using nuclear weapons that can cause ‘untold damage if Britain is attacked.’
- The Guardian reports Starmer says Russia cannot veto how Ukraine defends itself as Western military officials meet to draft security plans.
Council tax rises, economic growth forecast slashed
Most publications look ahead to next week’s Spring Statement as the independent Office for Budget Responsibility is set to cut its forecast for UK economic growth over the next year.
There is also coverage on rises to council tax and reports that homes across England face paying an average of £2,280 after almost all town halls raised the tax by the maximum 5 percent allowed, official figures confirmed yesterday.
- The Daily Telegraph says the OBR forecast will be slashed over the next year from 2% to about 1% and says the chancellor will use her Spring Statement to blame an uncertain global outlook including the US trade tariff debacle.
- The Daily Mail says millions of families have been hit with “inflation-busting bills”. It shows an image of uncollected waste piled up in Birmingham – where collectors are on strike – with the caption: “the service you get is still rubbish”.
- The Daily Express links the council tax rises to the PM, saying Labour has been accused of “hammering households” with a 5% increase in bills.
UK government borrowing and spending defies expectations adding to tax rise or spending cut pressure
Government borrowing surged to £132.2bn last month, significantly exceeding forecasts and representing a £15bn increase from the previous year.
Nicola Sturgeon cleared in SNP embezzlement case
The former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has been cleared in the police investigation into the funding and finances of the party she led – the SNP. Her husband, who is separated from Sturgeon, has appeared in court charged with embezzlement. Murrell, who had been SNP chief executive since 1999, resigned in March 2023 amid a row over party numbers.
The Scottish newspapers lead heavily with the stories – both in print and online. There is slightly less coverage on the England-based newspaper front page, but the coverage is more detailed on the newspaper websites.
- The Scotsman reports Sturgeon saying she feels “vindicated” and “relieved to be cleared” adding there was never a “scrap of evidence” against her in the probe.
- Daily Record declares “Free at Last” noting the ex-FM’s relief at the probe against her coming to an end whilst acknowledging she knew there was no evidence against her.
- The National Scot says “Vindicated” also picking up on the lack of evidence against the ex-FM and saying the investigation into the SNP’s former treasurer has also been dropped.
- The Herald asks whether donors and members could be tempted back to the SNP now the ex-FM has been cleared.
- Sky News notes that responding to their correspondent, Sturgeon said she was limited in what she could say about an active police investigation.