‘Angela Rayner probe dropped’ & ‘PM to tackle ‘Mickey Mouse’ degrees’ – Paper Talk
As expected, Wednesday’s front pages are heavily dominated by the latest developments from the general election campaign trail. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer have been on the road trying to shore up support ahead of the 4 July snap election.
The right-leaning newspapers bulk up support for Sunak’s national service plans and take aim at ‘mickey-mouse’ degrees, saying the PM will ban such degrees.
The left-leaning newspapers report on the probe against Angela Rayner being dropped by police, they rip apart the prime ministers ‘triple lock’ policy, calling it a gimmick, and pick up on Labour’s promise to clear NHS waiting lists within 5 years.
The back pages report on the latest from the Premier League – the season may be over, but hiring continues. Chelsea is close to securing their new manager, Everton is planning to sell a host of players in the summer and several of the back pages look at the upcoming Champions League final. Englishmen Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) and Jadon Sancho (Borrusia Dortmund) will meet in the final at Wembley.
PM to tackle ‘Mickey Mouse’ degrees
The right-leaning newspapers are in support of the PM’s plans to force unis to scrap degrees they deem as low quality. They tie in this news with the PM’s plans to generate more apprenticeships if the Tories are re-elected to office in July.
The Times and the Daily Mail say that one in eight students could see their courses cut, under Tory plans to tackle such degrees. The papers explain that Tory modelling has suggested the measures could generate about £910m for apprenticeships by the end of the decade by reducing the number of student loans which are never paid back.
The Daily Express lists the five degrees whose graduates earn the least. They include courses in combined and general studies, performing arts and creative arts and design.
The prime minister is interviewed in the Telegraph where he reveals he recently spoke to former PM Boris Johnson. But Sunak would not say whether Johnson will campaign for him.
‘Angela Rayner probe dropped’
The left-leaning newspapers push the latest good news from the Labour side, including deputy Angela Rayner’s police inquiry being dropped.
The Mirror says the decision by police to drop their inquiry is a blow to Rishi Sunak’s campaign.
The Independent also leads on the news, saying Sir Keir has declared that Rayner ‘has been vindicated’ after the police dropped the probe into ‘Tory allegations about her council house.’
The Metro looks at both Tories and Labour. The front page says the parties are “locking horns” over tax. The paper says the prime minister claimed Labour’s tax plans would cost every family £2,000 a year. Meanwhile, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves branded the PM’s policy “a desperate gimmick.”
The i newspaper looks at the prime ministers ‘triple lock plus’ protection plan saying it would save retirees relying on the state pension as their sole income £14.60 a year, calculations for the paper show. The paper says pensioners who do not receive full state pension would save less.
Away from domestic politics, a few other stories feature on the UK front pages.
The FT reports on water regulator Ofwat, which is drawing up plays for a special recovery regime to help Thames Water and other struggling water firms.
The Guardian leads on Israel’s foreign intelligence agency which is alleged to have threatened a chief prosecutor of the ICC. The aim, according to the paper, was to put pressure on the prosecutor to abandon a war crimes investigation.
