Author: UK News

Thursday’s front pages feature a variety of topics – politics, is of course the focus. Several of the Conservative-supporting papers lead on the latest polling, which has suggested the Tories are on course for an electoral wipeout. Critics will say these papers are attempting to woo back disillusioned Tory voters by scaring them into voting Conservative otherwise expect an all-powerful Labour government. 

Several left-leaning newspapers also lead with the new polling data – but point to the fact the right-wing Reform Party – led by Nigel Farage – is picking up those disillusioned Tory voters. 

A few other politically charged stories also feature, with images of Just Stop Oil’s latest protest being the most popular this morning.

Mighty Hoopla bosses on banning artists to keep ‘Gay Glastonbury’ festival safe Glyn Fussell and Jamie Tagg have built a ‘queer utopia’ with one of London’s biggest festivals, Mighty Hoopla, and now they’re looking to the future. It’s hard to believe Mighty Hoopla only started in 2017, but its astronomical growth in recent years has seen pop stars such as Kelly Rowland, Rita Ora, Jessie Ware, Cheryl and Becky Hill grace the mainstage. Now, tens of thousands flock to Brockwell Park each summer for what has not only become an essential date in the LGBTQ+ calendar but has burst through…

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon facing retrial for killing daughter | UK News Aristocrat Constance Marten and boyfriend Mark Gordon face a retrial after an Old Bailey jury was unable to reach verdicts. Marten, 37, and Gordon, 50, denied killing their baby daughter Victoria, who was found dead inside a Lidl bag for life on an allotment in Brighton, East Sussex, last March. Their trial began in January and was set to last just four to six weeks. Jurors first retired to consider their verdicts on April 30 and spent more than 72 hours deliberating between frequent breaks lasting up…

City with ‘no character’ among the UK’s best value commuter spots Thinking of escaping London in favour of a cheaper existence? Essex could now be the place to be. However, in spite of the relative peace and quiet away from the Big Smoke it offers, a town with ‘no character’ and ‘chain restaurants’ has been named one of the best value commuter spots in the UK. Any guesses? That’s right: it’s the home county paradise that is Chelmsford. Described as an urban-suburban blend, it combines the hubbub of a city with a slower, rural vibe that makes it ideal for…

Disruption on London Euston routes as trains cancelled and delayed | UK News Passengers were hit by rush hour travel chaos after a train line into London Euston was closed after a chemical spillage. Trains into London Euston were cancelled or delayed today during peak rush hour travel due to a chemical spillage near Crewe. Major disruption lasted until noon after a safety inspection near Crewe shut the tracks shortly before 6am. The inspection of a track in Crewe blocked all lines on the route, National Rail warned. London Northwestern Railway told passengers the tracks were shut ‘due to a…

Man tries to ‘kidnap’ boy, 12, and toddler in street attack | UK News This is the harrowing moment a man attempted to kidnap a Jewish toddler and his 12-year-old brother outside a synagogue in north London in broad daylight. Footage shows the masked attacker, dressed in dark clothing and a baseball hat, grabbing the stroller and trying to snatch it away. The desperate struggle between the brave boy and the suspect was captured on CCTV in Stamford Hill, which is the centre of an Ashkenazi strictly-Orthodox Jewish, and predominantly Hasidic, community. It is yet unclear if the attack is…

Travel chaos across London as five Tube lines suspended or delayed | UK News Rail travel across London has been seriously disrupted this evening as several lines have been part suspended or face severe delays. A track fault at Paddington has caused severe delays on a large portion of the Elizabeth Line, while the Bakerloo line and London Overground have been part suspended. The disruption at Paddington is set to last until 9pm, National Rail says, as a safety inspection of the track is ongoing. There’s been a signal failure at Queen’s Park and a fire alert at Morden which…

Metro – ‘Post Office in criminal conspiracy’ The Metro leads on the latest from the Post Office inquiry, where a forensic accountant hired to investigate the Horizon IT system felt he was “dealing with a cover-up”. Ian Henderson is one of two independent forensic accountants from Second Sight hired by the Post Office (POL) to review cases involving the Horizon software in 2012. (Today’s news summary – Paper Talk)

The Independent – ‘Dream on Rishi: PM says Boris support is a game-changer’ The Independent front page reports Boris Johnson’s endorsement of Conservative candidates has been co-ordinated by the party’s General Election campaign and “will make a difference”, the Prime Minister has said. Rishi Sunak’s predecessor-but-one is reported to have put his name to hundreds of thousands of letters due to be sent out to voters, urging them not to support Reform UK and warning that Labour could end up in power for a generation. (Today’s news summary – Paper Talk)

The Guardian – NHS will buy beds in care homes to cut hospital waits, says Labour The Guardian’s lead story is that Labour plans to use NHS money to buy thousands of beds in care homes as a way to reduce overcrowding in England’s hospitals, long waits in A&E and patients becoming trapped in ambulances. (Today’s news summary – Paper Talk)

The Sun – £250K cup secretly replaced: ‘We Wuz Robbed’  The front page of the Sun leads on an exclusive saying the Premier League trophy had to be secretly replaced after being stolen. Thieves in Belgium nicked a suitcase containing the crown and base of the prized football silverware, valued at £250,000. the items have never been found. (Today’s news summary – Paper Talk)

Daily Express – ‘PM: Labour will tax your years of savings in weeks’ Rishi Sunak told the Daily Express that Labour will tax people’s savings accounts “within weeks” if they win the election. Rishi Sunak warned savers that Labour will raid their money “within weeks” if he takes power in 15 days time. The Prime Minister today launches his plan to cut taxes for people of every age with £17 billion worth of fully funded reforms. (Today’s news summary – Paper Talk)

Wednesday’s front pages continue to be dominated by the latest from the UK political campaigns, ahead of July’s general election. 

Elsewhere, several of the papers feature images of royals attending Ascot – but otherwise the news is fairly politically focused.  

The back pages cover the European Championship, the latest from Kylian Mbappe nose injury, the latest from the England camp and a look ahead to Scotland’s Wednesday match.

George Galloway – ‘Just say no to genocide, vote Bilal for Rusholme’ George Galloway has called on locals of Rusholme to reject Labour candidate Afzal Khan and instead vote for Workers’ Party candidate Bilal.  Galloway slams Khan, whose posters are plastered around the local area, noting that all the posters feature his ‘big face’ and the ‘name of his party in small print’ on the posters. Why? Galloway says that Khan knows how angry people in the local area are with Labour for their support in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. He says locals are ‘bitterly furious’ with Sir Keir Starmer…

The Independent – The Delusions of Nigel Farage: I’ll run for PM next The Independent says Nigel Farage has parked his tank firmly on Rishi Sunak’s lawn with a manifesto designed to win over disgruntled Tory supporters and an extraordinary prediction he will be prime minister after the 2029 election. Read all the front pages here

Editorial 18 June 2024  Tuesday’s front pages largely focus on the UK general election campaign, a day after Reform UK – led by Nigel Farage – launched its manifesto.  Pictures of the royals attending yesterday’s Garter Day celebrations feature across the papers – especially the tabloids. Elsewhere, the back pages are Euros-dominated. France – the favourites to win the tournament – won 1-0 but delivered an unconvincing performance. Les Blues’ star player Kylian Mbappe went off with a broken nose.  ‘Reform UK plans don’t add up’ – “populist pledges” based on “optimistic assumptions” The Guardian leads with the concerns of…

Met officer fined for assaulting woman in wrongful arrest over bus fare | UK News A Metropolitan Police officer was fined £1,500 after manhandling and wrongly arresting a woman for not paying her bus fare. PC Perry Lathwood, 50, was convicted of assault by beating after he grabbed Jocelyn Agyemang by the arm causing bruising in Croydon, south London. Footage of the incident at around 11am on July 21 last year was shared widely on social media. It showed Ms Agyemang being held back by Lathwood, from the Met’s Road Traffic Policing Command, as her seven-year-old son sobs hysterically. In a…

Unknown person buys green space in village and builds fence around it | UK News Residents of a road in a Gloucestershire village have been left baffled and unable to trim their hedges after the appearance of a mysterious fence. Highnam village locals were shocked when they discovered what they thought was public green space had been sold off at auction. The small stretch of land between Oakridge and The Range has been sold at auction in London despite locals believing it belonged to Tewkesbury Borough Council. And now Highnam residents know it’s been sold – but they have no…

Man jailed for secretly removing condom during sex in rare ‘stealthing’ case | UK News A man has been sentenced to four years in prison for secretly removing his condom during sex. Removing the condom without the partner’s consent, also known as ‘stealthing’, is classed as rape in England and Wales but reporting and prosecutions are rare. Guy Mukendi, 39, was arrested after a young woman reported him for sexual assault in Brixton, south London, in May 2023. She had consented to sex with him on the condition that a condom was used – but during sex, he removed the…

Martin Lewis warning to London renters – you could be owed thousands The rental market may be in dire shape right now, but luckily Martin Lewis and his Money Saving Expert team are on hand to help tenants navigate the treacherous landscape. The latest ONS figures show average monthly rents increased by 9% in England, reaching record highs of to £1,293. But things are especially dire in London and the commuter towns around it. In the last year, Zoopla reports the average rent in the capital grew to £2,121 per month (up 4.2%), and tenants – particularly those on lower…

Major fire in north London as 500 tonnes of waste goes up in flames | UK News Residents were told to shut windows and doors as dozens of firefighters battled flames at a waste recycling centre in north London this morning. Grey smoke billowed across the sky as roughly 500 tonnes of mixed waste burned at an industrial site on Nobel Road, Edmonton. No one was injured in the fire, the cause of which is not yet known. A photo posted on London Fire Brigade’s X account shows a large stack of burning waste glowing as it releases smoke. The…

Flight from London to US turns back with all passengers aboard 9 hours | US News A British Airways flight took passengers from London toward Texas only to return to where it departed, making them endure more than nine hours in the air. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flew across the Atlantic Ocean and had just crossed the Canadian border when it started backtracking. It took off from Heathrow Airport at 9.27am on Monday and touched down there at 6.54am on Tuesday after flying 7,779km in nine hours and 27 minutes. A flight from London to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in…

Widow of aristocrat says his family think she pushed him out of window | UK News The grieving partner of an aristocrat who died following a fall claims some of his family believe she pushed him to his death. Teresa Marshall de Paoli, 88, who was with the Marquess of Ailesbury for 37 years, said the 98-year-old fell out of a first floor window while letting out their cat, Honeybun. He was found bleeding from the head on the patio of her west London home last month, on May 12. The family of the Marquess, also known as Michael Brudenell-Bruce…

How an explosion 50 years ago nearly destroyed the Houses of Parliament | UK News Fifty years ago, the House of Commons descended into darkness and chaos after an explosion went off in the heart of the chambers. A 9.1 kg bomb was planted in Westminster Palace by the IRA, injuring 11 people and signalling the start of a renewed bombing campaign in England. It took just seconds for a fire to begin ripping through the heart of the UK’s democracy, with the 900-year-old central hall at the heart of the attack. The year of 1974 was already one the…

‘They take no prisoners’: Dive-bombing crows haunt London street | UK News The crow might have thought David Cooper’s black coat was a rival, prompting it to swoop down and attack. ‘Suddenly I felt this thing yank at the hood, and then the fluttering of wings on the back of my head,’ the finance worker, 50, told Metro. David fell victim to south London’s most notorious angry bird, which has gone viral in the affluent suburb for terrorising cyclists and pedestrians. ‘I had no idea what was going on and I turned and ran,’ he explained. ‘I stopped and I…