Author: News Desk

His tale is all the more heroic as he dislocated his ankle four days after becoming lost.

The Northern Irish question has caused endless headaches in Belfast, London and Brussels throughout the Brexit saga. Now analysts say the deal Prime Minister Rishi Sunak struck with the EU Commission this week offers genuine resolution of the problem. However, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)’s backing will be needed to get the Northern Irish parliament functioning again – and, true to form, their support is elusive.

Metro – Sickened by Hancock’s messages Summary of the front page The Metro leads with reaction to allegations that Matt Hancock ignored care home test advice when he was health secretary during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper carries reaction to texts published by the Telegraph on Wednesday that appeared to show former health secretary Matt Hancock declined to follow a recommendation that everyone entering a care home at the start of the pandemic be tested for Covid, an accusation he has denied. One campaigner whose father died in April 2020 tells the paper she is “sickened” by…

The Guardian – Confidence in inquiry hit after leak of Hancock messages Summary of the front page The Guardian reports confidence in the official COVID-19 inquiry has been hit by the leaking of thousands of WhatsApp messages sent by Matt Hancock, who was health secretary in the early part of the pandemic. The paper notes that Isabel Oakeshott, the journalist to whom Hancock gave access to his texts while they were co-authoring a book, was an outspoken critic of lockdowns, and says bereaved families groups are now calling for the public inquiry into the pandemic to be given more teeth and…

Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab died in March 2020 aged 13.

Financial Times – Bailey seeks to take heat out of market expectation for further rate increases Summary of the front page The Financial Times reports that Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has signalled markets are wrong to assume the bank will raise interest rates further. The paper quotes him saying he would “caution against suggesting either that we are done with increasing bank rate, or that we will inevitably need to do more”. The paper says the comments are part of an effort to convince investors that Britain’s economic outlook is not the same as those of the US and…

An inspection detected legionella bacteria at 3,700 times the permitted level.

Daily Mirror – The tragic betrayal Summary of the front page The tragic betrayal – that’s the headline on the front of the Daily Mirror, which concentrates on reaction to leaked messages from Matt Hancock during the early months of the COVID pandemic. The front page also reports on the PPE scandal – saying Baroness Mone is holidaying in her new villa. Today’s top stories Like this article? Leave a comment UK National newspapers Previous Next

Walker will be presenting 5 News tonight.

The Daily Telegraph – Hancock’s rearguard action to shut down schools Summary of the front page The Daily Telegraph leads with another story based on the texts, this time concerning the closure of schools during the pandemic. The paper says that, as health secretary, Hancock discussed mounting a “rearguard action” after losing a cabinet tussle with then-education secretary Gavin Williamson about whether schools should reopen after the Christmas break in January 2021. The front page also features an article from Gavin Williamson – who reflects on whether he should have resigned when his ‘plea to put pupils first was ignored’. Today’s…