‘Cop cleared of Chris Kaba murder’ – Paper Talk

Tuesday’s front pages report that police officer Martyn Blake has been cleared of the murder of Chris Kaba – an unarmed man who was shot dead during a police stop in south London in 2022. 

Several papers feature images of Australian senator Lidia Thorpe heckling King Charles during his tour of the country.  

The upcoming October Budget has prominent coverage on today’s front splashes as well as the Conservative leadership race. 

The back pages report on tonight’s Champions League fixtures. 

‘Cop cleared of Chris Kaba murder’

‘Blake found not guilty in just three hours,’ the Metro reports.

The Metro reports that Kaba was unarmed at the time of the shooting but was driving a car that had been linked to a previous shooting. The paper says the Old Bailey jury found Martyn Blake not guilty in just three hours following the three-week trial. 

‘Blake overcome with emotion as kaba family feel deep pain of injustice,’ says the Mirror.

The Daily Mirror says Blake was “overcome with emotion” when the verdict was read out, but also quotes Chris Kaba’s saying it has left them suffering the “deep pain of injustice” and vowing to fight on. 

‘Cops want system to be reformed as it punishes them for doing their job,’ says The Guardian.

The Guardian reports that the verdict has fuelled police anger that Blake was put on trial in the first place. The paper says cops want to see reform of a system they say punishes them for doing their job and that cops are lobbying ministers to make it harder for such a trial to happen again. 

‘Robert Jenrick says the decision to prosecute Blake was wrong,’ says the Telegraph.

The Daily Telegraph reports Kaba was shot as he tried to ram his way through a police roadblock and that the officer told the trial he feared for one of his colleagues. The paper also quotes Conservative leadership hopeful Robert Jenerik who says the decision to prosecute Blake was wrong in the first place and calls Blake a “hero.” 

‘Stop crushing the spirit of good officers,’ – The Times quotes the Met Police boss.

The Times quotes Met Police boss Sir Mark Rowley as saying “no firearms officer sets out on duty intent on ending a life” and “the more we crush the spirit of good officers, the less they can fight crime.” The paper says Blake’s suspension from duties was immediately lifted following his acquittal.

‘After a two-year probe, Blake was acquitted in just three hours,’ says The Sun.

The Sun’s headline highlights Blake was acquitted in just three hours after a two-year probe and a three-week trial. 

‘More Budget speculation’ 

‘Nurses and teachers dragged into paying the 40% income tax rate,’ says the i newspaper.

The i newspaper leads on the upcoming October Budget saying teachers and nurses are among two million people who could be dragged into paying the 40% income tax rate by the end of the decade. Tax thresholds were frozen by the Tories in 2022 and were due to rise again from 2028, but the chancellor is said to be considering using next week’s Budget to extend the freeze until the end of the parliament. 

The Daily Mail and the Financial Times lead on a government assessment of workplace reforms.

‘Workforce reforms could cost business £5bn a year,’ reports the FT.

The FT says the changes could cost business £5bn a year. The reforms, which include the employment rights bill, include a ban on zero-hours contracts and measures to give unions access to workplaces. The British Chambers of Commerce is quoted by the paper warning that companies risk being “buried under a mountain of additional cost.” 

‘Workforce reforms could lead to more strikes and workplace disputes,’ highlights the Mail.

The Mail’s front page notes the assessment found the changes could lead to more strikes and workplace disputes, though it also quotes deputy PM Angela Rayner, who insists the government is “pro-business” and praised a “new era for working people.”