Good weather to blame for small boat crossing surge | The newspapers summarised

Wednesday’s UK newspaper front pages offer a variety of headlines with no one story dominating the papers. A handful touch on the migrant channel crossings, in particular, Labour’s theory that “good weather to blame for small boat crossing surge”. But there is little unity across the papers and instead standalone reports ranging from war and conflict to the latest showbiz news. 

Good weather to blame for small boat crossing surge

The Daily Express and the Daily Mail find space on their front pages for coverage of the small boat crossings crisis. 

• The Daily Express says “now it’s good weather to blame for boat surge” as the paper mocks the Labour government’s comments. 
• The Daily Mail says there is evidence that the “Rwanda plan did deter” small boat crossings following the release of a government report on the number of migrants trying to reach the UK across the English Channel. 

Thames Water on the brink, Chancellor to announce £15bn investment

• The business newspaper The FT reports Thames Water is “on the brink of renationalisation” after US private equity firm KKR “walked away from a £4bn rescue.” 
• The Guardian reports the chancellor is to announce a £15 billion investment into transport. The paper says the move is an effort to convince Labour MPs that we are not returning to austerity. 
• The i Paper says the UK will “stockpile medical supplies for nuclear attacks”. The MoD has been urged to “work closely with the NHS and military healthcare” for “the most extreme circumstances”.
• The Times says the PM has been warned by police chiefs that they will face “stark choices” over what to investigate should Treasury trimming be implemented. 
• The Daily Telegraph reports the White House is claiming the BBC corrected and took down a story about an incident near an aid distribution centre in Gaza. The BBC rejected the claims from the Americans saying they “did not remove any story and we stand by our journalism”.

Maddie McCann search begins & Showbiz latest

More standalone stories and reports lead the front pages. 

• The Sun leads on Love Island reporting that Kyle Ashman was “sensationally axed” after the paper alerted bosses that he was arrested on suspicion of a machete attack”. 
• The Daily Star leads with the new search for Madeleine McCann as the main suspect spoke to a German broadcaster saying he was looking forward to a “nice steak and a beer” when he is released from jail.