Iran general killed & Tory rebels plot to oust PM – Paper Talk

Editorial 02 April 2024.

Tuesday’s front pages feature a variety of stories with the escalation in the Middle East taking the lead for several papers. 

An Iranian general has been killed in Syria during an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus. The papers see the bombing as an escalation and note Tehran has vowed a ‘harsh’ response to the attack. 

Several front pages feature ongoing coverage of the UK political scene ahead of this year’s general election. A couple of papers from across the political spectrum suggest Tory rebels are plotting to oust the prime minister regardless of whether he can turn the economic situation around. 

JK Rowling is pictured on several front pages as she challenges Scottish police to arrest her over the country’s new hate crime laws. 

‘Iran general killed in Israeli strike on Damascus’ 

The Times leads on the strike saying that amongst the seven killed were Senior Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi and his deputy, according to Iran state media. The paper notes the Israeli military said it did not comment on foreign media reports. 

The FT features a large image of the rubble left behind from the strike and reports Iran’s FM has said the attack was ‘a violation of all international commitments and conventions.’ 

The i newspaper’s front page reports Tehran has vowed a ‘harsh’ response to the attack. 

Elsewhere, sticking with the Middle East, the Guardian front page features a story about Israeli forces withdrawing from the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza – two weeks after forces raided the compound. The paper notes Hamas claims the IDF killed 400 people and the Red Cresent charity claims the IDF tortured and executed people. 

‘Tory rebels plot to oust PM’ 

Looking ahead to the local and general elections this year, several papers drill down on domestic politics.

The Times says Tory rebels are planning to oust the prime minister. The Popular Conservatism group – aka PopCons – want to install a Liz Truss-style candidate as the next Tory leader after they presumingly lose the next general election. Polling suggests the Tories are on course for a massive electoral defeat and the PopCons want the party to move to the more radical right. 

The i newspaper reports Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been warned that he cannot rely on a recent economic upturn to boost the party’s hopes in the polls. The paper quotes a government insider as saying that using the economy as a campaign tool is not working among local voters. 

The Guardian’s lead on its own analysis suggests there has been “no progress” on half of the government’s levelling up targets, in areas including education, skills and wellbeing. The study indicates that of the 12 initial targets set for less prosperous regions of Britain, nothing has been achieved in education, skills, wellbeing, local pride, housing and health. An academic is quoted accusing ministers of “failing to turn the tide on regional inequalities”. But the levelling up department denies failure, saying the plan is “long-term” and it is making “significant progress” in its mission.

The Telegraph reports that up to 1.6m more pensioners will be paying income tax within four years as a result of Tory “stealth raids”. The paper cites new analysis by the House of Commons Library saying up to 9.3m older people will be paying the tax by 2028 due to the government freezing the tax threshold. 

‘JK Rowling challenges hate crime laws’

Many of the papers find room on their front pages to offer some coverage of Harry Potter author JK Rowling. 

A couple of the tabloids lead on the author. The Daily Mail’s headline reads “Arrest me!”. It says Rowling, who lives in Edinburgh, believes Scotland’s new anti-hate crime law that has come into force is a threat to free speech. She says she looks forward to being arrested if what she has written about some trans people – who are protected under the new law – qualifies as an offence. 

The Mail and the Telegraph highlight the prime minister’s support for JK Rowling. Sunak is quoted as saying: “People should not be criminalised for stating simple facts on biology. We believe in free speech in this country, and Conservatives will always protect it”.

The Times, the Metro and the Express also headline the story suggesting the author has dared police in Scotland to arrest her.