Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Friday’s front pages report on the death sentence given to two British men, who were captured while fighting for Ukraine, by a Russian proxy court in eastern Ukraine. Images of Prince William selling Big Issue magazines run on several font pages – ‘Just like mum, Diana’ as the papers look at Princess Diana’s charity work with the homeless.
The Daily Mirror describes the verdicts as “barbaric” and a possible attempt to gain “political leverage.” The Metro dubs the men “Putin’s pawns.”
The Independent suggests Moscow could use them as a “bargaining chip” to demand Britain cut its weapons supply to Ukraine. Whilst the Daily Mail says there is “very little” Whitehall can do to save them “without dirtying their hands by negotiating with the Kremlin.”
The Daily Telegraph says the case had a low profile on Russian TV yesterday and there are hopes the pair could be exchanged in a prisoner swap for a close friend of Putin.
Meanwhile, the Guardian leads with a claim by the UK’s largest union that low paid care staff are calling in sick because they can’t afford the petrol to get to work. The head of Unison said some of her members were likely to go on strike faced with real-term pay cuts and rising prices. The paper says the PM has urged petrol retailers to act responsibly.
Writing in The Sun, a senior Tory calls on Rishi Sunak to make a cut in duty between ten and twenty pence, insisting “something must be done.”
The Times leads with a report that two other rail unions are planning industrial action following the announcement of the RMT walkout in June. Sources suggest union bosses are considering combing their strikes to coincide with the Commonwealth Games in July.
The i’s take on the strike reports that hospitality bodies are worried about the safety impact on staff trying to get home.
The Sun’s front page leads with an image of Prince William – an image used on several of the tabloids – comparing him to his late mother Princess Diana. The paper says he was inspired by his mum who made undercover visits to help the homeless.