Editorial 16 April 2024.
Many of Tuesday’s front pages cover the rising tensions between Israel and Iran. It comes after Iran launched an estimated 300 drone and missile strikes towards Israel overnight on Saturday, saying the attack was a response to an earlier strike on its consulate in Syria.
Most of the papers’ front pages feature images of Donald Trump in court – attending the first day of one of his four criminal cases. The former US president is set to be the Republican nomination for the upcoming US presidential election.
Rising tensions between Israel and Iran
The i newspaper leads on PM Rishi Sunak planning to use a call with Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu to urge him to show restraint, while the G7 is preparing to ramp up sanctions against Iran. “Don’t start a world war with Iran revenge” the headline reads.
The Independent leads with reports that the PM is urging restraint amid fears of the Middle East crisis spiralling and spreading. The headline notes Sunak has ‘doubled down on its support for Israel.’
The Guardian’s front page leads with a statement from senior Israeli general, Herzi Halevi, who said Israel will respond to Iran’s attack.
The Daily Telegraph leads on comments from former defence secretary Ben Wallace, who has called on the West to stand up to what he called “Iranian bullies.”
The Daily Express says the PM is facing mounting pressure to ban Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and designate them as a terrorist group. The paper says ex-Tory party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has described the government’s failure to do so as “absurd”.
The Times front page says the prime minister is concerned that the move would sever diplomatic ties with Tehran.
Donald Trump New York trial
The Metro’s front page shows a picture of former president Donald Trump sitting in court. “This is an outrage,” the headline reads. The paper says the former president accused prosecutors of “political persecution” as one of the four criminal cases he’s facing got underway in New York on Monday.
“Trump trial makes history” says the Financial Times, which notes that Trump is the first former US president to be the subject of a criminal trial.
The Independent leads with a large image of Donald Trump entering the NYC courthouse. The front page headline notes ‘Trump fumes: historic hush money for porn star trial is an assault on America.’
Smoking ban rebels
The Daily Telegraph says 50 Tory MPs are preparing to rebel against the PM’s proposed smoking ban. The paper says despite the potential rebellion, the bill is expected to pass with Labour’s support. Former Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson described the plan as “absolutely nuts”.
The Mail leads on comments from Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, who has called for transgender athletes to be banned from competing against women in sports. The paper says Frazer urged sports officials to keep male and female athletes separate at the elite level because male-born athletes have an “indisputable edge”.
The Mirror leads with a report on the Victims and Prisoners Bill, which will be debated in Parliament on Tuesday and which is intended to improve support for the victims of crime. The paper quotes Baroness Newlove, whose husband Garry was kicked to death after confronting a group of vandals in 2007, calling on the government to do more to tackle anti-social behaviour. “Tragedy can strike when pleas for help go unheard,” she says.
The Sun’s lead reports Netflix will throw a £1m “ring of steel” around Holly Willoughby when she travels to Costa Rica to film her new show, Bear Hunt, later this month. The paper says the show will see at least ten celebrities try to evade capture by survival expert Bear Grylls.