Browsing: Daily UK lead

Almost all of the UK newspaper front pages today lead with the landmark ruling that transwomen are not women and instead a woman is defined by biological sex. The ruling will now see huge changes to public and private sector gender guidance.

The UK Supreme Court yesterday ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex. The judges say the “concept of sex is binary”, while cautioning that the landmark ruling should not be seen as a victory of one side over another. The court added, transgender people still have legal protections from discrimination.

The ongoing market chaos caused by Donald Trump’s tariffs continues to dominate the business newspapers, as do reports about inflation, job risks and a UK-US trade deal that comes at a price. Tech stocks suffered a Wall Street sell-off on Wednesday after Nvidia revealed new US controls on sales to China will wipe billions of dollars from its earnings. The US dollar has continued to weaken for the fifth straight day, amid real fears that the world could start the process of de-dollarisation.

Vice President JD Vance’s comments that a UK-US trade deal is on the table and both countries are working hard to secure a deal makes several newspaper headlines, as does the latest from the US tariffs amid claims that new tariffs (on pharmaceuticals and big tech) are to come into effect ‘soon.’

The business newspapers are focused on the tariffs and the effects on businesses and the stock markets.

A handful of newspapers lead with the Birmingham bin strikes a day after union members rejected a pay deal that they deemed ‘wholly inadequate.’ The headlines report there are fears the strikes could spread across the country as union members are fighting to prevent pay cuts and job losses.

Several headlines report on life in Birmingham six weeks into the strikes. There are reports of foul stenches and giant rats running around the city. There is wider concern of a potential health crisis sweeping the city as food rots in the streets and the rats could spread disease.

Just a few days after the government used emergency powers to take British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant under its control, there are now calls for a review into Chinese investment in UK infrastructure amid claims the Chinese owners intentionally tried to sabotage British Steel to force the UK to depend on Chinese imports instead. 

Katy Perry goes to space – and no one is happy about it! There is heavy coverage of the backlash facing the all-female Blue Origin space flight yesterday, which saw Katy Perry and other celebrities go to space. On the front pages, the coverage is heavily focused on Perry’s reaction to the trip, whilst online (and more recent) publications report on the trip with scepticism, suggesting the trip was a “publicity stunt” and a waste of time and money when instead, real female astronauts should have been sent. There has also been a lot of negative reactions from celebrities who, like the journalists, question why Katy Perry – and the other Hollywood stars – was given a seat on this flight.

Yesterday, Unite members voted to overwhelmingly reject a deal to end the Birmingham bin strike, calling the offer inadequate. Some publications see it as a humiliation for the Labour government after pleading with members to take the offer amid fears of strikes spreading around the country as well as a potential health crisis. 

The US tariff situation may have fallen off the front pages of many newspapers, but the business media remains on top of the latest news from Washington. Despite Trump issuing an exemption for big tech in his tariffs on China, he has since signalled that it’s only a temporary measure and investigations are under way into the semiconductor and pharmaceutical trade – which could lead to their tariff exemptions ending. 

The government took the drastic step of taking control of British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant over the weekend after enacting emergency legislation that was rushed through Parliament in a single day. 

The business secretary Jonathan Reynolds told MPs that the likely next step would be to nationalise the Scunthorpe plant. 

The government say they were forced to seek emergency powers to stop the Chinese owners, Jingype, from shutting down the two blast furnaces, which would have ended primary steel production in the UK. 

Since the shocking intervention from the British government, the UK headlines are assessing what could happen next with calls for the plant to be nationalised, rivals looking to buy the plant and fears the Chinese owners are trying to sabotage the site to force Britain to rely on cheap Chinese imports.

The Manchester bomber plotter has viciously attacked three prison officers. Hashem Abedi, the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber, Salman Abedi, attacked the prison officers with hot cooking oil and homemade weapons at HMP Frankland, leaving them with life-threatening injuries. 

The officers were hospitalised, with one female officer since discharged.

Abedi is already serving a 55-year sentence for his involvement in the 2017 bombing. He had previously assaulted a prison officer at Belmarsh prison. 

The attack has led to calls from unions representing prison officers for change to protect prison workers further – calls including banning prisoners from working in kitchens amid fears of copycat attacks.

The UK government has called in the army to help assist the Birmingham City Council in dealing with the sanitation crisis due to the ongoing Birmingham bin strikes. The military support will consist of three office-based personnel providing logistical planning with soldiers not being deployed for rubbish collection. 

The months-long strike by the city’s bin workers originated from disputes over pay and job security. 

Continuing the trend of the week, coverage of Donald Trump’s tariffs, the stock market reaction and now claims of potential insider trading. 

Gold has risen to a record high as investors seek safe-haven assets amid the chaos. The ongoing escalation in the US-China trade war is still causing chaos in the markets as the Asian markets slid on Friday and the US markets slumped on Thursday close, wiping out a chunk of Wednesday’s historic rally. The US markets open at 14:30 GMT. 

Prince Harry made a surprise visit to an orthopaedic clinic in Lviv – a centre that treats and rehabilitates wounded military personnel and civilians. Harry attended with a group from the Invictus Games Foundation after two days back in London for a high court appearance.

Donald Trump has backed down on his tariffs (higher than the baseline 10%) on countries that did not retaliate against the levies. The US president announced via social media that there would be a 90-day pause on those tariffs and they would instead be dropped to the blanket 10% rate. But since China did retaliate, Trump announced that the tariffs on China would be hiked to 125%.

Much of the global media sees the announcement of Trump backing down from the trade war he started, likely amid US government bond sell-offs.

King Charles and Camilla are in Italy for a state visit, meeting with politicians and the pope and delivering a historic speech to both houses of the Italian parliament. The UK media is suggesting it is an exercise in Britain’s soft powers and that the royals are being used to help reset the UK’s relationship with the rest of Europe following the fraught and turbulent times of the Brexit era.

The state visit also coincides with the pair’s 20th wedding anniversary, and several of the royal-supporting news media offer insights into the couple’s marriage – the ups and downs and how they finally got together. There is also commentary on the King’s relationship with his youngest son, who is back in Britain for a court case regarding his personal security. The pair reportedly did not meet before Charles headed to Italy.

Football dominates the UK news cycle this morning, as Arsenal beat Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Champions League. 

Two stunning free kick goals from Declan Rice and a third sensational goal from Mikel Merino stunned Real Madrid. The North London club will head to the Bernabeu next Wednesday (16 April) for the reverse fixture where Madrid will need to overturn a 3-0 deficit to be in with a chance of dancing to the semi-finals. 

Prince Harry back in Britain for two-day court case as the sixth in line to the throne argues he cannot return home – or bring his wife and children to the UK until they have been granted better security. 

The tabloids don’t have much sympathy for Harry’s cause, instead highlighting the fact his father flew out to Italy without seeing him, noting the strained relationship Harry has with his family – or trashing his wife’s latest business venture, a new podcast. 

An all-out trade war starts as China hit with 104% levies, and fears of a global recession dominate the morning conversations. Wednesday’s newspaper headlines reflect the fears before the tariffs started (they’ve since come into effect).

Last week, Donald Trump announced a baseline rate of 10% tariffs on most countries, with more extreme tariffs coming into effect today for what the US president said were the ‘worst offenders’ – around 60 countries, including China, have been hit with a 104% tariff.

Tuesday’s newspapers are, unsurprisingly, focused on the market chaos caused by last week’s US tariffs. Several headlines look at the growing trade war between the two largest economies in the world as China retaliated with their own tariffs on the US – which led to Donald Trump telling them to back down from their tariffs or face a further 50% tariff on Wednesday. China has said it won’t back down. 

King Charles and Camilla have touched down in Italy, starting a four-day state visit aimed at improving Britain’s relationship with its European allies. The trip also coincides with the couple’s 20th wedding anniversary – with new images of the pair released to mark the occasion. 

In other royal news, the King’s youngest son, Prince Harry, has touched down in Britain today as he prepares for a two-day court case where he will challenge the decision over his – and his family’s – security when they are in Britain. Harry says he can’t bring his wife or children to the UK due to the row over security and says the threat to him and his family remains high.

Several of the UK newspapers reported on the story of a British woman who gave birth to a baby girl after a womb transplant. Grace Davidson, 36, was born without a functioning uterus and received her sister’s womb in 2023. It marks the UK’s first successful womb transplant. 

The UK is being treated to some gorgeous sunshine at the moment, and the sizzling heat is expected to last a little longer. The UK is set to be hotter than parts of Spain this Easter break, it’s no surprise the weather is a top conversation. 

There has been an outbreak of wildfires across the UK, and the Met Office has put further warnings in place for potential outbreaks ahead of the mini-heatwaves.

As the Easter holidays begin in Britain, many sun seekers will have booked their annual trips to Spain – but if you’re heading to Spain this holiday, be prepared for backlash as locals protest against over tourism and the housing crisis.

Today’s headlines – in print and online – are, of course, dominated by the ongoing fallout from Donald Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs as the PM promises to protect British business and stock markets continue to fall. There are fears of a US recession – and a global economic meltdown.

The story that is dominating every news site – in print and online – today is, of course, the ongoing chaos facing the global stock markets following Donald Trump’s latest US tariffs.

Global stock markets experienced significant declines following President Trump‘s announcement of sweeping tariffs, including a 10% tax on imports from the UK.

Both US and European markets reported their worst one-day losses since the COVID-19 pandemic, raising concerns about a potential recession and international retaliation.

Several newspapers lead with the latest from Prince Harry’s ongoing charity row. The Charity Commission has said it will launch a probe into Harry’s charity Sentebale following claims made by its head, Sophie Chandauka. 

The prince, who started the charity more than 20 years ago, has said he hopes the watchdog will “unveil the truth” after the head accused the prince of bullying and harassment, amongst other claims about the charity itself.