Browsing: front pages

The Daily Mirror says a takeaway boss was the mastermind behind the armed robbery that led to PC Sharon Beshenivksy being shot dead. The paper reports that Piran Ditta Khan, 75, who went to Pakistan after the killing, “sat in a car nearby as a gang carried out the raid on a travel agent, jurors were told”.

The news that a school headteacher has not hired classroom staff because a PFI contract forces him to spend £30,000 a year on mowing the grass on the playing fields is the lead story in the Metro.

David Potter says almost 20% of his whole budget is spent on the deal which helped build the school but ties it to the same maintenance firm for decades as prices rise, the paper says.

The Sun leads on the news that Coronation Street star Bill Roache reportedly owes nearly £550,000 in tax and is now facing a battle in the High Court. It says his debt is revealed in court papers obtained by the newspaper on Monday, weeks after the paper reported that the actor faces “bankruptcy again”.

The Daily Mirror leads with the news that Sarah Payne’s murderer Roy Whiting has been stabbed in prison. The paper writes that the paedophile was said to have been “saved” by a guard at Wakefield Maximum Security prison, where he was stabbed in a “frenzied” attack.

The front page of the Independent reports that Britain’s economy is worse off – by £100bn, since leaving the European Union, according to a think tank. The paper says businesses are preparing for more border red tape. It goes on to say businesses have struggled with border costs, leading to 30 per cent less trade than if Britain had stayed in the EU.

The Metro reports a new battle has erupted between Donald Trump and Joe Biden after the former US president said he would “encourage” Russia to invade its neighbours if they hadn’t paid their share of NATO’s budget. Biden’s office has labelled the comments “unhinged”, the paper reports.

Alex Batty has spoken to the Daily Mirror about his life back in the UK after six years on the run in Europe, revealing he hopes his mum and granddad do not get caught by police after taking him abroad.

On the eve of his 18th birthday, Alex, who now lives with his Gran in Oldham, tells the paper he doesn’t expect to hear from his Mum and doesn’t want to because he doesn’t want her to get caught. He reveals he’s started a computer programming course, been on a few dates, and already enjoyed some birthday celebrations.

The Daily Express reports Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has pledged to end the “poisonous” woke culture which he says threatens to distract the military from its job of protecting the nation.

Also on the front page is the vigil to mark the first anniversary of teenager Brianna Ghey’s murder and a story about mobile coverage in rural areas.

The Guardian reports that campaigners and unions are “furious” with Sir Keir Starmer for U-turning on his £28bn green investment plan. It calls the move “the most controversial U-turn of Keir Starmer’s leadership” and says it has prompted an angry response from environmental groups, trade unions and some in the energy sector.

The paper quotes the Unite union saying Labour risks “outsourcing their policy-making to the Conservatives”.

The Metro’s front page leads on a conspiracy theorist’s claim that the Manchester Arena bombing was faked. A high Court has described the claims as “absurd and fanatical”. Richard Hall is being sued by a father and daughter who were both badly injured in the 2017 attack.

Hall claimed the attack was part of a government exercise and that survivors lied about their injuries.

The Sun reports on plans to introduce a blue card into football that would see players sent to a 10-minute sin bin. The paper says football fans have reacted with fury over the sin-bin plans.

The paper says the move would add to the “confusion” caused by the video assistance referee system (VAR), which critics have said slows down the game and fails to improve the quality of the decisions made.

The Daily Mirror reports the number of children having teeth pulled in hospital has rocketed to 48,000 last year due to difficulty accessing dentists.

An average of 119 operations a day are currently being carried out on children with tooth decay, according to the Daily Mirror. The paper quotes British Dental Association chair Eddie Crouch saying that the “oral health gap is widening for our youngest patients”.

The prime minister is going to “come out fighting” against Labour’s “dirty politics”, according to the Daily Express. The paper reports Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of trying to divert attention away from dropping his flagship green policy by calling on Rishi Sunak to apologise to Brianna Ghey’s family over comments at PMQs.

A Tory source has accused Sir Keir of using the death of Brianna Ghey, a transgender teenager who was murdered in a park in February last year, to “distract from his party’s chaos”.

Prince William has made his first public appearance since the King’s cancer diagnosis, the Metro reports, while Prince Harry has flown home to the US following his short visit to the UK to see his father.

‘I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you, also, for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days,’ he said. ‘It means a great deal to us all.

An investigation by The Independent has found that the government has been forced to publicly admit flawed decision-making led to Afghan heroes being turned down for sanctuary in Britain.

The front page features an image from Wednesday night’s chemical attack, as well as an inset picture of the man they are looking for. The man appears to have significant injuries to his eye. The paper notes at least 12 people were injured in the attack that appears to have been targeted.