Browsing: front pages

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 Guardian leads with Labour withdrawing support for its candidate in the upcoming Rochdale by-election just weeks before voters go to the polls. The paper says the situation is a “key test” for Keir Starmer’s party.

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 Express leads on the news that a medical study has found that dementia may be able to be predicted 15 years before the first symptoms emerge using a simple blood test.

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 Guardian says international students accused of cheating at English language tests are planning a fresh push to clear their names 10 years on. The paper says thousands are thought to have been victims of a gross miscarriage of justice.

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.