Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Tuesday’s front pages are heavily dominated by Nadhim Zahawi’s tax affairs – for a third day in a row. An Afghan refugee convicted of murder in the UK and Boris Johnson in Ukraine make the front splashes.
Nadhim Zahawi tax affairs
The i says Rishi Sunak would not have backed his party chairman had he known about the penalty payment from HMRC – and that Mr Zahawi now “faces the sack.”
The Guardian says Mr Zahawi’s allies hope the investigation by the ethics adviser will buy him some more time in the role. Whilst the Times says that even if he is cleared it might not save his career because the role of chairman is often seen as “minister for the Today programme” and he cannot appear on any show without being “peppered with questions about tax.”
The Daily Star says it doesn’t need to bring back the lettuce (as it did with Liz Truss) as Zahawi is already toast.
Afghanistan refugee convicted of murder
The Daily Express, the Daily Telegraph and the Sun’s front page say an Afghan refugee who had been convicted of murder in Serbia and has now been found guilty of killing a man in Dorset lied about his age to gain entry into the UK. Tory MP Tobias Ellwood is quoted in the Telegraph calling for an inquiry into how a dangerous person “slipped through the net.”
Boris Johnson is on the front splash of the Daily Mail. The paper implores Ukraine’s allies to give the country the arms it wants – asking “what the hell” is the west waiting for? Boris Johnson also calls for Nato to admit Ukraine as a member. The Times points out that when he was PM, he said there was “no way that would happen anytime soon.”
