Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
There’s a variety of stories on the front pages this morning. Several of Wednesday’s papers report on the arrest of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon, who disappeared more than seven weeks ago with their newborn baby, on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
Elsewhere, the papers continue their coverage of PM Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal and a few of the tabloids feature a picture of the Princess of Wales beating Prince William in a spin class.
Matt Hancock ‘Pandemic diaries’
According to The Daily Telegraph, it has initiated a series of investigative reports titled “The Lockdown Files,” and the first report claims to have obtained 100,000 leaked WhatsApp messages exchanged between former health secretary Matt Hancock and other officials during the pandemic’s peak. The paper asserts that the messages disclose that Mr Hancock went against the recommendation to test all care home residents in England for Covid. A representative for Mr Hancock has dismissed the report as “outrageous” and “misleading,” alleging that it has been fabricated to suit an “anti-lockdown agenda.”
The paper also features commentary from Isabel Oakeshott – the journalist who leaked the messages. While assisting Mr Hancock in writing his book, “Pandemic Diaries,” Ms Oakeshott procured the messages. As a lockdown critic, she is now disclosing the collection because she feels that the official Covid inquiry is taking too long and there is an urgent necessity for an investigation into how official decisions were made about the pandemic. According to her, the messages uncover chaos within Number 10 and a transition to what she refers to as “lockdown zealotry.”
The NHS England’s plan to reduce pandemic-induced backlogs is failing to meet its targets due to “unrealistic assumptions,” according to a report by the Commons public accounts committee, as reported by The Guardian.
New Brexit deal not open to negotiation
The Times reports that Downing Street has stated the new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland is not open to negotiation, and the Democratic Unionist Party must choose whether to accept it or not. Meanwhile, the Daily Express predicts a boost to the UK’s struggling economy following the deal, citing business leaders.
In the Telegraph, Lord Frost, who helped negotiate the protocol, admits that under the new agreement, EU law “remains supreme,” calling it a “bitter pill to swallow.” However, he does not suggest the deal should not go ahead.
The search for the missing baby of aristocrat Constance Marten and her partner Mark Gordon leads in the Daily Mail, which reports that police fear the child has come to harm. The Metro, on the other hand, says that officers are still holding out hope that the newborn is safe and well.
Finally, the Financial Times features a London mansion set in four acres of Regent’s Park, which estate agents are looking to sell for as much as £250m, potentially making it the UK’s most expensive home. The 200-year-old villa was repossessed after its Saudi Arabian owners defaulted on a loan, according to the paper’s sources.
