Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Tuesday’s front pages splash on the government’s plans to stop migrants illegally crossing the channel from claiming asylum. There’s also reaction from the papers over Boris Johson nominating his father for a knighthood – ‘outrageous’ says the left-wing papers.
The Home Office is reportedly purchasing two former RAF bases in Lincolnshire and Essex to house detained migrants before their removal, according to the Times. However, government sources have admitted that they are uncertain whether the proposals comply with the European Convention on Human Rights, and expect a legal challenge.
The Daily Telegraph suggests that the legislation introducing the measures will specifically state that they may not comply with the Convention. The Daily Mail reports that the bill will be fast-tracked through Parliament and could be implemented by the summer. However, the i suggests that some Conservatives view the measures as unworkable due to a lack of detention capacity and difficulty finding countries to take removed asylum seekers. Writing in the Sun, Rishi Sunak says the plans will “take back control of our borders once and for all” while the home secretary tells the Daily Express that the government “owes it to the British people” to solve the issue.
In other news, the Telegraph reports Oxford University has banned romantic relationships between lecturers and their students, while The Guardian reports that over 1,000 “super-emitter” sites released greenhouse gas methane into the atmosphere last year.
Finally, the Daily Mirror expresses disbelief at reports that former MEP Stanley Johnson has been nominated for a knighthood by his son, Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The Independent website quotes unnamed Conservatives who think the nomination is “outrageous” and “ridiculous nepotism, completely without merit”. Its headline reads: “Arise, Sir Dad?”