Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Friday’s front pages mostly lead with the last-minute closure of school buildings in England due to the buildings being made with aerated concrete.
School closures in England
The Guardian’s headline: “School chaos as buildings are shut over collapse fears.” The paper reports “Thousands of pupils in England may begin the autumn term taking lessons remotely or in temporary buildings.”
The i newspaper reports parents with children in the schools that will shut are “scrambling for childcare.” More than 100 schools in England have been told their buildings are at risk of collapse. Former Home Secretary Priti Patel tells the paper that “this is a big mess” and criticises the government for failing to act sooner.
The Daily Telegraph attempts to draw comparisons to the Covid lockdown with a return to remote learning for students on the table. The paper says unions have warned this is the “tip of the iceberg” and that “hundreds” more schools built with the aerated concrete could be closed. The paper says the Department for Education is “facing questions about why it waited until the eve of the new school year” to make the call.
The Times claims that “first warnings” about the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in roofs cracking “came as early as 1995” – raising questions about the government’s handling of the issue.
The Daily Express reports in the same vein as the Times, asking why it has taken “five years to shut unsafe” buildings, claiming the relevant officials had long known of the “danger” of RAAC.
Grant Shapps defence secretary
Many of the front pages lead on Grant Shapps – who’s taken over as defence secretary after Ben Wallace formally resigned. Many of the papers report that it’s Shapps’ fifth cabinet job in a year and some ask if he’s qualified to take on the role.
The Guardian features an image of newly appointed defence secretary Grant Shapps – noting it’s his fifth cabinet position within a year.
The i newspaper features a picture of Grant Shapps, as he’s been warned not to cave in on military spending.
The Daily Mirror leads with its own campaign to save England’s railway ticket offices from being closed. The paper focuses on protesters who turned up at Downing Street to demand the government to “stop the cull.”
Away from UK news, the Financial Times leads with an image of the fire in a block of flats in Johannesburg, South Africa – that killed more than 70 people. But the paper’s main story is about India’s Adani Group, which it says lost $4.2bn (£3.3bn) in shares following revelations about “family-linked shareholders in the company’s stock.”