While general election coverage features on several front pages, the Guardian carries an exclusive story that the UK’s National Crime Agency is “considering striking back” against a Russian ransomware gang who stole 300 million NHS patient records. The paper reports that the leak by the Qilin gang included “highly sensitive” data, like blood tests for HIV and cancer for patients at the London hospitals affected. A helpline has been set up to respond to questions amid “widespread alarm” over the hack, the Guardian says.
The Times is reporting that Harry Potter author JK Rowling has accused Sir Keir Starmer of “abandoning women” with concerns over transgender rights. In an article for the paper, she claims the Labour leader has taken a “dismissive and often offensive” attitude to women, adding that she will struggle to vote for the party because she does not trust Sir Keir’s judgement and has a “poor opinion” of his character. The Times is also one of several papers to feature a picture of Prince William and his children holding hands and jumping on a beach holiday in Norfolk, taken by the Princess of Wales last month.
The Daily Telegraph leads with comments from Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch, who has claimed Labour will “reverse Brexit” if the party wins the election. The Tory minister told the paper leaving the EU is a “10 to 20-year project” and a victory for Sir Keir would undermine any benefits of the process.
Nigel Farage has caused uproar by suggesting the West “provoked” Russian President Vladimir Putin into launching a full-scale war on Ukraine, the Daily Mail’s lead story says. The paper reports the Reform UK leader “drew fury” making the claim in a BBC Panorama interview, which led to him being branded a “danger to UK security” by Tory former defence secretary Ben Wallace.
The Daily Mirror leads with an exclusive story that one of Stephen Lawrence’s killers has applied for release on parole, after serving 14 years for his murder. The teenager was killed in a racist attack in London in 1993. The paper says David Norris is due to have a parole hearing which will cause “fresh heartache” for the Lawrence family.
The National Trust has challenged UK politicians to “save Britain’s rivers”, according to the i Weekend. The paper says the charity has called on political parties to prevent illegal sewage dumping and other pollution, noting that the National Trust has 5.7 million members, who will ramp up the pressure on Labour and the Conservatives to “agree a rescue plan”.
Rich foreign residents are leaving the UK over plans – supported by both Labour and the Conservatives – to ditch the non-dom tax status that exempts them from paying tax on their overseas income, according to the FT Weekend’s top story. The paper has interviewed more than a dozen extremely wealthy people or their advisers, who also gave reasons for them moving including “Brexit, fiscal and political instability, and concerns about security”.
The Daily Express’ front page features an exclusive interview with Dame Esther Rantzen, who has told the paper she never expected to be able to celebrate her 84th birthday. The presenter hailed the “miracle drugs” keeping her alive, after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in January last year.
The Daily Star’s front page reveals an “election bombshell” about friend-of-the-paper Count Binface. The unconventional candidate, who wears futuristic bin-shaped headgear, is standing against Rishi Sunak in his Richmond constituency. The Star says an exclusive poll has revealed he is just four points behind the prime minister in the race and is significantly more popular than Mr Sunak’s predecessor “Lettuce Liz” Truss.
The front pages of the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph have reaction to Nigel Farage’s comments about the West provoking President Vladimir Putin into invading Ukraine.
The Sun highlights a poll it has commissioned which suggests that Mr Farage is set to win the seat he is contesting in Clacton, on the Essex coast.
Mr Farage uses an article in the Daily Express to attack Labour’s plan to repeal a law which offers a conditional amnesty for crimes committed during the Troubles. He asks how Labour can claim to be “the party of national security” when it is set to “abolish the law that protects our Northern Ireland veterans from being prosecuted”. There’s no direct response to the article from Labour.
The Times leads with comments by JK Rowling accusing Labour Leader Keir Starmer of “abandoning” women who are concerned about transgender issues. In an article for the paper, she suggests she may vote for an independent candidate in her constituency who is campaigning to “clarify the Equality Act”.
The Guardian says Labour is considering wealth taxes to fund public services, if it wins the general election. The paper says changes to capital gains and inheritance taxes are among the options being discussed.
A senior party source is quoted as saying that Labour would be “starting from ground zero” with public services and infrastructure. They say the party would need to show investors that they are “serious about borrowing and raising revenue from taxes”. But a Labour spokesperson insists none of the party’s plans “requires any additional tax to be increased”.
“Rich foreigners turn away from UK” is the headline on the front of the FT Weekend. It says an increasing number are moving elsewhere because of the end of the “non-dom” regime that allowed them to avoid paying tax on overseas income – a change backed by both Labour and the Conservatives.
The Daily Mirror says one of Stephen Lawrence’s murderers, David Norris, has applied for parole, as his minimum 14 year prison term comes to an end.
Stephen’s father Neville Lawrence has told the paper he’s written a statement that he hopes to read out at the parole hearing. He’s quoted as saying that Norris “needs to say to the family he is sorry” and that “he should say who else was involved” in the killing.
And a picture of a man holding a 5ft 2in-long (1.6m) cod features in the Daily Mail. The paper says the fish could break the record for the longest cod ever. The paper dubs the British angler who made the catch “the Codfather” and says the fish could feed “180 people”.
BBC
