‘A critical moment’ for Ukraine and ‘Southport families’ courage’
Sir Keir Starmer welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and senior European leaders to Downing Street at what he calls a “critical moment” for the embattled nation, The Guardian reports. The newspaper writes that leaders hope to achieve a “breakthrough” by giving Ukraine “access to billions of pounds of frozen Russian assets.”
Sir Keir believes a “£100bn deal for Ukraine” could happen “within days” of the meeting at Number 10, the Times reports. The leaders of Britain, France and Germany will press for the release of frozen Russian funds currently in European bank accounts; this approach faces opposition from Belgium over concerns that it “could be legally liable for an amount equal to a third of annual GDP”.
The Independent follows Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper’s warning that Russian cyber attacks are “escalating”. In a major speech today, Cooper will tell diplomats there is a growing danger of “hybrid threats” – both physical and cyber – from hostile states “designed to weaken critical national infrastructure, undermine our interests and interfere with our democracies”.
“Paramount crashes Netflix deal,” wrote the Financial Times editorialist, reporting on the streaming giant’s $108bn (£81bn) “hostile bid” for Warner Bros Discovery. It is stated that Paramount “worked with Middle East sovereign wealth funds and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to derail Netflix’s agreed-upon deal.”
“Sir Keir Tiktoking nonsense!” The Daily Star trumpets that the Prime Minister is “the first Prime Minister to join TikTok despite major fears about the Chinese app.”
Experts warn that policies to “cap pension sacrifice schemes and reduce the tax-free limit for cash ISAs” will “delay the UK retirement age”, i Paper reports. Economists tell the paper that Budget policies could lead to “stressed private pension pots” adding “pressure on the state system”.
The Daily Telegraph stands out with its claim that “gangs give free passage to asylum seekers if they carry drugs across the Channel.” The investigation, shared by the newspaper with the Home Office and the National Crime Agency (NCA), suggests that some groups are offering “VIP passes” to those wishing to act as “drug mules” from northern France. Spokespeople for the NCA and the Ministry of Internal Affairs told the newspaper that they did not recognize the practice, but stated that they were “alive” to drug threats.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said there should be “no stone left unturned” in a national inquiry into gangs. The newspaper writes that Badenoch will press for criminals with dual citizenship to be “denaturalized and deported”.
The Daily Mirror leads the way with the “unbreakable bond” formed between the parents of Southport attack victims who “offered comfort in the face of impossible grief”. Families who shared baby photos of Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King within the scope of the BBC documentary say that their friendship allowed them to “draw the light” of the darkness.
“The head of the Royal Navy unleashed an extraordinary broadside [Chancellor] The Daily Mail writes Rachel Reeves, accusing the government of failing to properly fund defence. “Russia is spending billions of dollars to control the North Atlantic,” First Sea Lord Sir Gwyn Jenkins warns, as the paper highlights its own campaign titled “Don’t leave Britain defenseless.”
Metro is leading police in adopting new e-bikes to “bust gangs” in London. The newspaper says the gangs stole victims’ “bags, watches and phones” in similar vehicles that could reach speeds of up to 60 miles per hour.
