‘One out… by mistake’ and Prince Andrew ‘dislodged’
What happened after a former asylum seeker who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl was mistakenly released from prison was reflected in Saturday’s newspapers. The Sun says the blunder was “accidentally one out”, mimicking the government’s “one in, one out” shelter plan. The newspaper reported that Ethiopian national Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu would be deported before being released following a “staggering mistake” by prison staff.
Police are scrambling to find the sex offender who was released from HMP Chelmsford after he was wrongly classified as a prisoner due to his release, the Daily Telegraph says. Justice Minister David Lammy said he was “furious” and had ordered an “urgent investigation” into the error, the newspaper reported. Elsewhere, a photo of Boris Johnson’s ex-wife Marina Wheeler is front and centre, with the caption: “I’m over it, surely Britain is too?” he asks the question.
Daily Mail’s comment: “A belief-shattering blunder.” Police said Kebatu was last seen asking locals for directions at Chelmsford station on Friday before boarding the train to London, the newspaper reported. Sharing the front page, Mail, King George III. He says Charles may ask Prince Andrew to leave the Royal Lodge.
The Mirror is also leading Prince Andrew into “advanced talks” with the King to leave the Royal Lodge following fallout over his links to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “Displaced” read the newspaper’s headline on an aerial view of Windsor’s sprawling Royal Lodge estate.
A “stern warning for Starmer” after Labor suffered a “crushing” by-election defeat in its traditional heartland of Wales on Friday, the Guardian reports. The newspaper says the results highlight the “stunning collapse” in the party’s votes, with MPs warning that a repeat defeat in the May 2026 local elections “could mean the end” of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership. Plus, the Guardian previews the “next steps” Claudia Winkleman and fellow Strictly Come Dancing host Tess Daly will take after announcing they are leaving the show.
“Star in the line of fire” echoes the Independent’s headline about the government’s “historic byelection defeat” in Caerphilly. The newspaper reported that the Prime Minister said he was “deeply disappointed” with the outcome. Also a highlight is the King’s “royal welcome” to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday ahead of a summit with European allies in London.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to give more than a million low-wage workers a pay increase in the budget, the Times reports. The newspaper notes that Reeves was warned by businesses that the move would risk “pricing jobs disappearing”.
This follows further warnings for the Chancellor from economists who say raising the higher income tax rate would harm “ordinary workers”, including teachers and junior doctors. The newspaper reports that Reeves is considering “breaking Labor’s manifesto promise to give itself some breathing room on public spending”.
After Donald Trump “paved the way for new customs duties” against China and stopped trade talks with Canada on Friday, “Trump is sounding the alarm about new customs duties”, according to the Financial Times. The newspaper states that the decisions were taken before Trump’s Asian trip, which includes the summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
Finally, the Daily Star asks readers who they want as the next hosts of Strictly Come Dancing. Highlights from the race include hosts Rylan Clark and Zoe Ball; “Lettuce Liz Truss” also rose with 8% of the votes.
