By BBC News
Staff
Image caption, Many of the front pages feature a photo of the former British solider killed while fighting in Ukraine. The Metro reports Scott Sibley’s family are being supported by the Foreign Office, alongside the loved ones of another missing man. Tributes to the father-of-two have flooded in since the news of his death emerged, with one former comrade describing as having a “commando spirit until the end”, the paper adds.
Image caption, US President Joe Biden has asked Congress for $33bn (£26.5bn) in military, economic and humanitarian aid for Ukraine, the Financial Times says. The paper adds the request is highly likely to be approved by US lawmakers, with more than $20bn reserved for security assistance.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption, Mr Biden has defied threats from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin by doubling US aid to Ukraine, reports the Guardian. The paper says $8.5bn will be reserved for economic support, while $3bn will be used for humanitarian aid.
Image caption, The UK government plans on sending 8,000 troops to Eastern Europe in what the Daily Telegraph is calling “one of the largest deployments since the Cold War”. Tanks, artillery, armoured vehicles and aircraft are also being dispatched to bolster Nato forces in the region, the paper reports.
Image caption, Meanwhile, the i leads with new sexual harassment claims emerging from Parliament, following an accusation that a Tory MP watched pornography in the House of Commons. The paper says demands for the MP’s expulsion have grown, while a female Conservative MP alleges a senior Labour politician said she was a “secret weapon” as men wanted to sleep with her.
Image caption, “Disorder! Disorder!”, is the Daily Star’s headline take on the various scandals coming out of Westminster. The paper highlights an apparent “toxic booze” problem, as well as recent cases where an MP has been charged over a car crash and another accused of bullying, asking: “How the hell do they find any time to work?”
Image caption, The Daily Mail splashes on an admission by Labour that deputy leader Angela Rayner was at an event alleged to have broken lockdown rules. The paper says Ms Rayner was in Durham campaigning in April 2021 in the same office where leader Sir Keir Starmer was pictured having a drink with officials. A party source tells the Mail that previous claims she was not there were an “honest mistake”.
Image caption, The Times is reporting that millions of people suffering from arthritis will be advised to lose weight and exercise instead of taking painkillers under new NHS guidance. The policy change could save the health service billions by reducing prescription costs and avoiding the need for expensive joint replacements, the paper says. It also reports the end of the BBC licence fee is near as ministers consider a “funding revolution”.
Image caption, The Daily Express leads on the funding shake-up that could see the end of the licence fee. The paper says BBC bosses have been given notice by the government that the annual charge “faces the axe”, after Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries published proposals to “overhaul” the BBC’s funding model.
Image caption, The Daily Mirror reports the killing of James Bulger will be debated in Parliament, nearly 30 years after the toddler died. His father, Ralph, has spoken to the paper about his calls for an inquiry into how his son’s killers got out of prison after eight years.
The growing row about the culture in Westminster features on many of Friday’s front pages.
“New sexual harassment claims hit Parliament” is the headline for the i, which says there are increasing demands for the Conservative MP who watched pornography in the Commons to be expelled.
The Guardian says reports Boris Johnson is being urged to act quickly, with senior Tories questioning why he had not moved directly against the MP involved. The paper’s editorial calls the parliamentary session which has just ended “one of the most dishonest and discreditable” of modern times.
Image source, UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/PA Wire
The Daily Star headline parodies the Speaker’s traditional call in the chamber in its headline “Disorder! Disorder!” – and it calls the sleaze and sexism row the “shame of Britain”.
The Daily Mail accuses Labour of “lockdown lies and hypocrisy” after the party said deputy leader Angela Rayner was at an event in Durham in 2021 where Sir Keir Starmer was seen drinking beer. The paper says this is a “sensational U-turn” after months of assurances she was not there. Labour says it made “an honest mistake” but the Mail suggests she’s been “caught out”.
Several papers declare the imminent death of the BBC licence fee. The Times says the government’s updating of broadcasting law talks of “challenges” to the “sustainability” of the licence fee, and calls for the “most fair and appropriate funding mechanism”.
The Daily Express hails the funding shake-up, and urges the BBC to become more responsive to what the public really wants. “The licence fee will be consigned to history,” says its editorial, adding the “country will be glad”.
The Financial Times thinks US President Joe Biden’s request for an extra $33bn for the war in Ukraine shows Washington is preparing for a long and intensifying conflict. It adds the US is taking an increasingly assertive approach to the war, despite its own economic headaches.
The Daily Telegraph also sees a message in the deployment of 8,000 British troops to eastern Europe. They are taking part in a series of long-planned exercises, but the paper quotes Defence Secretary Ben Wallace as saying it’s “a show of solidarity and strength”.
The main story for the Times is the new NHS guidance which tells millions of arthritis patients to exercise and lose weight – rather than take painkillers. It says the change could save the health service billions of pounds by reducing the number of prescriptions for drugs – and by helping patients to avoid expensive joint replacements.
The Guardian is one of several papers to pick up on a study in the journal, Nature Aging, about the optimal amount of sleep you should get each night. It found that seven hours was the ideal amount in middle to old age – and that too little or too much could affect performance and mental health. A consistent amount of sleep was also important.
The Times notes that this advice deviates from the traditional claim that eight hours a night is right, while the Daily Mail passes on advice to wind down slowly at night, and keep TVs and gadgets out of the bedroom.