By BBC News
Staff
Image caption, A number of the papers lead with claims that a senior Tory MP was repeatedly seen by female colleagues watching porn on his phone while working in the Commons. The Metro says the incidents were recounted at a meeting of Tories at which more than a dozen women complained of sexism and harassment by male MPs.
Image caption, One of those who caught the MP was a female minister sat next to him in the House of Commons, The Mirror reports. The paper says the incident happened in recent weeks, and quotes Tory chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris calling the behaviour “wholly unacceptable” and pledging that “action will be taken”.
Image caption, The Express says that the claims come at a time when Parliament is “already engulfed by allegations of widespread sexism, misogyny, and harassment” and have led to demands for a “change of culture”.
Image caption, A speech delivered on Wednesday by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss leads The Times. The paper reports that Truss described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “rogue operator” and warned he could launch further invasions of countries such as Moldova and Georgia.
Image caption, The Financial Times reports that EU leaders have accused Moscow of “blackmail” after Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom suspended supplies to Poland and Bulgaria. The paper says the move follows Russian demands that gas supplies be paid for in roubles and calls it Russia’s “starkest” attempt yet to target the EU’s reliance on its fossil fuels.
Image caption, Russia’s decision has left Europe “on the brink of a major energy crisis”, says the Guardian. The paper reports that the price of gas is now nearly seven times higher than it was a year ago and says experts have warned of “further pain for consumers should the supply crisis escalate”. The front page also carries the news that DJ Tim Westwood has “stepped down” from his radio show on Capital Xtra following allegations of sexual misconduct made by multiple women.
Image caption, The chancellor has said that energy firms could face a windfall tax on their profits amid the cost of living crisis, the Telegraph reports. Speaking during a question and answer session with users of website Mumsnet, Rishi Sunak said the measure was “something [he’d] look at” unless leading operators did more to “support the economy” by increasing investment in UK energy supply.
Image caption, A ruling by the High Court that the government acted unlawfully when it sent untested hospital patients back into care homes at the start of the pandemic leads the i. The paper reports that ministers and officials failed to heed 20 warnings that people could be contracting and transmitting the virus without themselves experiencing symptoms.
Image caption, The Mail claims police have “opened the door to a full probe” into a decision that saw Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer cleared of breaking lockdown rules in April last year. Sir Keir was pictured holding a beer in the constituency office of MP Mary Foy after a day of campaigning for a by-election in Hartlepool. The paper reports that Durham Constabulary has said it would consider a request for a review of the decision from Tory MP Richard Holden.
Image caption, “Gospel truth: I’m done”, reads the headline in The Sun. The paper reports on an interview with heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury in which he vowed to retire following his knockout of fellow Briton Dillian Whyte.
Image caption, And The Star reports that experts have warned Britons are “killing the planet by using too much bog roll”. The paper says that every person in the UK uses 127 toilet rolls a year and that 33,00 trees are cut down each day to make them.
Thursday’s Express leads on demands for a culture change at Westminster after a Conservative MP was accused of watching pornography on his mobile phone in the Commons.
It quotes Labour’s Harriet Harman, who said it should not be necessary to tell MPs not to behave in such a way, but that a rule might need to be added to their code of conduct. The Metro reports that a female MP tried to take a photo of the unnamed man viewing the material, but was unable to capture it. The Mirror says it’s a “new low” for what it describes as the “sleazy party”.
The Telegraph leads on an interview with Chancellor Rishi Sunak in which he said he would consider introducing a windfall tax on energy companies’ profits if they failed to make “investments in our country and in our energy security”. The paper says Treasury sources have described the comments to the Mumsnet website as a “warning shot” to firms to start investing significant sums “soon”. The paper points to a split at the top of government, as Boris Johnson has said the measure would be a “tax on business”.
The i picks up on Mr Sunak saying in the same interview that it would be “silly” to set out further support to help families with rising energy bills before it is clear what will happen with the price cap later in the year.
The Guardian leads on fears that Europe could be on the “brink of a major energy crisis that could further drive up household bills” after Russia halted gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria. The Financial Times says the price of wholesale gas “soared” after Moscow “turned off the taps”.
The front page of the the Mail reports that Durham Constabulary is considering a request from a Conservative MP to review the decision to clear the Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, of an alleged breach of lockdown rules.
The force said it had replied to a letter from Richard Holden “as a courtesy”. Sir Keir denied breaking any rules after he was pictured holding a bottle of beer while in the constituency office of MP Mary Foy after a day of campaigning in April last year.
According to The Times, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has told prison officers to stop referring to inmates as “residents” and to cells as “rooms”. It’s apparently because of fears that so-called “woke” language is damaging public confidence in the criminal justice system.
“Gospel Truth: I’m done” is the headline on the front of The Sun. The paper reports that boxer Tyson Fury has said he’s definitely hanging up his gloves for good after successfully defending his WBC World heavyweight title against fellow Briton Dillian Whyte. Fury said in an interview with Piers Morgan that he was quitting now as he had “umpteen belts”, and plenty of money, success, fame, and glory.