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6 months ago
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A variety of stories lead Wednesday's papers. The Guardian reports that Downing Street has described remarks allegedly made by businessman Frank Hester, the Conservative Party's biggest donor, about Diane Abbott as "racist and wrong". Mr Hester reportedly said the MP made him want to "hate all black women". The paper says ministers initially stopped short of describing the remarks, which Ms Abbott has now reported to the police, as racist. It also carries a follow-up report alleging that, during one crowded meeting, Mr Hester asked whether there was "no room for the Indians" and suggested that staff climb onto a train roof.
The i says Downing Street's admission comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak came under pressure from senior Tories, with Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch among those who had broken ranks to describe Mr Hester's remarks as racist.
People whose asylum applications are declined by the UK but who cannot return to their home country will be offered £3,000 to move to Rwanda under a new voluntary scheme, according to the Times. The paper says the scheme, which is separate from flagship Rwanda deportation plans, would be open to tens of thousands of people in the UK.
The Daily Express says former Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to hit the campaign trail at the next general election in support of what it calls "hard won" Brexit freedoms.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said he wants MPs to have a vote on whether to legalise assisted dying and would seek to hold it before the end of the next parliament, according to the Daily Telegraph. The paper says Sir Keir made the comments in a phone call with broadcaster Dame Esther Rantzen, who has terminal cancer and has said she is considering assisted dying. It quotes him saying he is "personally in favour of changing the law" and that "for people who are going through this... this matters hugely and delay just prolongs the agony".
The Daily Mail says that more than 1,000 people have contacted a police hotline set up as part of an investigation into a family funeral director in Hull. Police said on Tuesday they had removed 35 bodies and a quantity of ashes from Legacy Independent Funeral Directors over "concern for care of the deceased". The paper said dozens of families whose loved ones were handled by the firm have been "left agonising over whether the bodies were ever actually cremated or if they received the wrong ashes".
One woman, Billie Jo Suffill, tells the Daily Mirror she fears for what was done with the remains of her brother and father. "It's like something out of a horror movie," she says.
The Metro says three people have been arrested as part of an investigation into possible fraud following the collapse of a care home firm that had spent money on a private jet, two yachts, and numerous luxury cars. The paper says the Carlauren Group went into administration despite raising £76m from investors, forcing elderly residents to leave the company's homes.
Paul O'Grady set aside £125,000 in his will to pay for the care of his five pet dogs, the Sun reports. The paper adds that the broadcaster, who died last year, left another £500,000 of his £15.5m estate to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
The Financial Times says the news that US inflation unexpectedly rose to 3.2% in February has highlighted the challenge faced by the Federal Reserve in trying to get prices back down. The paper says economists had expected inflation to remain at January's rate of 3.1%, and that the rise has led to warnings that "the Fed may have to wait longer than expected before cutting interest rates from their 23-year high".
And the Daily Star says Britain is seeing the "end of table manners as we chew with our mouths open and won't ever put [our phones] down". The headline reads: "Oink!"
A variety of stories lead Wednesday's papers.
The Guardian has a follow-up to its story on Conservative Party donor Frank Hester who allegedly told a group of staff in 2019 that MP Diane Abbott made him want to "hate all black women". It now reports that, speaking from a crowded balcony at the same meeting, he is claimed to have said there was "no room for the Indians" and suggested that staff climb on the roof of a train.
The paper also reports him saying that he made a lot of jokes about racism and was looking forward to a work trip to Malaysia, where he could make new jokes about Malaysian people. He then allegedly told the meeting that in a "loving company" people should be able to make jokes about each other in a "loving" way.
The Times reports that ministers have drawn up a voluntary scheme to encourage people whose asylum claims in the UK have failed to move to Rwanda of their own accord. Tens of thousands of people who cannot return to their own country would be given up to £3,000 to agree to be flown to Rwanda. The plans are separate from a scheme that would see people arriving in the UK illegally deported to Rwanda, legislation for which is currently going through Parliament.
The Daily Telegraph says Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has promised to give MPs a vote on legalising assisted dying if Labour wins the next election. He made the commitment to ITV News after a phone call with broadcaster Dame Esther Rantzen, who has terminal cancer and has said publicly she would consider assisted dying. Sir Keir said he would like a vote on the issue during the next parliament, meaning the law could be changed before the end of the decade.
Image source, PA Media
Image caption,Sir Keir Starmer has promised to give MPs a vote on legalising assisted dying if Labour wins the next election, according to the Daily Telegraph
"Heartbreak and Horror" is the Daily Mirror's headline. The paper says 1,000 people have contacted the police over fears about how a funeral directors in Hull handled the remains of their loved ones. Police said on Tuesday they had removed 35 bodies and a quantity of ashes from Legacy Independent Funeral Directors over "concern for care of the deceased". One relative tells the paper: "It's like something out of a horror movie."
The Daily Express says former Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to hit the campaign trail at the next general election in support of what it calls "hard won" Brexit freedoms. The paper says Mr Johnson is understood to be keen to fight to protect red wall seats in the north of England and Midlands that the Conservatives won from Labour in 2019. It adds, though, that he is not expected to appear on the stump with successor Rishi Sunak.
The Telegraph says it has been told that universities facing financial collapse are considering offering fewer place to British students and more to foreign students, who pay higher fees. John Rushforth, the executive secretary of the Committee of University Chairs, says the move is definitely being considered because universities could make more "surplus" on foreign students.
And the Financial Times suggests that an unexpected jump in the US inflation rate last month to 3.2% may have confounded the Federal Reserve's hopes of cutting interest rates from their 23-year high. The paper points out that interest rates and inflation are key concerns for President Biden, who is keen to make his stewardship of the economy central to his election campaign.
