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7 months ago
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Many of Saturday's papers lead with the reported death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Russia's prison service said on Friday that Navalny, who was imprisoned in 2021 on charges widely considered to be politically motivated, lost consciousness after saying he felt unwell. The i carries the headline, "Murdered by the Kremlin", and says world leaders have blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the death. It quotes US President Joe Biden condemning "Putin and his thugs" and Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron describing the Russian government as a "dreadful regime".
The Financial Times reports that the Russian authorities have said "the reasons for [Navalny's] death are being clarified", while Navalny's team have said only that they have had "no confirmation" of his death. The paper says videos on social media showed Russians lining up in the snow in Moscow to lay flowers for Navalny at a memorial to victims of Soviet prison camps. One woman who attended said she saw others sharing her "shock and resentment".
Just hours after Russia said Navalny had died, his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, vowed that Putin "will answer" for the alleged killing, according to the Daily Mail. The paper also quotes Navalny's mother saying he had been "healthy and cheerful" when she visited him earlier in the week.
The Daily Express says Navalnaya was given a standing ovation when she appeared on stage at the Munich Security Conference, and further quotes her saying: "I want Putin, his entire entourage, Putin's friends, and his government to know that they will bear responsibility. And this day will come very soon." She also called on the international community to "unite and defeat this evil", the paper says.
President Biden, who previously promised "devastating" consequences should Navalny die in jail, has said he is now considering a "whole number of options", according to the Daily Telegraph. The paper also says that, asked whether the death could help convince Republicans in Congress to drop their opposition to a $61bn (£48bn) aid package for Ukraine, Biden replied: "I hope to god it helps." It adds that the UK government summoned the Russian ambassador late on Friday to make clear that it holds the Russian authorities "fully responsible" for Navalny's death.
The Daily Mirror says the Duke of Sussex has spoken of his wish to patch things up with his family following the King's cancer diagnosis. The paper reports that the prince has said he is "grateful" to have been reunited with the King last week and that he hopes to see his family as often as he can.
The duke is willing to return to a temporary royal role in support of his father during the illness, according to the Times, which cites sources. The paper says the King is also believed to want to see more of his son and that there is a growing sense a rapprochement would "benefit the institution". A royal source is quoted saying that "much has been said on both sides in recent years" but that that has "never diminished the fundamental bond of blood".
And the Daily Star says darts player Darren Webster has accused rival Ron Meulenkamp of farting near the board during a game to "put him off his throw". The headline reads: "You stinker!"
Alexei Navalny, the leading critic of Vladimir Putin whose death was reported by the Russian prison service on Friday, is on almost every front page.
"Murdered by the Kremlin" is the headline in the i. Both the Daily Express and the Daily Mail highlight the words of Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, who said the Russian president "will answer" for her husband's death.
The FT Weekend describes Navalny as a "tireless activist who took on Putin and exposed state corruption". It says his activities were such an irritation for the Kremlin that, for years, Putin and other senior Russian officials refused to utter his name. In a separate editorial, the paper says that, however Navalny's death actually occurred, the Russian authorities are morally responsible because, had he not been wrongly jailed, he would surely still be alive.
For the Times, Navalny was "a martyr to freedom". The paper says his death brutally demonstrates Putin's paranoia, nationalist ambition and inexorable return of his country to the horrors and terrors of Stalin's days.
On its front page, the Guardian says the death raises questions over what tools the West still has to constrain or punish Putin. The Russian leader has faced sanctions since 2022 and has been indicted by the International Criminal Court.
An editorial in the Daily Telegraph says the death should focus minds in Western capitals as they decide on the next round of essential military aid for Ukraine. Some may whisper that now is the time for negotiations, but could such a brutal regime ever be trusted, asks the paper.
"The Tories must now fight for their survival," is the headline above another editorial in the Telegraph. The paper says there's no hiding the fact that Conservative support is faltering after the party lost two by-elections on Thursday. It urges the government to use the budget next month to announce major tax cuts funded by restricting the growth of the benefits bill.
Many of Friday's papers lead with the reported death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny
The Sun also says Rishi Sunak must slash taxes. The paper's advice for the prime minister ahead of the budget is: "Reward hard work and aspiration, end wasteful public spending, build some houses." The Daily Mail echoes that, calling for a return to "true-blue principles".
But the Daily Mirror says the lesson for Sunak is that voters have had enough of his "tired, tin-eared and incompetent government". The paper asks what it will take for him to realise the country wants a general election now. The Guardian says the government is in terminal decline.
According to the Times, the Duke of Sussex is ready to return to a temporary royal role in support of the King during his illness. The paper says the prince has had several "warm exchanges" with his father since his cancer diagnosis.
Under the headline "Yankee Harry", the Sun highlights a comment by the prince in an interview that he has considered becoming an American citizen. The paper says it would be a shock move because he'd lose his royal titles and it would amount to a final burning of the bridges with the country of his birth.
The Mirror says the prince's dream of reconciliation with the family is "a delusion". The paper's royal editor says his insistence that he loves the family might raise more than eyebrows at the palace - some blood pressures might have peaked as well.
