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8 months ago
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The papers continue their coverage of the escalating crisis in the Middle East, including the Sunday Telegraph which carries Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron's warning to Yemen's Houthi rebels. The paper reports Lord Cameron as saying the UK is ready to strike again if the group continues targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea, one of the world's most important trading routes. In an op-ed for the paper, Lord Cameron writes the UK has sent an "unambiguous message" to the Houthis, who say they target ships linked to Israel as a show of support to Hamas. The UK and US say they are defending freedom of navigation.
The Observer turns its focus to the potential impact a prolonged conflict in the Red Sea could have on the global economy. The paper carries a warning from economists at the World Bank who say the crisis threatens to feed through into higher interest rates, lower growth, persistent inflation and greater geo-political uncertainty. Cargo ships have been diverting away from the Red Sea in favour of the longer route around Africa because of the attacks. A photo of British tennis player Emma Raducanu, as she prepares for the Australian Open, features on the front pages of both papers.
The Sunday Mirror reflects on "100 days of hell", as the war between Israel and Hamas continues. The paper says it is a "grim milestone" for the Middle East. Power cuts at the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital are threatening the lives of Gaza's babies, the paper says, one of whom is pictured on the front page.
Meanwhile, the Sunday Express carries comments from Post Office Minister Kevin Hollinrake, who is calling for those behind the Horizon scandal to face jail time.
The Sunday Times reports that Paula Vennells, Post Office chief executive from 2012 to 2019, was handed a CBE by Theresa May's government despite concerns raised on the honours committee over the scandal. Ms Vennells said earlier this week she would hand back her honour following the backlash.
The Mail on Sunday reports that a foreign national who was jailed in 2021 after repeatedly firing a handgun avoided deportation after a "mutiny" by airline passengers. Home Secretary James Cleverly has criticised "do-gooders" who he said thwarted the British Airways flight at Gatwick in November. The paper also previews a new biography of King Charles III, which is being serialised over the next few days by the Mail.
The Daily Star is warning its readers to brace themselves for "the big freeze", with the "Beast from the North" set to hit the UK on Sunday. Temperatures could drop as low as -13C (8.6F) in parts of the country, the paper says.
And the Sun continues its coverage of an alleged affair between Manchester City player Kyle Walker and model Lauryn Goodman, who he is said to have fathered a second child with. The paper has spoken to Ms Goodman, who says she took matters into her own hands and revealed the truth to Walker's wife, Annie Kilner.
The Sunday Telegraph leads on Lord Cameron's comments under the headline "UK ready to strike Houthis again". In his article, the foreign secretary says Britain's "unambiguous" message is that it will always defend the freedom of navigation, and be prepared to "back words with actions". Lord Cameron also describes Houthi claims that the attacks are "all about Israel and Gaza" as "nonsense".
The Observer carries a warning from some leading economists that the Red Sea "crisis" could "shatter" hopes of economic recovery around the world by reigniting inflation and disrupting energy supplies. Experts at the World Bank tell the paper that a prolonged crisis threatens to feed through into higher interest rates, lower growth, persistent inflation and greater uncertainty. The Observer says there is growing concern in government circles in London and Washington that a slowing global economy could harm Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden's chances at the ballot box this year.
A milestone in the war between Israel and Hamas is marked by the Sunday Mirror. It carries a picture of premature baby in an incubator in Gaza under the headline "100 days of hell". It says the infant is "clinging to life" but close to becoming one of the war's "tiniest victims" because of power cuts at one of the last working hospitals in the territory. A doctor tells the paper that children there are too frail to be moved, despite the area being considered a battle zone.
The Mail on Sunday names a Jamaican criminal it says Britain is unable to deport. The paper says the "gun-toting ... gangster" was saved from being forcibly removed from the country by a protest by passengers on his flight in November. According to the Mail, Home Secretary James Cleverly has "furiously lambasted" the passengers, calling them "do-gooders", and suggested he's considering measures to stop passengers blocking deportation flights.
The fallout from the Post Office scandal is still headline news. The Sunday Times reports that Theresa May's government ignored warnings about the Horizon IT system and pushed through a CBE for the former head of the Post Office, Paula Vennells. The paper says at least one member of the main honours committee questioned the wisdom of the honour in 2018. The Sunday Times' article includes a denial from the chair of the honours sub-committee that he "brushed aside" concerns, and an unnamed source says assurances were received from civil servants about her fitness for the award. Ms Vennells announced on Tuesday that she was handing back her CBE.
The Scottish Mail on Sunday leads on an opinion poll which suggests the SNP faces losing 24 MPs in the next general election - more than half of its current total. The paper says the survey "heaps misery" on the "embattled" First Minister Humza Yousaf.
And the Daily Star has a warning about the "Beast from the North" which it says will put Britain in the grip of "ice chaos" for a week. It's predicting snow storms all over the country and temperatures of -13C.
