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8 months ago
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Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron has vowed to "hold Iran to account" for the actions of its proxies, in an interview with The Sunday Times. The US and UK launched a fresh round of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday night, intending "to disable Iran-backed groups". Meanwhile "Sinn Fein marches into the history books", the paper reports, alongside a picture of Michelle O'Neill striding through Stormont, as she became Northern Ireland's first nationalist first minister on Saturday.
Britain's "'hollowed out' forces" are not ready for a war with Russia, according to the front page of the Sunday Telegraph, quoting a review by the Commons defence committee. The chairman of that committee writes in the paper that the UK must "rise to the challenge" and be ready "to confront the threats we face with confidence". Meanwhile a picture of England rugby player Ben Earl pumping his fist dominates the front page. He helped England overcome a Six Nations scare against Italy, as his team came from behind to beat Italy 27-24 in their opening game.
The Sunday Express also leads on Britain being "'not equipped for all-out war'". In its own polling, the paper says "eight out of 10 people fear a Third World War will break out within the next five years", with "nearly half" wanting the return of some form of national service. The paper says the poll shows, that "most Britons agree" the country is ill-equipped for a global conflict.
Labour is planning to draw up a "bombproof" manifesto ahead of the next general election, according to The Observer. It adds the party is favouring "caution" when it comes to policy, in order to try and "avoid Tory attacks". And there's a report into a rehab centre linked to the Church of Scientology, which the paper says left people "'traumatised' and in 'trance-like' states". It adds that patients at the Narconon UK clinic were "allegedly subjected to methods near identical" to those used by the movement, despite claims from a salesperson that it was "not-related" to Scientology.
The Sunday Mirror says a Tory minister pledged to "help Sunak's wife's firm grow in the UK" while on a trade mission to India. In the exclusive story, the paper says Lord Johnson said he was "'keen to see a bigger Infosys presence'" in the country. Rishi Sunak's wife Akshata Murty holds a stake in the company, run by her father. Meanwhile it's the "call of the jungle" for Traitors star Harry Clark. He won the hit BBC show last month, and the paper reports he is being lined for a stint in the I'm a Celebrity jungle next.
"Brave" Kate Garraway will return to TV days after a funeral service for her late husband, Derek Draper, according to the Sun on Sunday. The paper reports that the Good Morning Britain presenter will give a live interview from her home on Monday, before returning to co-host the show from Thursday.
Leading the Mail on Sunday is its report that a BBC editor was "paid to give expert witness evidence" in a number of deportation appeals by Somali nationals. Elsewhere the paper continues its series of "royal exclusives" from a new book by royal commentator Ingrid Seward. Inside it reveals "why the Queen thought Diana should have chosen Andrew."
And it's "no laughing matter", but Paul Chuckle - one half of the TV double-act the Chuckle Brothers - has told the Daily Star that a "killer ghost" keeps flushing the toilet in his converted 17th century barn in the middle of the night. The paper calls it a "serious case of 'to me, to loo'." It has also spoken to Only Fools and Horses actor Sir David Jason. He says his "jam's cushty", as he reveals a "passion" for making jam, using fruit picked from his back garden.
"Hollowed-out forces not ready for war with Russia" is The Sunday Telegraph's main headline, which joins The Sunday Express and Sunday People in leading on the report by the Commons defence committee.
The Telegraph says Nato countries have been warned they have just three years to prepare for a possible Russian offensive, and that in a peer-on-peer conflict, the UK will have exhausted its capabilities after two months. The Express says its polling suggests eight out of 10 people fear World War Three could break out this decade, and nearly half want a return to some form of national service.
The Sunday Times has interviewed Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron, who says Britain has the assets to keep it safe but admits the war in Ukraine keeps him up at night. He says the situation is like the 1930s, where the UK did not do enough to stop aggression. Lord Cameron says Britain needs to demonstrate it can keep providing Ukraine with weapons, as well as replenish its own stocks.
"Stepping into history" is how The Observer captions its picture of Northern Ireland's new first minister, Michelle O'Neill of Sinn Fein, who also features on the front of The Sunday Times and The Independent on Sunday.
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,Michelle O'Neill has become Northern Ireland's first minister at Stormont - a first for a nationalist
The Observer has been investigating a drug rehab centre in Sussex. It says the Narconon clinic has been using near identical tactics to the Church of Scientology, which it says is the principle funder behind the trust that supports it. The paper reports that patients and staff members are made to do repetitive drills - following commands such as stand up and sit down for up to five hours a day for several weeks - in what's described as obedience training. Narconon, which is listed in an NHS directory, said it was not following a religious doctrine, and the drills had helped save lives. The Department for Health and Social Care declined to comment.
The Sunday Mirror reports that a Conservative trade minister told the tech firm owned by the family of Rishi Sunak's wife, Akshata Murty, that he would help it grow in the UK. Lord Johnson was said to have made the remarks to representatives of Infosys during a trip to India last April. The Department for Trade says its ministers regularly meet businesses to champion the UK as an investment destination, but the paper's editorial argues Rishi Sunak should publicly clear the air over what it describes as a perceived conflict of interest.
Image source, Reuters
Image caption,The Sunday Mirror reports a Tory minister said he would help grow a company owned by the family of Rishi Sunak's wife, Akshata Murty, in the UK
The Conservative former home secretary Suella Braverman has written in The Telegraph criticising churches over what the paper describes as their alleged support for bogus asylum claims. The suspect in the chemical attack in Clapham, who is from Afghanistan, was twice denied asylum before he converted to Christianity and was allowed to stay in the UK.
Ms Braverman writes: "Attend Mass for a few months, befriend the vicar, get a baptism date and bingo, you'll be signed off as a God-fearing Christian who will face persecution if removed to your Islamic country of origin". The Church said it was the role of the Home Office, not the Church, to vet asylum seekers.
The Sunday People reports the suspect's local diocese has no record of him switching religions. It says church leaders in Hexham and Newcastle have found no trace of the referee he's reported to have used to prove his conversion.
And The Sun on Sunday's lead story is that Kate Garraway will return to present Good Morning Britain next Thursday, less than a week after the funeral of her husband, Derek Draper.
