Trump's diversity 'blame' after air crash and 'shoplifting nation'
- Published
Many of Friday's front pages report the collision between a passenger jet and military helicopter in Washington DC that killed 67 people. The story in the Times focuses on comments from US President Donald Trump that blamed diversity initiatives that were championed by former administrations. Trump, who acknowledged that there was no evidence to support his claim that people hired for air traffic control roles were not always qualified, responded with "it just could have been", the paper reports. Earlier this week, the US president axed diversity, equity and inclusion policies in the military.
"Shameful", reads the Daily Mirror's headline as it covers Donald Trump's blame for the Washington air collision on diversity hires. The paper calls it a "new low" for what is says is the deadliest air tragedy in the US since 2001. The paper quotes the former US transport secretary as saying: "Trump should be leading, not lying".
"A nation of shoplifters", reads the Metro's front page, referring to the "nearly half a million" theft offences logged by the police in a year, which is the most on record, the paper says. It adds that the figures reflect a "rising trend" of repeat offenders who pile trolleys with goods and leave without paying. The Metro reports that the British Retail Consortium told the BBC that thieves have become more daring due to the low risk of arrest.
The Financial Times focuses on a warning from the European Central Bank (ECB) of "headwinds" to what the paper calls the Eurozone's "stagnating economy". It says the bank's decision to cut its benchmark interest rate to 2.75% was a "unanimous decision". The FT quotes the ECB president as saying the economy is "set to remain weak in the near term".
An exclusive in the i paper reports that Health Secretary Wes Streeting has told health bosses to spend more money on treating elderly people at home to prevent them from being admitted to hospital or care homes unnecessarily. The paper says the NHS and councils have been told to use £9bn funding to cut emergency admissions for over 65s, the number of over 65s admitted to care homes, and delays to hospital discharges.
The Daily Telegraph says more than 10% of farmland will be "axed for net zero" in what it calls a "fresh blow to rural life". The plans - which will be announced by the environment secretary in a speech on Friday - will seek to replace that farmland with tree planting, solar farms and improving habitants for wildlife. The president of the National Farmers' Union said it was "imperative" that the framework did not "further restrict farmers' ability to produce the nation's food". Along with several other papers, the Telegraph features a photo of singer Marianne Faithfull, who has died at the age of 78.
The National Audit Office (NAO) has said the "epidemic of violence against women and girls (VAWG)" is getting worse in the UK despite years of government promises, the Guardian reports. The watchdog's report comes four years after a government response to VAWG in the wake of the murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa. According to the paper, the NAO said they found "disjointed" efforts to deal with it, with it currently affecting one in 12 in England and Wales.
"We need people who believe in Brexit", reads Nigel Farage's warning on the Daily Express. According to the paper's exclusive, Farage has "vowed" to deliver Brexit to the millions who voted for it, if he becomes prime minister at the next election. The Reform UK leader said the UK needs a government that believes in existing outside of the European Union, so its full potential can be realised, the Express adds.
"Now prove your 'growth agenda' isn't all hot air", reads the Daily Mail's headline, as opposition leader Kemi Badenoch challenges the prime minister to sign off on two North Sea oil projects that have been blocked by the courts. A court in Scotland ruled the previous government's approval of the projects unlawful, after Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband withdrew Labour's legal support for the companies involved. Sir Keir Starmer is facing pressure to overrule Miliband and give the projects the "green light", the paper adds.
"How Vladdy dare you", the Sun asks with a play on Russian President Vladimir Putin's name, after the paper's defence editor Jerome Starkey was "slapped" with a Russian arrest warrant. The paper says it was for his "fearless coverage" of the Russia-Ukraine war, and adding that he is also on a wanted list for reporting from Kursk. The Sun adds that No 10 has called the ruling "desperate".
And the Daily Star takes a look at a 100m wide asteroid that it says could hit Britain at 05:23 GMT on 22 December, 2032.
The Daily Telegraph says government plans being announced to set aside about a 10th of English farmland for net zero and to protect wildlife are a fresh blow to rural life, external. While the paper says the Environment Secretary, Steve Reed, will insist that his plans won't impose changes, it suggests that the proposals are likely to reignite Labour's row with farmers, who are said to be worried that the plans will lead to ministers telling them what they can grow. A government spokesman said the framework would not tell anyone what to do with their land.
The prime minister is challenged by the Daily Mail to prove he is serious about economic growth, and sign off two North Sea oil and gas fields blocked by a judge in Scotland, external. The Scottish High Court ruled that final permission for drilling in the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields must now be granted by regulators and the Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband. The paper urges Sir Keir Starmer to overrule Miliband and greenlight the projects, which it says could generate billions of pounds for the economy.
Meanwhile, the Guardian describes a National Audit Office report on violence against women as highly critical of government attempts to tackle the issue, external. The previous government launched a major drive to address the problem four years after the murders of Sabina Nessa and Sarah Everard. But the watchdog's review of that strategy found that it had not helped victims, or delivered long-term societal change. The Home Office said the report exposed the previous government's failure, and that it would have a new strategy in the spring.
The Times says the attorney general is facing what it calls strong criticism from cabinet ministers about changes he made last year to how departments receive legal advice on policy, external. Lord Hermer KC told government lawyers they had to advise ministers if a policy was unlawful. Ministers told the paper that the attorney general had been too stringent, and that the new advice was delaying policies when there was only a slim chance they could be beaten in court. A government spokesman said policy decisions were taken by the relevant secretary of state.
According to the Telegraph, official figures show that out of every £15 spent by the government on benefits last year,, external one pound was either fraudulently claimed or was paid by mistake. Estimates from the Department for Work and Pensions suggest that nearly £10bn of taxpayers money went on bogus or erroneous claims. The figures were contained in a report by the Commons Public accounts committee which said the level of waste was unacceptably high. A DWP spokesman said the report had failed to take into account a new government bill to stop errors and fraud.
The Daily Express writes that the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, says he would deliver the kind of Brexit people voted for if he was prime minister, external. He says that the UK needs a government that truly believes in being outside the European Union, which the UK left five years ago today.
And almost all the papers feature photos of Marianne Faithfull, the singer and actor who died yesterday aged 78. The Guardian calls her a sixties icon, external, while for the Telegraph, she was the Queen of Bohemia, external.
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