2 hours ago
1
Several papers report on the government's migrant plans. Following criticism from Angela Rayner, the Daily Telegraph reports Downing Street has "refused to say" whether it would stick to plans to double the time it takes most migrant workers to qualify for permanent residence in the UK. The paper also describes Catherine, Princess of Wales as a "crowning glory" with a picture of her at a banquet for the Nigerian president at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.
"A new row over weaker migrant plans" is the lead for the Daily Express after No 10 did not confirm whether Sir Keir's migrant plans "will be watered down", with the paper reporting that there is now a row within Labour between "leadership rivals".
Similarly, The Times reports on Labour's consideration of changing its asylum seeker rules after Rayner described the proposals as "un-British". The paper leads with a report that the British military is sending officers to the US to help negotiate how "to reopen the Strait of Hormuz".
Israeli strikes on a gas field, which the UAE has described as a "dangerous escalation" in the US-Israel war with Iran, is the main focus of the Guardian. The South Pars site in the Gulf is shared between Iran and Qatar, and is "the world's largest natural gas field", the paper reports.
Iran has threatened a "full-scale economic war" by ramping up attacks on oil and gas plants in the Middle East in response to Israel's strike on the South Pars gas field, the Daily Mail writes.
The i Paper leads on the impact of energy costs as oil prices rise by 6% and the "rest of the world counts cost of US and Israeli war with Iran".
The US Federal Reserve has indicated that it plans to lower interest rates, the Financial Times says, even as oil prices rise and the risk of inflation increases. Fed chairperson Jay Powell has said it is "too soon to know the scope and duration" of the war's economic impact on inflation, the paper reports.
Following on from the fatal meningitis outbreak in Kent, the Metro features grieving parents and campaigners who say the recent deaths could have been avoided. Marrisa Mullans, whose son Alfie died in 2023 from the infection, told the Metro: "This current outbreak should not be happening. The vaccine is there and available - it needs to be utilised."
Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley has called for the US authorities to release unredacted versions of the Epstein files, the Daily Mirror reports.
The Sun also features a photograph of Catherine, Princess of Wales, who it describes as the "Queen of Diamonds" during a state banquet hosted by King Charles for the president and first lady of Nigeria. The paper's main story focuses on the health of convicted sex offender Gary Glitter in prison.
And the Daily Star headlines on bots getting the chop with a report that the UK government scrapped plans to allow AI companies to train their software on copyrighted work.
