BBC News observes strict reporting restrictions on polling day when elections are held in the UK. We have omitted or cropped some of Thursday’s front pages in connection with the Gorton and Denton by-election.
There is a mix of stories in Thursday’s papers. The Daily Telegraph leads with the Metropolitan Police apologising to Sir Lindsay Hoyle for “inadvertently revealing” he was the source of information relating to Lord Mandelson’s arrest on Monday. “Met exposed Hoyle” is the paper’s headline. It comes after Sir Lindsay confirmed he had passed on information to the force suggesting Lord Mandelson could be a flight risk. Lord Mandelson’s lawyers have complained about the Met’s decision to detain him as part of its inquiry into misconduct in public office allegations.
The Daily Mail says the apology from the Met shows its investigation into Lord Mandelson has descended “into farce”. The paper’s headline asks: “Is prince of darkness up to his hold spin tricks?” Lord Mandelson’s lawyers said the decision to take him into custody was prompted by a “baseless” suggestion he was planning to “take up permanent residence abroad”.
The Times stays with the continued fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, reporting that records show the late sex offender was trafficking women through UK airports as late as 2019. The paper says documents indicate Epstein flew in and out of the UK by private jet “more than 60 times”. Elsewhere, the top picture spot features Queen Camilla meeting Paddington at a Windsor Castle reception.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves says Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor should “reimburse the public purse” if he is found to have misused funds, according to the i Paper. It comes after civil servants alleged that the former prince charged taxpayers for massages and excessive travel costs while working as the UK’s trade envoy. Mountbatten-Windsor has always rejected any wrongdoing in his associations with Jeffrey Epstein and denied any personal gain from his role as trade envoy.
The Guardian focuses on the NHS as it says a report has revealed that hospital maternity wards often resort to a “cover-up” of their mistakes when women and babies are harmed during childbirth. Baroness Valerie Amos, who led the review into NHS maternity care, said “negligent” care had “devastating” consequences for families, the paper reports.
Iran is seeking to tempt Donald Trump to invest in its oil and gas reserves in a bid to convince the US president to agree on a nuclear deal and avoid war, according to the Financial Times. Alongside, Microsoft is on the hunt for a new London headquarters, with the paper saying the tech giant is looking at sites on the Elizabeth Line from Paddington to Canary Wharf.
“Tourette’s storm rages” says the Sun, reporting on the ongoing Baftas row after a racial slur was shouted at US actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo by Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson. The paper says Davidson is questioning the decision by producers to seat him so close to a microphone with the knowledge of his involuntary tics. The BBC and Baftas have apologised for the scandal, saying a review is under way.
Ministers have been told to “just say non!” to France until it stops the migrant boats, reports the Daily Express. It adds that more than 600 migrants crossed the Channel on Wednesday, prompting calls for the UK not to “reward” France with taxpayer money “for boats failure”.
Police have busted a huge cannabis farm in Northampton, discovering more than 7,000 plants filling a four-storey building, the Metro reports. The site was a former casino, inspiring the paper’s headline: “High rollers.”
Finally, the Daily Star says Strictly Come Dancing contestant Pete Wicks has revealed he fears a real-world Planet of the Apes takeover. “Gorillas get on my Wicks” is the headline.
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