There’s a mix of stories on Tuesday’s front pages. The Daily Telegraph says it has seen previously redacted plans for China’s mega embassy in London that show a “hidden chamber” to be built alongside a network of critical internet cables. The paper reports the underground complex could be a “security risk” as the prime minister is expected to approve the embassy later this month.
The Financial Times reports on former US Federal Reserve chiefs uniting to hit back at the Department of Justice’s criminal investigation into the head of the central bank, Jay Powell. The group have issued a joint statement calling the move an “unprecedented attempt” to undermine the Federal Reserve’s independence, the paper says.
The Metro joins the Met police in a dawn drug raid in their lead story. The paper says the operation is part of a blitz on drug gangs which has helped drive down London’s murder rate.
The UK government is open to following Australia in a social media ban for under-16s amid fears over its harm to children, the i Paper reports. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall is understood to be open to the move and says she will be “driven by the evidence”.
The Daily Express leads on a report that the government’s net zero project could cost taxpayers £9tn, far above official figures. The paper describes this costing as a “fantasy” and according a study from free-market think thank the Institute of Economic Affairs, officials have “underestimated” the price of heat pumps, renewables, and electric vehicles.
In international news, UK special forces are being lined up to storm Russian shadow fleet vessels and could target hundreds of illegal oil tankers, the Times reports. Elsewhere, the top picture spot shows a fire burning on the streets of Iran as anti-regime protests stretch into their their third week.
“Fury over Labour payout” to a detainee at Guantanamo Bay who was tortured by the CIA after the 11 September 2001 attacks, fills the Daily Mail’s front page. It was revealed the government paid “substantial” compensation to Abu Zubaydah, who brought a legal claim against the UK on the basis that its intelligence services were “complicit” in his torture.
The NHS is overspending by £164m a year on ADHD services, according to an investigation by the Guardian. The paper cites analysis that shows the total cost of ADHD services is expected to be “more than double” existing budgets, with an increasing amount going to unregulated private assessments. Elsewhere, Adolescence star Owen Cooper take centre stage with his Golden Globes win.
The Sun warns that diesel fuel will start vanishing from pumps within four years in the push for net zero according to a new report. “Bin Diesel” is the paper’s take, as it quotes experts who say the diesel market is at “tipping point” as demand plummets and more motorists turn to electric vehicles.
Finally, the Daily Star features a story about ex-Master Chef presenter Gregg Wallace.
