“It’s one in, one out and back in again!” for the Daily Express as it says a migrant sent to France – under the prime minister’s immigration scheme – has returned to the UK “on a small boat”. Tories have branded the news a “farce” says the Express, adding the return is “making a mockery of Sir Keir Starmer’s ‘one in, one out’ deal with France.
The Daily Telegraph also goes with “one in, one out then back in again” for its top line calling it a “major embarrassment to Sir Keir Starmer”. In other front page news, Jim Gamble, a former police chief “lined up to lead” the national inquiry into grooming gangs has withdrawn his candidacy.
Metro carries the same headline as the Express and Telegraph, calling it a “bizarre twist in Starmer’s migrant plan”. The face of “schoolboy Harvey’s killer” is also seen on the front page, as 15-year-old Mohammed Umar Khan has been sentenced to life for the murder of Harvey Willgoose.
The Daily Mail dubs the migrant scheme “le farce” as it reports a man who has returned to the UK made his second Channel crossing “just 29 days after he was kicked out of the country”.
For The Sun, it says “come again?” as it reports on the migrants who have returned. A shot of a dinghy filled with people attempting to cross the Channel takes up much of its front page. The paper quotes Reform UK leader Nigel Farage who says “illegals are laughing at us”.
The Daily Mirror goes with “unmasked” for its main headline. The front page is dominated by the newly-released photos of the 15-year-old who fatally stabbed teenager Harvey Willgoose in February.
The Guardian leads with the latest on the grooming gang inquiry calling Jim Gamble’s exit “fresh turmoil”. He was the only remaining candidate to chair the inquiry, it writes. A photo of three men in hard hats each carrying a toddler is the paper’s lead image – taken in Ukraine, the paper says, after a Kharkiv nursery was hit in a “wave of Russian airstrikes”.
The Times also tops with the grooming inquiry, as it reports “victims say minister should quit”. Four survivors who quit the inquiry panel said they would only return if Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips steps down. The paper reports survivors have sent a letter to the home secretary saying Phillips is “unfit” to oversee the process. Phillips has denied claims the government is seeking to dilute the focus of the inquiry, insisting its scope will be “laser-focused”.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been “urged” to raise income tax “as Labour Budget splits emerge” according to The i Paper. A “bold move” is what senior Labour figures argue will “help fix the UK public finances – and raise £22bn next month”.
The Financial Times also headlines on the chancellor, as “lawyers and accountants rail against Reeves’ plans for tax raid on partners”. The paper says they argue the “raid would hit a cornerstone of the economy”.
There’s a “traitor at the Beeb” writes the Star, as “celeb circles are awash” with spoilers for the Traitors finale. It claims TV chiefs are “battling to keep result under wraps”.
