King Charles’s response to the recent riots and unrest in England and Northern Ireland makes the front pages of a number of Saturday’s papers.
The Telegraph reports that the King is hoping to visit communities affected at some time in the future, when doing so would not place any “additional pressure” on security and local services. The paper notes the King has not yet addressed the nation directly about the violence – but says he released a written statement expressing his “profound shock” about the stabbings in Southport.
PA MediaThe future of England’s universities is the lead story for the Guardian. It says that many face a “tipping point” this autumn which may push them into financial crisis. The paper reports concerns being raised by vice-chancellors that there may not be enough students to go around. It says leading figures believe mergers of institutions and departments may be a short-term solution until universities receive more secure funding.
The BBC’s request to its former newsreader, Huw Edwards, to hand back £200,000 of salary, paid to him before the corporation knew he’d been arrested for possessing images of child abuse, is the lead in the Mail, the Sun and the Mirror. He pleaded guilty to the charges last week. The Mirror quotes the BBC chair, Samir Shah, who said Mr Edwards “knew what he had done but still took licence fee money”. ‘Give Back Our Cash’ is the headline.
The i reports that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering lifting the 13-year freeze on fuel duty in her Budget in October in a move that would raise £3bn for the Treasury. The paper says she’s looking for measures to plug a £22bn hole in the nation’s finances, but she faces a dilemma as a poll it carried out suggests voters are not in favour of increased taxes on fuel or inheritances.
The Chancellor features in a different story in the Times, which reports that plans to cover up a urinal used by Winston Churchill in her private Treasury bathroom have been scuppered by the size of the bill to do the work. The paper says Ms Reeves, who is Britain’s first female chancellor since the office was set up, has been told she can’t remove it and has been quoted at least £8,000 to cover it up. According to the Times, a Treasury source joked that the situation “shows you everything that’s wrong with our planning system”.
Britain’s biggest spider, which can grow to the size of a man’s hand, is surging in number according to the Mail. The paper reports that the Fen Raft Spider was on the verge of extinction 14 years ago, but thanks to a concerted campaign the number of breeding females has risen to 3,750 at 12 sites in Norfolk alone.
And images of a beaming Katarina Johnson-Thompson – wearing a crown and draped in the union flag after winning Olympic silver in the heptathlon – grace many of the front and back pages. “Near we go again” says the Express, reflecting on how she missed out on the gold by a very narrow margin.
