ReutersSeveral papers report on a controversy between the government and a major shipping firm over critical comments from a minister.
The Times says the row between Transport Secretary Louise Haigh and the UAE-based owner of P&O Ferries has humiliated Labour, days before the government’s much-vaunted investment forum.
The Financial Times Weekend reports that although DP World has shelved the announcement of a £1 billion expansion at the summit, the project to expand a container port in London is still likely to go ahead.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Downing Street appears to be blaming Haigh personally for the spat after she called for people to boycott the ferry firm.
The Guardian reports that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is to pledge billions of pounds for schools, hospitals and transport in the budget. A senior government source tells the paper that capital investment is at the heart of plans to ‘fix the foundations’. In an interview with the paper, Starmer says it’s “common sense” to invest and build and that he acknowledges the need for “a bit of the sunny uplands”, to give people hope for the future.
As the King prepares for his tour of Australia, the Daily Mail reports that he’s made clear to republican campaigners that he won’t stand in the way if the country one day votes to replace him as head of state. In a letter to the Australian Republican Movement, penned by his assistant private secretary, the King is said to emphasise his ‘deep love’ for Australia and that his status as constitutional monarch is a “matter for the Australian people”. The Mail notes that the King’s sentiments are not a change in policy, but do show a ‘new maturity of debate’ around the issue.
The i Weekend reports that a Russian hacking syndicate has stolen information about a secure communications system used by UK ambulance services. According to intelligence material seen by the paper, a Kremlin-protected gang targeted key suppliers to ambulance services and the Ministry of Defence. Intelligence sources tell the i that the incident has significantly increased the risk of an attack that could leave drivers unable to communicate in an emergency. There’s no official response to the story but the paper says the National Cyber Security Centre issued a press release on Friday warning government bodies to make sure they are safe from Russian hackers.
The lead story for the Daily Express is an interview with a 13-year-old girl who was convicted of violent disorder, after she joined a riot outside a hotel used by asylum seekers. The paper explains that after being brought there by the parent of a friend she was filmed kicking a door. The Express says the teenager is “fearing for the future” after being left with a criminal record; the girl’s parents tell the paper they’re ‘massively angry’ and feel the sentence, a 12-month referral order, does not fit the crime.
The Sun reports that Manchester United’s dressing room was bugged before the club’s match against Aston Villa last weekend. In what the paper describes as a shocking security breach, a prankster is said to have tricked staff at Villa Park into letting him sneak in and secrete a phone, whose microphone was activated remotely. The Sun says the manager Eric ten Hag can clearly be heard giving a team-talk, although it is choosing not to publish the details.
