The Daily Mail has reported that Labor is facing “fury” for launching a “cringeless” mini-investigation into grooming gangs rather than a full national investigation. The newspaper said the government had previously insisted that a new investigation was not necessary, but it has now “withdrew.” The Guardian agrees this is a significant change in approach, saying intense political pressure is prompting ministers to tackle the protracted scandal even more quickly and swiftly.
“Why don’t you want to know the real truth?” one victim responded to the news. Fiona Goddard told the Daily Express that a full national inquiry was needed as previous investigations had not yet “scratched the surface”. He told the newspaper that the Home Secretary’s announcement of a local review was “completely inadequate”.
The Daily Telegraph has reported details of Rachel Reeves’ alleged “rebuttal interview” on the BBC’s Political Thinking podcast with Nick Robinson. She said she would “make the right decisions” and said she was “delighted” to be known as the “Iron Chancellor”, after Margaret Thatcher’s “Iron Lady” nickname, the newspaper said. She also revealed that whenever she can, she brings her lunch to Westminster in a Tupperware box, sometimes eating leftover pastries from meetings for lunch.
The Times reports that financial regulators are considering giving banks and lenders more flexibility to enable “responsible risk-taking by borrowers”, which would allow first-time buyers to buy a home. It may be easier to get on the ladder. The newspaper said the move was in response to the Prime Minister’s demands to embrace a “pro-growth” agenda. It added that the regulator is also considering whether to remove the £100 limit for contactless payments, to allow payment companies to set their own limits and make it easier for consumers to make large transactions. Ta.
andam familyThe Daily Mirror and Metro newspapers have reported on the reaction from the family of 15-year-old Elian Andam after he was found guilty of the murder of Hassan Ssentamu, 18. “Justice has been served, but our hearts are broken,” reads the Metro headline. The Daily Mirror reported that Ms Elian’s parents have vowed to honor her memory by fighting knife crime.
The Daily Telegraph reported that nearly 50,000 patients were placed in mixed-gender wards last year, a record high. The paper said Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, said the “alarming rise” in breaches of the practice, which was supposed to be banned in 2010, was “very worrying” for patients. A spokesperson for NHS England said the NHS is committed to providing same-sex accommodation and that more needs to be done to “eradicate unfair breaches”. Yes, he said.
The front page of the Times features a striking photo of Donald Trump. This is his official portrait ahead of his inauguration as President of the United States next week. The newspaper said it was sharing “something of a defiance” of a mugshot taken in 2023 of President Trump, who was charged with trying to overturn votes in the US state of Georgia in 2020.
