Horizon scandal's 'tragic toll' and 'sacked Gregg'
The Post Office Horizon IT scandal dominates many of Wednesday's front pages, with the first report from the official inquiry finding it had a "disastrous" impact on those wrongly accused and prosecuted for criminal offences. Sir Wyn Williams' report found at least 59 people had contemplated suicide at various points, of whom 10 attempted to take their own lives, and more than 13 people may have killed themselves over the scandal.
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The Daily Mail leads on the reaction to Sir Wyn's report as campaigners say the Post Office has "blood on its hands". Catherine, Princess of Wales, also graces the front page as she attends the state banquet for French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte at Windsor Castle.
The Post Office scandal is also splashed across the Daily Express, highlighting the impact it had on the lives of those caught up in it. And while Catherine is featured too, the paper is pointing out her "new look hairstyle" ahead of the state banquet. A tribute to the late Norman Tebbit, who served as a cabinet minister in Margaret Thatcher's government, is also featured at the bottom of the page.
The Horizon scandal is covered on the front page of the Times, but it is the vote for strike action from resident doctors in England that is leading the paper. The government made clear a pay rise was off the table after the British Medical Association said 55% of its 48,000 resident doctor members had voted in the ballot with 90% supporting industrial action. The doctors were awarded a 5.4% pay rise for this financial year, following a 22% increase over the previous two years. The Prince and Princess of Wales are pictured together for the state banquet for Macron, who earlier warned that Britain and France were dangerously dependent on the US.
The Metro also leads on the first volume of Sir Wyn's report on the Horizon scandal, which found victims had divorced, suffered serious mental health issues and alcohol addiction as a result of their ordeals. The Post Office apologised "unreservedly" and said it would carefully consider the findings.
Macron's state visit to the UK and a proposed deal on the small boats crisis lead the Daily Telegraph. The paper reports that the French president is demanding Sir Keir Starmer make Britain less appealing to Channel migrants to secure a "one in, one out" agreement. Gregg Wallace's sacking from MasterChef is also covered on the front page. The presenter was fired as a result of an inquiry into alleged misconduct, BBC News understands. It comes as 50 more people have approached the BBC with fresh claims about the TV presenter. Wallace denies the claims.
The Sun has splashed Wallace's sacking on the front page, with the presenter accusing BBC News of "uncorroborated tittle tattle" in its reporting. The inquiry into allegations against him, conducted by an independent law firm on behalf of MasterChef's production company Banijay, is expected to report back imminently. In a lengthy statement on Instagram on Tuesday, Wallace said he had been cleared by that report of "the most serious and sensational allegations" made against him. BBC News has not seen the Banijay report.
Wallace insists he won't be "cancelled" after his sacking, the Daily Star reports on its front page. For 20 years, Wallace was one of the most high-profile presenters on British television and the face of the BBC One cooking show. But he stepped aside from the show in November after the BBC's initial investigation at the end of last year, when 13 people accused him of making inappropriate sexual comments.
The Guardian is leading its front page with plans to be published on Wednesday designed to save the criminal justice system from total collapse. The paper reports that thousands of cases that would normally be heard in front of a jury should be decided by judges alone, according to recommendations made by a former senior judge. Sir Brian Leveson was asked by the Lord Chancellor to come up with a series of proposals to reduce the backlog of cases in the criminal courts. There are almost 77,000 cases waiting for trial in the Crown Court in England and Wales - meaning some defendants and victims are waiting years for justice.
The Financial Times is leading with a debt warning from the independent budget watchdog, which says the UK faces "daunting" risks to the public finances. The OBR says the country's soaring debt load has led to "substantial erosion" of its capacity to respond to future shocks.
The OBR's report also leads the front page of the i Paper. The UK state pension triple lock must go, says the watchdog, arguing it has made public finances "unsustainable". The triple lock guarantees that the state pension rises each year in line with either inflation, wage increases or 2.5% - whichever is the highest. It meant the state pension rose by 4.1% in April 2025.