'Hope after horror' and Labour 'crashing the economy'

"I have no regrets" is the main headline on the front page of Metro. They are the words of Gisèle Pelicot about her decision to waive anonymity in order to speak out about the rape and sexual abuse she underwent for years while drugged, which was orchestrated by her husband and involved dozens of strangers - some of whom were jailed on Friday.

The Express focuses on what it describes as Gisèle Pelicot's "brave message of hope after horror", in which she told other sex abuse survivors that they "share the same fight" and said she was "thinking of the unrecognised victims, whose stories often remain in the shadows".

An image of Pelicot smiling, which several front pages are carrying, is on the front page of the Daily Mirror. It describes her as "the world's bravest woman". The paper also looks at the identities of some of the men who have also been found guilty of raping her, who greatly vary in age and come from a range of backgrounds.

The Guardian details the international response there has been to the Pelicot case following Thursday's verdict. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said she had given "women round the world a strong voice". The Guardian also carries an interview with Laurence Rossignol, a former French minister for family and women's rights, who has questioned the gap in some sentences that prosecutors called for and what was given.

The Financial Times also carries an image of a smiling Pelicot, using the word "resolute" to describe her. Its main article looks at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's warning that European guarantees of ongoing support will not be enough if the US withdraws its aid. The FT says officials briefed on talks between the Ukrainian president and senior European leaders at a meeting in Brussels noted a "divergence of opinions on what Europe could continue to provide without US backing".

"Now look who's really crashing the economy" states the Daily Mail on its front page. It says the Bank of England's downgrading of its growth outlook for the last three months of this year to zero is further evidence that the changes made to National Insurance by Chancellor Rachel Reeves are "crushing business". The Mail also pays tribute to Gisèle Pelicot, describing her as "the elegant French woman with a core of steel who has become a heroine to every victim of male abuse".

The economy is also the focus of the Times on its front page. It looks at comments by the Bank of England Governor, Andrew Bailey, who says that "with the heightened uncertainty in the economy", the bank was unable to say when the next interest rate cuts would come. The Times says the growth forecasts are a "blow to Labour", and carries comments by the prime minister, who has defended the budget but said this week that it would "take some time" to raise living standards.

The i looks at the government's response to 36% increase in water costs for England and Wales over the next five years and the warning by the water regulator, Ofwat, that further hikes may be necessary to solve the UK's sewage issues. The paper says Labour has put the regulator "on notice" that the failures that led to Thursday's hike can never happen again, and that this reaction "fuels speculation on Ofwat's future".

The Daily Telegraph focuses on the news that Lord Mandelson is expected to be named as the UK's next ambassador to the US. It believes the reasoning for the appointment is so that the UK "may be able to navigate potential trade wars". An image of Tory leader Kemi Badenoch meeting with Clarkson's Farm star Jeremy Clarkson to discuss the future of farming and Labour's inheritance tax also features on the front page.

The image from the Christmas card fropm the Prince and Princess of Wales dominates the front page of the Sun. It shows William and Kate smiling alongside their three children. The Sun states that the family has had "their worst year ever", having had to deal with cancer diagnoses for both the King and Catherine.

The afterlife is real, according to the Daily Star - which quotes "a man so clever he makes Albert Einstein look like a dimwit". Chris Langan, who reportedly has one of the highest IQs in history, has told a podcast that death is "akin to transitioning to another dimension" and means "merely shedding your physical body".

Gisèle Pelicot is on almost every front page. The Daily Mirror says she is "the World's bravest woman" while the Daily Mail describes her as "the elegant woman with a core of steel, who has become a heroine to every victim of male abuse". Gisèle Pelicot's words, that she wanted "all of society" to witness the trial, make the Guardian's front-page headline.

The Mail's columnist Sarah Vine says the fact that most of those who raped Mrs Pelicot were middle-ranking, middle-aged family men "betrays a level of unconscious misogyny that is utterly chilling". She says it makes her think how many men she knows, given the chance, who would do what those 50 in France did.

According to the Times, Lord Mandelson has been chosen as Britain's next ambassador to Washington because Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer believes he has the expertise in international trade and networking ability to bolster British interests during a delicate period for relations with the US under Donald Trump. The next president has said he will introduce blanket tariffs on imported goods.

The Daily Telegraph says Lord Mandelson will have a direct line to Sir Keir and will be able to speak to him frankly about the challenges presented by the Trump administration. But the paper warns the appointment could backfire if Trump allies, some of whom have been highly critical of the EU, alight on Lord Mandelson's previous role as the bloc's trade commissioner.

Many people have praised the bravery of Gisèle Pelicot (right), who waved her legal anonymity in order to speak out against sexual abuse

"Your cash splashed" is the Daily Star's take on the decision by Ofwat to allow water companies to increase household bills in England and Wales. Writing in the Daily Express, James Wallace, from the campaign group River Action, urges ministers to end the privatisation experiment and impose new financial and governance structures that prioritise people and nature over profits. The Times editorial argues that a properly run privatised industry, not a nationalised one, should still be the answer. But it says the regulator has failed consumers time and again, and its scrapping or reshaping should be on the table.

The Daily Telegraph accuses the BBC of silencing a song lampooning the government's decision to cut winter fuel payments for pensioners. The paper says the song Freezing this Christmas, written by Chris Middleton, has risen to Number One in the downloads chart, but it has not had airtime on any of the BBC's radio stations. A spokesman for the corporation said decisions about which tracks get played are made on a case-by-case basis.

The official Christmas card featuring the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children is on the front page of the Sun. The paper says the card is a message of hope after their "annus horribilis". The Daily Express says Catherine and William were absent from Thursday's pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace. Royal watchers guessed they might be spending time with Catherine's family before heading to Sandringham for Christmas.

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