Newspaper headlines: 'Royal race row' and Covid jabs warning

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By BBC News
Staff
PA Media

Ngozi Fulani and Lady Susan Hussey

Many front pages lead with Lady Susan Hussey's resignation as a royal aide. The Daily Mail describes the incident as "a new Palace race storm". It says the black British charity boss, Ngozi Fulani, felt "violated" after being "interrogated" by Prince William's godmother about where she came from. The paper runs what it calls "the inside story" of how Lady Susan's 60 years of royal service ended in five hours. It quotes a royal insider who claims she was "thrown under the bus".

The Daily Mirror headline reads: "Shame of royal aide". It reports that the Palace said it had reached out to Ms Fulani through her East London charity, Sistah Space, but last night she claimed she had heard nothing. The Daily Express says Prince William has condemned the comments, but that the row has "overshadowed" his trip to the United States. It quotes Ms Fulani, who accuses the Palace of institutional racism and calls on officials to implement anti-racism training.

The Daily Telegraph is warning of a "new winter of discontent", claiming that millions of people across the country face disruption from strikes. The paper says rail workers, nurses, teachers, security guards, driving examiners and rural payments officers are all planning industrial action that will disrupt every day until Christmas. The Financial Times says planned strikes by ambulance crews will add to the wave of unrest.

The Guardian says 70% of England's water firms are now in foreign hands. Its research has revealed what it calls a "complex web of ownership" that involves foreign investment firms, pension funds and businesses lodged in tax havens. The paper says there are increasing calls for the industry to be held accountable for sewage dumping and water shortages, but the ownership structures make transparency difficult.

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The Times claims ministers are planning to make it harder for new properties to be turned into holiday homes in order to hold off a Tory rebellion. Its sources say Housing Secretary Michael Gove is in talks with a group of up to 60 MPs who are threatening to inflict a series of defeats on the government over housebuilding.

Luxury handbag maker Mulberry has warned that foreign tourists are avoiding London and heading to other European cities after the UK scrapped tax-free shopping, according to the Financial Times. The head of the brand is calling on the government to bring back the scheme to attract high-spending visitors.

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Christine McVie performing with Fleetwood Mac at the SAP Center on November 25, 2014

Pictures of Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie - who has died at the age of 79 - feature on the cover of a number of papers. The Guardian quotes its recent interview with McVie, who was speaking about the period when Fleetwood Mac's best-selling album Rumours was released; she said the band "were having a blast" and it felt incredible that they were writing such songs.

In its obituary, the Times said those songs "resembled pages ripped" from intimate diaries, and highlighted McVie's contrasting but close relationship with Stevie Nicks, which it says resulted in some of "the most compelling and irresistible rock music of its era".