Newspaper headlines: Labour racism row and Britons rescued from Sudan

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By BBC News
Staff

A number of Monday's papers lead with Diane Abbott being suspended pending an investigation into a letter she wrote to the Observer about racism. The Times says her future in the Labour Party is in doubt after she was disciplined for claiming that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people suffer prejudice - but not racism.

Diane Abbott is "fighting for her political career" as Labour is "plunged into a new antisemitism row", the i newspaper says.

Also leading several of Monday's papers is a rescue mission to evacuate British diplomats and their families from Sudan. The Daily Express says British citizens who remain trapped amid the escalating violence have pleaded for the government not to abandon them.

The Daily Telegraph reports that the Foreign Office has been accused of abandoning British civilians in Sudan after "failing to learn from the disastrous evacuation from Kabul". The paper says there are concerns in the cabinet about how the crisis has been handled after it emerged senior embassy officials were not in Sudan when fighting started.

The Metro also reports that British diplomats and their families have been flown out of Sudan after a daring night-time dash with special forces to a secret airfield. The paper says hundreds of Brits "fear they are trapped" and that Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said help is "severely limited".

The Financial Times says Rishi Sunak will hold the first of a series of summits with corporate leaders on Monday as the Tories seek to "repair the damage done by the Brexit years and fend off Labour's attempts to become the party of business". The paper says the debut of the "Business Connect" forum, which will bring together 200 senior business figures in London, takes on extra urgency as the CBI teeters on the "brink of collapse".

Sir Rod Stewart has renewed his call for nurses to get a fair pay rise in a "fresh attack" on the Tories, the Daily Mirror says.

The Daily Mail says a coalition of business leaders has called for the return of tax-free shopping for overseas tourists. In a letter to the chancellor, scores of retail, hospitality and tourism bosses warn that removing the VAT refund for visitors has been an "extraordinary own goal", the paper says.

And the Daily Star says the King's coronation will see a burst of hot spells, and that Britons will enjoy four heatwaves and 26C weather in May.

The Daily Express reports that British people who remain trapped amid the escalating violence in Sudan have pleaded with ministers not to abandon them.

It quotes a British-Sudanese woman called Rozen Ahmed who describes the "most harrowing experience" of her life spending six hours hiding under a bed with her terrified family without water. She travelled to Sudan nine days ago to attend a funeral and says the area she has been staying in has been "shelled to shreds".

The Daily Telegraph says the Foreign Office has been accused of failing to learn lessons from what it calls a "disastrous evacuation" from the Afghan capital, Kabul, in 2021.

The paper understands there are also concerns within the cabinet about how the situation in Sudan has been dealt with. Officers from Saudi Arabia's navy are pictured on the front of the Financial Times carrying a child onboard their ship as they evacuated their own and other nation's citizens from Sudan.

"Corbyn ally sparks new Labour row over racism" is the main headline on the Times, as it reports on Diane Abbott's suspension from the party after her suggestion that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people suffered prejudice, but not racism.

She has since apologised and has withdrawn the remarks but the former shadow home secretary is now fighting for her political career. The row has put pressure on Sir Keir Starmer, who is facing calls to expel her from Labour.

Getty Images

A building in south Khartoum was damaged in the fierce fighting in Sudan

The Financial Times says that Rishi Sunak will hold the first of a series of summits with corporate leaders later as the Conservative Party seeks to repair what the paper describes as "the damage done by the Brexit years" and to fend off Labour's attempts to become the party of business.

It says the event in London takes on extra urgency as the UK's premier business lobby group, the CBI, teeters on the brink of collapse.

The Daily Mirror reports that Sir Rod Stewart has renewed his call for nurses to get a "fair pay rise" in what it says is a "fresh attack on the Tories". The singer-songwriter, who used to support the Conservative Party, says he backs striking NHS staff.

Members of the Royal College of Nursing in England are due to walk out for 48 hours from Sunday night having rejected an offer which includes a 5% pay rise for this year.

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According to the Daily Mail, a coalition of business leaders is calling for the return of tax-free shopping for overseas tourists to "get Britain booming again". It says scores of retail, hospitality and tourism bosses have written to the chancellor, warning that removing the VAT refund for visitors has been an "extraordinary own goal".

The Daily Telegraph reports that Sunday's test of the new national emergency alert system failed to work on up to 10 million phones. It describes the test as a "farce", which has left technology experts "scrambling" to understand why customers on Three, one of Britain's biggest mobile networks, did not receive the 10-second alert.

The Times says a review will try to work out what happened after the alert failed to get what it calls everyone's "ringing endorsement".