Newspaper headlines: Putin 'peace bombshell' and North Sea licences

Rishi SunakPA Media
By BBC News
Staff

The Financial Times suggests the government is "backsliding on its climate agenda".

It accuses ministers of making it "cheaper to pollute" by watering down a scheme which puts a cost on the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2). The paper says the price of a tonne of carbon dioxide has fallen sharply after ministers increased allowances for polluting industries. The Department of Energy has said it wants to ensure a "smooth transition" to net zero.

The government's motoring policies are on a number of the front pages. The Sun urges the prime minister to "get a move on" to end, as it puts it, the "war on motorists", while the Guardian reports that ministers are considering restricting councils' ability to impose 20 mile-an-hour speed limits - part of what the paper calls a shift against "green policies".

The Express warns that electric cars imported from China could present a major security risk. It says up to 300,000 vehicles could be immobilised remotely by officials in China. One expert tells the paper the cars are a "Trojan horse" that could destabilise the UK's economy.

A barge the government wants to use to house migrants who've crossed the Channel in small boats has yet to pass its fire safety checks, according to The Times. Sources have told the paper that the Bibby Stockholm - which is moored near Portland in Dorset - could be a "death trap" that has the potential to be a "floating Grenfell". They're also worried safety concerns could be "suppressed". The Home Office says the barge is still being prepared and will comply with all appropriate regulations.

A quarter of GPs have private healthcare, according to the Daily Telegraph. It says a survey has found the main reason is that "NHS waiting lists are too long" - and doctors can't take sick days due to the intensity of their work.

Graduates earn more if their parents don't have degrees, according to the Times. The paper reports on a survey which found first-generation students get paid an average of nearly £3,000 pounds more than those who have relatives with a degree. It says this could be down to them often choosing career-focused subjects.

"Don't let my son's death be for nothing" is the appeal on the front page of the Mirror. Billy MacRitchie - who's nine-year-old son Frankie was killed by a dangerous dog - is backing the paper's campaign for a change in the law. He says tougher penalties are needed to "save other children".

And, the Daily Star says the "curse" of the British staycation has hit again with more rain forecast for the next few weeks. The paper says families should be braced for summer "brolly-days".