Tory MP rape claim arrest and 'new phase' in Gaza

The King met representatives from aid agencies on Thursday to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza

A number of the papers lead with the news that former minister Crispin Blunt has revealed himself to be the Tory MP who was arrested on Wednesday in connection with an allegation of rape and the possession of controlled substances. Mr Blunt, who represents the seat of Reigate, said he had twice been interviewed by police, the first time three weeks ago after he reported his "concern over extortion". He added that he was confident he would not be charged.

The Sun, which first reported Mr Blunt's arrest, says the "scandal is the latest to rock" Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government. The i headline says it's thrown the Tory Party into "turmoil".

"Save them" is the headline on the front of the Daily Mirror, alongside a picture of an injured child in Gaza, his face covered in blood. The paper says it knows many readers will find the photo distressing but adds that it "brings into sharp focus the suffering of youngsters on both sides of a conflict they have nothing to do with". The picture is accompanied by a report on a meeting between the King and representatives of various aid agencies in London on Thursday, during which Buckingham Palace says he discussed the "acute humanitarian situation" unfolding in Gaza.

The Times says 200 British citizens trapped in Gaza have pleaded to be rescued before Israel mounts its expected ground invasion. The paper says Mr Sunak has promised the government will do "everything" it can to get them out and that Border Force officials have been sent to Egypt in the hope of evacuating them.

The Guardian says Israeli forces entered "a new phase" of their war against Hamas on Thursday, when they launched what's described as a "probing action in preparation for a more sustained ground offensive". Infantry, backed by tanks and armoured bulldozers moved under the cover of night and carried out "an hours-long raid" on Hamas positions in the north of the territory.

The Daily Telegraph leads reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin has welcomed senior Hamas officials and Iranian leaders to Moscow as he seeks to intervene in the Middle East conflict. The move has been condemned by Israel as an "obscene step" that "gives support to terrorism", according to the paper. It says the developments have raised concern in the West that Russia has formed an "axis of terror".

The Daily Express carries a warning that the number of people with dementia in England and Wales "will soar" to 1.7 million over the next two decades. According to the Times, the rates of dementia in the population are rising much faster than previously thought, driven by widening inequalities, obesity and unhealthy living. It says the figures are a "wake-up call" for social care. However, the Express says there's cause for "hope and optimism" that the condition will become treatable with new drugs.

And Mr Sunak has issued a "doom-laden warning that the rise of artificial intelligence could make humanity extinct", according to the Metro. The paper says that, in a speech just days before he hosts a global summit on emerging technology, Mr Sunak argued that mitigating the risks of AI should be a global priority alongside stopping nuclear war and pandemics, though added that he did not want to be alarmist and said it was not an issue people should be losing sleep over "right now".

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