Newspaper headlines: Rwanda plan ‘won’t work’ and steel jobs 'betrayal'

  • Published
Tata Steel's Port Talbot steelworks in south Wales.Image source, PA Media
Image caption,

The Daily Mirror describes job losses at Tata Steel as a 'final betrayal'

The Daily Mirror's headline is "The final betrayal" - with the paper going on to describe the loss of thousands of steelworkers' jobs at Port Talbot, external as "devastating". It quotes unions accusing No. 10 of giving the plant's owner, Tata, "£500m to throw 3,000 workers on the scrapheap".

The i leads with polling on Rishi Sunak's Rwanda plan, which suggests that just 23% of those surveyed felt the plans will deter Channel small boat crossings, external. It adds that only one in five voters thinks the PM "will ever send asylum seekers to Rwanda".

The Times reports that European and American generals have questioned whether Britain can still be considered a top-level fighting force, external - after figures compiled by the paper indicated that the entire Army will have fewer than 70,000 soldiers within two years - smaller than the special operations forces of the United States.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Channel migrants have been "quietly" been given the right to work in sectors including care, construction and agriculture, external. Based on Freedom of Information data, it says nearly 16,000 asylum seekers, including those who crossed the Channel in small boats, have been allowed to work in a single year, in occupations where there are recognised staff shortages. In an editorial, the Daily Telegraph refers to it as a "scandal" which directly contradicts the Conservatives' stated aims on migration.

The Financial Times says the chancellor is set to be handed a multi-billion pound boost by official forecasters next week, external - paving the way for a package of pre-election tax cuts. It reports that leading economists predict that lower borrowing costs could give Jeremy Hunt more fiscal headroom in his March budget.

Image source, Maja Smiejkowska
Image caption,

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will be hoping for a multi-billion pound boost from official forecasters

The Times, meanwhile, reports that Mr Hunt might extend child benefit to hundreds of thousands of middle income families, external - after the Conservatives restricted it in 2013.

The Guardian says vital legal protections for the environment and human health are being destroyed in post Brexit departures from EU legislation, external. According to its analysis, Britain is falling behind the EU on almost every area of environmental regulation - as the bloc strengthens legislation while the UK weakens it. In practice, the paper says, it means water in Britain will be dirtier than in the EU, there will be more pesticides in the soil and companies will be allowed to produce products containing chemicals that the EU has restricted as dangerous.

The Daily Mail warns the UK is gripped by a measles crisis, external - noting it is a far cry from 2016, when Britain was declared measles-free by the World Health Organization.

The Financial Times reports that a judge has ruled against a senior manager at the Financial Conduct Authority, external who wanted to work from home full-time - finding the office was a better environment for "rapid discussion" and "non-verbal communication". The paper says the decision will be watched closely by other employers trying to push staff back to the office. The case before the employment tribunal in Croydon itself took place remotely, with evidence given over video link.

The Sun reports that an angler was stunned after reeling in a rare Atlantic salmon while fishing in south-west London, external - sparking hope that the species may be returning to the Thames, after being all but wiped out by pollution from factories in the 1700s. However, the Angling Trust urged caution. saying it was possibly a stray fish which had lost its way.

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