Ukraine peace talks are back on the front pages amid reports of a controversial proposal to end the fighting. Donald Trump will allow Vladimir Putin to keep almost all the territory he seized from Ukraine under the terms of a proposed peace deal, the Daily Telegraph reports. The seven-point proposal, which would see the US formally recognise Russian sovereignty over Crimea and freeze the current front line, would also reportedly leave Ukraine with no clear US security guarantee. The death of the Pope continues to feature, too, after Francis’ body was laid in state in the Vatican. One such image graces the front of the Telegraph, alongside the headline “In death, as in life, the Pope favours simplicity”.
Putin’s reported offer to bring an end to the Ukraine war across the current front line is splashed across the front page of the Financial Times. “There is a lot of pressure on Kyiv right now to give up on things so Trump can claim victory,” one unnamed European official told the newspaper. Also on the front page, the US president’s attacks on Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell has sent gold soaring to $3,500 (£2,620) a troy ounce for the first time, the newspaper reports.
Trump’s tariffs are amongst the top stories again as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) delivers its verdict on how the world economy will be impacted by the trade measures. The Washington-based IMF said the US president’s levies had unleashed a “major negative shock” into the world economy, according to the Guardian. Forecasts for US, UK and global growth were cut, with the uncertainty expected to lead to a “significant slowdown in global growth in the near term”. The latest round of Ukraine peace talks also features on the front page, with the UK hosting US and European negotiators on Wednesday. Its main picture, meanwhile, is one that appears on a number of front pages – Pope Francis’ body on display in a Vatican chapel.
Sir Keir Starmer “owes apology to so many women”, Kemi Badenoch has said, with the Daily Mail leading on the prime minister’s response to the Supreme Court’s biological sex ruling last week. Sir Keir does not believe transgender women are women, his official spokesman said on Tuesday, after the top court ruled a woman was defined by biological sex under equalities law. The Conservative leader told the newspaper that the prime minister should say sorry to those who had lost jobs or had been harassed in the row.
Britain’s net-zero ambitions have suffered a setback, according to the Times, which reports that solar panels linked to Chinese slave labour will not be used by the UK’s state-owned energy company GB Energy. Ed Miliband, the energy minister, will introduce an amendment to legislation that will force the firm to ensure “slavery and human trafficking is not taking place” in its supply chain. Critics say the change will slow the deployment of solar power.
The Pope’s death dominates the front page of the Daily Mirror. Francis is “in the arms of God”, the newspaper declares alongside a picture of the late pontiff lying in state. It also reports that Prince William will be attending the funeral in Vatican City on Saturday.
“Instant sack for bad cops” is splashed across the Metro, which reports that police officers who fail vetting can be sacked automatically from next month. The law change comes after a series of catastrophic cases left women at the mercy of rogue officers, the paper notes, in reference to scandals such as the conviction of Wayne Couzens, who abducted, raped and murdered Sarah Everard in 2021.
Gary Lineker’s interview with the BBC’s Amol Rajan is the top story on the Daily Star’s front page. “Beeb bosses gave me red card,” the paper says, after the Match of the Day presenter said he believed the corporation had wanted him to leave the show as he was negotiating a new contract last year.
There is a “dash for cash ISAs”, the i Paper reports, with savers scrambling to lock in the best rates amid rumours that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will soon roll out reforms. One major investment firm reported an 84% rise in money paid into ISAs compared with last April.
Reeves has been told that she cannot blame Mr Trump’s tariffs for Britain’s growth “mess”, the Daily Express reports. The IMF cut its economic growth forecast for the UK from 1.6% to 1.1% this year. But experts say the chancellor cannot attribute the economic problems to the US president’s levies, according to the newspaper.
“It’s a kind of tragic,” the Sun declares on its front page, saying that Freddie Mercury’s sister secretly spent £3m to buy the Queen singer’s memorabilia – after it was put up for auction by his ex-girlfriend. The newspaper says Kashmira Bulsara bought the items being sold by Mary Austin because she thought they should stay in the family.
By saiphnews
