King Charles’s reaction to the recent unrest and riots in England and Northern Ireland made the front pages of many Saturday newspapers.
The Telegraph reports that The king hopes to visit communities be affected at some point in the future if it does not place “additional pressure” on security and local services. The newspaper notes that King has not yet addressed the Nation directly to speak about the violence – but says he has released a written statement expressing his “deep shock” at the stabbings in Southport.
PA MediaThe future of English universities is the Guardian’s top story. It states: Many are facing a “turning point” this autumn which could plunge them into financial crisis. The newspaper reports concerns among rectors that there may not be enough students. Senior figures believe that mergers of institutions and departments could be a short-term solution until universities receive more secure funding.
The BBC’s demand that its former news anchor Huw Edwards repay him £200,000 of his salary, which was paid to him before the corporation knew he had been arrested for possessing child abuse images, is the prelude to the email, the sun And the mirrorLast week he pleaded guilty to the charge. The Mirror quotes BBC chairman Samir Shah as saying that Edwards “knew what he had done but took the licence fee anyway”. “Give us our money back,” reads the headline.
The i reports that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering lifting the 13-year freeze on fuel taxes in its October budget, which would raise £3 billion for the Treasury. The newspaper says it is looking for measures to plug a £22 billion hole in the government’s finances, but it faces a dilemma as a poll it conducted suggests voters do not support higher taxes on fuel or inheritances.
The Chancellor also appears in another Times article which states: plans to cover up a urinal used by Winston Churchill in her private bathroom at the Treasury were offset by the cost of the work. The newspaper reports that Ms Reeves, who is Britain’s first female Chancellor of the Exchequer since the office was created, was told she could not cancel the project and was charged at least £8,000 for covering it up. According to the Times, a Treasury source joked that the situation “shows everything that is wrong with our planning system”.
Britain’s largest spiderwhich can grow to the size of a man’s hand, is increasing rapidly, according to the Mail. The newspaper reports that the marsh spider was threatened with extinction 14 years ago, but thanks to a concerted campaign, the number of breeding females has risen to 3,750 at 12 sites in Norfolk alone.
And pictures of a beaming Katarina Johnson-Thompson – wearing a crown and wrapped in the Union Jack after winning the Olympic silver medal in the heptathlon – adorn many of the covers and back pages. “We are close again” says the Express, reflecting on how she narrowly missed out on the gold medal.
