Newspaper headlines: 'Moderna jabs in 3 weeks' and school abuse inquiry
By BBC News
Staff
- Published
The Sunday Telegraph says Britain's elite schools are at the centre of a major Whitehall investigation over their handling of sexual assault claims among pupils.
The paper says police chiefs have been urged by government officials to take allegations of a peer-on-peer "rape culture" seriously after thousands of students made accusations on a website.
Writing in the paper, the chairman of the Commons Education Committee, Robert Halfon, calls for an independent inquiry into what he describes as a "appalling" allegations, which suggest a "Lord of the Flies" culture has taken hold.
The Times carries an interview with a former private school girl, who says she sent a letter to the head at one of the schools back in 2016.
She says the letter was signed by 160 pupils from neighbouring schools who claimed "a culture of misogyny" at the college led to its boys allegedly harassing and abusing girls.
Under-50s will be offered the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine in three weeks' time, according to the Mail on Sunday.
The paper says the imminent arrival of more than 500,000 new doses will see Britain's "world-beating vaccine rollout move up another gear".
Many of the papers excitedly look forward to the lifting of Covid restrictions in England from Monday.
"Back to the life we love" is the headline on the front of the Sunday Express, which says Britain has "much to look forward to" as the "dark days" of the pandemic are left behind.
According to the paper, leading retail figures are urging the chancellor to introduce a Shop Out to Help Out scheme, under which customers would get 50% off their first purchases in independent shops - with the government picking up the shortfall.
"The joy of six" is the headline in the Sunday Mirror, which says millions of people are gearing up for a "Magic Monday", which will see them reunited with family and friends for the first time in months.
The Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gives an interview to Scotland on Sunday in which she reflects on Alex Salmond's decision to launch the new pro-Independence party Alba.
She tells the paper the "good thing" about him having his own party is that she does not have to spend much time talking about him or thinking about him any more.
She also explains that she would have stood down if the independent inquiry into her handling of abuse allegations against Mr Salmond had concluded that she "meaningfully" broken the ministerial code.
The Sunday Times carries claims that David Cameron gave an Australian financier "extraordinary" access to No 10 and Whitehall departments when he was prime minister.
The paper says Lex Greensill, whose financial services company recently went into administration, profited from a government-backed loans scheme which he himself devised and pitched to figures at the heart of government.
The scheme was signed off by Mr Cameron, according to the Times, which says Mr Greensill also held meetings about funding the upgrade of Britain's motorways and financing its fleet of Typhoon fighter jets.
A government spokesperson tells the paper Mr Greensill acted as a supply chain finance adviser and then as a crown representative - adding that his appointments were approved in the normal manner and that neither were paid roles.
There is relief in many of the papers that the huge cargo ship blocking the Suez canal has moved - if only slightly.
"We have shift off!" declares the Sunday Mirror, while the Sunday People says the news offered a "ray of hope" after 20,000 tonnes of sand were dug out to try and free the vessel.
The Daily Star Sunday offers a simpler explanation for the ship's change of fortune - the psychic Uri Gellar, who it says helped budge the ship using the power of his mind. "URI-ka" reads the paper's front page headline.