Newspaper headlines: Fears for missing baby and Sunak to 'defy critics'
- Published
A number of Wednesday's papers report on the arrest of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon, who disappeared more than seven weeks ago with their newborn baby, on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. The Mail says the couple are being urged to tell investigators where the baby is, but also quotes a spokesperson for Sussex Police saying it is possible the baby has "come to harm".
The pair are currently refusing to talk to the police or even reveal the baby's sex, according to the Metro. The paper says the child is currently being searched for in freezing temperatures and across an area of 19 sq miles.
The i says Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has "gambled his political career" on defying critics of the deal with the European Union - intended to ease the flow of goods between Britain and Northern Ireland - unveiled on Monday. The paper adds that Number Ten is in a "bullish mood" following a positive initial reception of the deal, but that Eurosceptic MPs are expected to take two weeks to study it before delivering a verdict.
Sunak has told his MPs that he is prepared to push ahead with the deal with or without the support of the DUP, the Times reports. The party has for months refused to form a power sharing government at Stormont because of issues with the existing arrangement, but the paper says Sunak has told his back benchers his focus is on what's "best for the people of Northern Ireland".
The Express describes the deal as "Rishi's Brexit boost for the UK". The paper quotes business leaders who have said the positive impact the deal will have on Britain's economic prospects should "not be underestimated".
Former health secretary Matt Hancock rejected advice from medical experts that everyone going into care homes in England during the pandemic should be tested for Covid, the Telegraph reports. It says that, in April 2020, Hancock told advisors via Whatsapp that Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty had recommended there be "testing of all going into care homes", but that tests for people entering from the community were not introduced until 14 August.
The Guardian reports that a £14bn plan to reduce NHS backlogs caused by the pandemic is already failing to meet its targets. The paper says a report by Commons public accounts committee has found that a record seven million people are now on waiting lists and concluded that a three-year recovery programme for elective and cancer care was based on "unrealistic assumptions".
Tata Motors, the multinational company that owns Jaguar Land Rover, is demanding more than £500m in aid from the UK government to build a new battery factory in Britain, the Financial Times reports. The paper says the firm is trying to decide whether to build the facility in Spain or south-west England, and that its decision could be "pivotal" for the future of the UK car industry.
The Mirror leads with the story of a single dad who lost all his limbs in an accident seven years ago but is now able to hug his twin daughters again thanks to a double hand transplant. The headline reads: "Arms of love".
And the Star reports that market traders have been forced to quadruple the price of vegetables because they are being charged as much as £2 for a single lettuce and £24 for a crate of tomatoes.