Newspaper headlines: Confidence in Covid probe hit and Sussexes evicted
- Published
A variety of stories lead Thursday's papers. The Metro carries reaction to texts published by the Telegraph on Wednesday that appeared to show former health secretary Matt Hancock declined to follow a recommendation that everyone entering a care home at the start of the pandemic be tested for Covid, an accusation he has denied. One campaigner whose father died in April 2020 tells the paper she is "sickened" by the allegations.
The Mirror has a similar follow-up, with one expert telling the paper the messages expose a "tragic betrayal" of Covid victims.
The publication of Hancock's texts have left ministers "battling to maintain confidence in the official Covid inquiry", according to the Guardian. The paper notes that Isabel Oakeshott, the journalist to whom Hancock gave access to his texts while they were co-authoring a book, was an outspoken critic of lockdowns, and says bereaved families groups are now calling for the public inquiry into the pandemic to be given more teeth and completed swiftly.
The Telegraph leads with another story based on the texts, this time concerning the closure of schools during the pandemic. The paper says that, as health secretary, Hancock discussed mounting a "rearguard action" after losing a cabinet tussle with then-education secretary Gavin Williamson about whether schools should reopen after the Christmas break in January 2021.
The NHS plans to offer millions of patients help to come off antidepressants and painkillers as part of efforts to tackle addiction to prescription pills, the Times reports. The paper says that new guidance, intended to avoid a US-style opioid crisis, urges GPs not to write a repeat prescription where they feel a patient has become too dependent on a medication.
The Financial Times says the Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has signalled financial markets are wrong to assume the Bank will raise interest rates further. It quotes him saying he would "caution against suggesting either that we are done with increasing bank rate, or that we will inevitably need to do more". The paper says the comments are part of an effort to convince investors that Britain's economic outlook is not the same as those of the US and eurozone economies.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been given until after the coronation of King Charles to vacate Frogmore Cottage, a house in the grounds of Windsor Castle that was gifted to them by the late Queen, the Sun reports. The paper says the couple were given the news 24 hours after the publication of the prince's memoir, Spare, which contained a number of explosive claims about the royal family.
The Express reports that the eviction has left the pair "stunned" and angry. The paper quotes one source telling their biographer that the move felt "very final and like a cruel punishment".
The government is considering vaccinating all UK chickens against bird flu as part of measures to tackle an ongoing global outbreak, the i reports. The paper says that a ban against jabs for the virus could be lifted amid fears it will evolve in a way that means it can be passed between mammals.
The Mail says that Carrie Johnson, wife of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has appealed to Justice Secretary Dominic Raab not to allow the release of Robert Brown, a man jailed for the killing of his estranged wife, halfway through a 26-year sentence. The paper says Mrs Johnson believes the law is letting women down and that Brown's release would represent a "real failure in our system".
And the Star leads with claims that Jeremy Clarkson's contract as the host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? may not be renewed after the backlash to a column he wrote in the Sun about Meghan Markle. The paper said Clarkson could soon "have lots more time to drive tractors around his farm".