Newspaper headlines: 'Ta-ra Paul' and 'gender ideology in schools'

By BBC News
Staff
"Thanks for all the joy, Paul" headlines the Metro as it pays tribute to the TV presenter and comedian Paul O'Grady who died on Tuesday. It quotes a tribute from singer Sir Elton John who described the star as "a brilliant entertainer".
"Ta-ra Lily, Ta-ra Paul" the Sun writes as it features a picture of Paul O'Grady with dog in hand beside his drag act Lily Savage. The paper describes the star as a "national treasure" prompting an "outpouring of grief from fans, celebrities and even royalty". It quotes Camilla, the Queen Consort saying she was "deeply saddened".
The Mirror also splashes with a picture For The Love of Dogs presenter. It writes "a light has gone out in the world of showbiz" after his sudden death. It adds O'Grady had been "laughing, smiling and full of life" according to his long time radio producer Malcolm Prince.
Households will be penalised if they do not switch from gas under net zero plans to be unveiled on Thursday, the Telegraph reports. It says the government is planning to overhaul subsidy rules so gas is less attractive compared to electricity in a bid to hasten the end of fossil fuels. But the proposals risk forcing household gas bills up by as much as £100 a year, while electricity costs come down, according to the paper.
The Guardian leads with government plans to "defy scientific doubts" and place a massive bet on technology to capture and store carbon dioxide in undersea caverns in a bid to enable expansion of oil and gas in the North Sea. It reports Energy and Net Zero Secretary Grant Shapps on Thursday will reveal his "powering up Britain" strategy with carbon capture and storage "at its heart". A picture of the "funny and fearless" O'Grady in angel wings also makes its front page.
The i reports MPs demand an inquiry over an alleged conflict of interest after the the paper claimed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's wife holds shares in a childcare company that will benefit from the Budget. The paper says Akshata Murty is linked to Koru Kids, one of six agencies that could see a boost in business as part of a pilot scheme to train more childminders. A spokeswoman for Mr Sunak told the paper "he has declared it".
The Daily Mail leads with children being "put at risk" by gender ideology in schools. It says a report by thinktank Policy Exchange is letting pupils change their names or uniforms without parents being alerted. The findings will put pressure on the Department for Education (DfE) to "finally" issue guidance to headteachers on transgender pupils, the paper observes. Its front page also features a picture of Camilla, Queen Consort "dazzling" in the Queen Mother's tiara and late Queen's necklace.
The Times also leads with the same Policy Exchange report. The paper says the report "condemned schools for uncritically accepting contested beliefs on gender identity". It recommended parents are automatically told when a child feels gender distress at school, unless there was a compelling reason not to. The DfE said it was working to produce guidance for schools. It Times carries a photo of the King and Queen Consort at a state banquet hosted by the German president and his wife.
The Financial Times leads with Switzerland's biggest bank UBS bringing back former boss Sergio Ermotti to steer the $3.25bn rescue of the second largest Swiss bank Credit Suisse. He will lead the effort to merge two of the world's biggest banks, after UBS's chief executive Ralph Hamers was "pushed aside". It comes after Credit Suisse faced a crisis of confidence amid two smaller US banks recently failing.
The Daily Star splashes with a picture of the Sun as it reports on a coronal hole within it the size of 20 earths.