Newspaper headlines: Biden to ‘miss’ coronation and Sunak on trade deal

By BBC News
Staff
The Daily Telegraph splashes with "Biden to turn down coronation invitation", reporting that the US president is not expected to attend the event that will see Charles crowned at Westminster Abbey on 6 May. The US wants to avoid giving any impression of a "snub", the paper writes, and will instead send high-profile representatives. Citing sources close to discussions, the Telegraph says London and Washington have downplayed the story - saying attendance from Mr Biden was always "unlikely" but that the decision was not final.
Mr Biden's predecessor Donald Trump finds himself back on front pages, too - after his lawyers said he would surrender to a court on Tuesday after becoming the first US president to face criminal charges. FT Weekend emphasises the significance of the moment - stating in its headline that Mr Trump's indictment "rocks" American politics, and going on to say that his court appearance "is set to shape" the 2024 presidential campaign. The FT quotes Mr Trump's lawyer as saying that hush money payments made to adult actress Stormy Daniels - which Mr Trump is alleged to have covered up - were "completely legal".
The Times carries remarks from the same lawyer - highlighting Mr Trump's "defiant" response and refusal to be handcuffed when he makes his court appearance. Adding colour to the reporting are comments from Ms Daniels herself - pictured on the front page - who told the newspaper she was not afraid to face the former president in court. "I've seen him naked. There's no way he could be scarier with his clothes on," she is quoted as saying.
The Daily Star attacks Mr Trump for his response to the charges - labelling the former US leader a "manbaby" who is having a "huge tantrum". The picture desk has been hard at work on a parody of the 1995 film The Usual Suspects - with the front page picture imagining multiple versions of Mr Trump in front of a police lineup wall.
The Daily Express has a message from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to its readers: "Brexit is boosting UK". After the UK signed what the Express calls a "blockbuster" trade pact with 11 Asian and Pacific nations, the prime minister says this is why he voted to leave the European Union in the first place. The paper hails the agreement as Mr Sunak's second trade "breakthrough" after forming a post-Brexit pact with the EU for the trade status of Northern Ireland.
The Daily Mail agrees, writing that the trade deal could "at last… turbo charge" Britain. The paper trails an article written by Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch, who proclaims that joining the bloc means joining "the most dynamic free trade family on the planet". Ms Badenoch also calls the BBC "short-sighted" for citing official estimates that being in the bloc will only add 0.08% to the size of the UK's economy.
The Guardian leads on an interview with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, in which he attacks the Conservatives for "turning Britain's waterways into an open sewer". Official data shows there were an average of 825 sewage spills into waterways in England per day last year - a situation the government has said was unacceptable. The issue has become "politically charged", the Guardian writes, with Sir Keir promising "real action" if his party wins power.
Donald Trump is sidelined in favour of the late Paul O'Grady on the front page of the Daily Mirror. Following O'Grady's sudden death earlier this week, a "surge" in donations to his "beloved" animal centre Battersea Dogs and Cats Home could reach £100,000 over the weekend, the paper reports. The write-up is accompanied by snaps of the star with his husband Andre Portasio, and one of his pets.
And The Sun reports exclusively on a celebrity "drug bust" - alleging that TV chef Gino D'Acampo was given a police warning after he was caught carrying cannabis into the UK last November. The full story adds that officers accepted that the drug was for D'Acampo's own, medicinal use - and was not intended for anybody else. There is no comment from Mr D'Acampo in the story.