Newspaper headlines: 'Farewell Ms Miniskirt' and nurses 'set to reject' pay deal

By BBC News
Staff
"Farewell, Ms Miniskirt" is how the Metro pays tribute to Dame Mary Quant, whose "era-defining" designs "made the Sixties swing", it says. The fashion designer died yesterday, aged 93, and appears on many of Friday's front pages. The paper also carries an interview with actors Nicholas Hoult and Nicolas Cage, who star in the new Dracula film Renfield, out in cinemas today.
A striking black and white image of Ms Quant sits atop the Financial Times, alongside a headline that remembers her as a "British youth culture pioneer". Elsewhere the business paper reports on a warning by EY that staff face sackings after the Big Four firm failed to split its global business in two.
The Times also carries a large image of a young Ms Quant, who sports her iconic pixie haircut. The paper's main story, though, is a claim that the Royal College of Nursing will today reject the government's latest pay deal following a ballot by its members. "Dashing hopes of an end to months of industrial action, nurses' leaders are expected to announce a return to the picket lines," the paper reports.
On the theme of the NHS, the Daily Telegraph leads with a data-driven report about deaths supposedly rising "in the two weeks during and after the first round of industrial action" by junior doctors last month. An unnamed government source is quoted as telling the paper that British Medical Association leaders "seem willing to put politics above patient safety", though the report cites experts as saying there could be other explanations for excess deaths - including "flu cases, hospital admissions and cold weather".
Both the Telegraph and the Daily Mail carry a story about comments Rishi Sunak made during an interview with the Conservative Home website yesterday - the latter paper making it its front page focus. "At last, a leader who knows what a woman is," the Mail's headline reads, which the paper says refers to the prime minister answering "yes, of course" when asked whether 100% of women do not have a penis. There is another image of Ms Quant too, here she is remembered as "the genius who invented modern fashion".
Underneath a tribute to Ms Quant, who is remembered as the "queen of fashion", the i turns its attention to the "tens of thousands of families" reportedly fighting to unlock trust funds set up for their children under former Labour chancellor Gordon Brown. "Disabled children are being denied access to their savings," the paper claims.
A royal exclusive leads the Daily Express, with the paper quoting a source as saying the Royal Family "are focused on planning for the historic [King's coronation] and have no appetite or time at this stage to think about reconciliation" between the monarch and his son the Duke of Sussex. It comes following the news that Prince Harry will fly back to the UK for the coronation - without his wife the Duchess of Sussex, or their children - which the Express yesterday claimed had brought some "relief" to the King.
There is another exclusive in the Daily Mirror, this time about the convicted rapist Iorworth Hoare who the paper says has been granted access to the fortune he won in 2004 while serving life in prison. "Hoare, 70, has gained full access to his £7.2m fortune after a 15-year legal dispute," the paper reports, adding he was initially prevented from having unlimited access to his money under the conditions of his release on licence.
An unlikely result of the UK's rising cost of living features in the Daily Star, with the paper warning it can sense a "whiff of trouble" as the cost of deodorant "is heading for a fiver a can". Warning of a possible "pongdemic", the Star says price hikes have already got the British public "in a sweat".

The Times reports that the main nursing union is poised to reject the government's pay deal on Friday, prompting another round of strikes. The paper says members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) could return to the picket line as soon as this month, with their leaders readying for a "prolonged campaign". It says frontline staff are disappointed their industrial action did not produce a better government offer than the 5% pay increase this financial year, as well as a one-off bonus.

The Daily Telegraph's lead story is based on figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which the paper claims show that excess deaths almost tripled in England around the junior doctors' first strike last month. It quotes a government source accusing the British Medical Association (BMA)'s "militant leaders" of putting politics before patient safety. But the paper also points out that other causes, apart from the strike, could have contributed to the number of deaths.

Away from the strikes the Times also reports that, for the first time ever, hands-free cars are now driving legally on British roads. Ministers gave Ford permission to operate its BlueCruise system on motorways in England, Scotland and Wales. The cars are equipped with sensors to make sure the driver's eyes are on always on the road.

PA Media

The Daily Mirror reports that the daughter of one of the victims of the rapist Iorworth Hoare - who won the lottery while serving life in prison - has called on him to give his winnings to charity in the same way her mother gave away the compensation money she won from the case. The paper says Hoare has now been given full access to his £7.2m jackpot.

Pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to intervene after more senior Conservatives complained about Home Secretary Suella Braverman's language, the Guardian reports. Yesterday the Tory peer Sayeeda Warsi, writing in the paper, accused Ms Braverman of using "racist rhetoric".

The Daily Telegraph says ministers have postponed plans to unveil a new recycling system until after local elections. It reports they were afraid of a backlash from Conservative voters over the new scheme, which would involve each household having seven different types of bin.

Getty Images
Images of British fashion designer Dame Mary Quant, who died on Friday, feature on many of the papers

According to the Daily Mail, Mr Sunak has put "clear blue water" between himself and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer over trans rights. Under the headline: "At last, a leader who knows what a woman is", it reports that the prime minister has insisted women do not have male genitalia. Sir Keir sparked controversy last week when he said one in a thousand women did. The Sun carries the same story, but gives most of its front page to the news that the Duchess of York has not been invited to the King's coronation. Instead, the paper suggests, she will watch it at home.

And many of the front pages feature pictures of Dame Mary Quant, who died yesterday aged 93. The Financial Times has a striking black and white photo of the fashion designer with papers and patterns laid out before her. The Guardian says she "put the swing into the 60s".