Newspaper headlines: 'United in love' and 'Mortgage rates on the rise'

1 hour ago

By BBC News

Staff

Powerful images of the grief-stricken families of the Nottingham attack victims dominate the front page of the Metro. "United in love" reads the main headline, a day on from killings which have shocked the city and country more widely. Pictures and quotes from a remembrance service in Nottingham feature on many of Thursday's front pages.

The Daily Mail front page focuses on "two fathers lost in grief". The fathers of Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar - the two 19-year-old students killed in the attack - moved a crowd of mourners yesterday with a joint address. The paper says the families of the victims have demonstrated "compassion, courage and humanity".

Rather than celebrating the end of the academic year on Wednesday, Nottingham's student community found itself swept by a mood of "numb, uncomprehending grief", the Express writes. Thousands came together to remember the two young students killed in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

A heart-breaking image of the parents of both students adorns the front cover of the Times. Its headline is a quote from the father of Grace O'Malley-Kumar, who told a grieving crowd: "Look after each other - and love everyone."

The Mirror, which leads on the same “United in love” headline as the Metro, carries another heart-rending image of the young victims’ families. Also pictured is caretaker Ian Coates, 65, the third victim of the attack. Police believe the attacker stole his van after fatally stabbing him.

For a second day in a row, the i newspaper focuses on the squeeze facing people with mortgages. After reporting on Wednesday how hundreds of thousands face a rise in mortgage costs because of high interest rates, the paper says the Conservatives are facing political implications - with Labour polling well among borrowers. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has backed the Bank of England ahead of its expected move to raise interest rates again in a bid to push down inflation.

The Financial Times also leads on the political impact of mortgage increases. HSBC, a major lender in the UK housing market, has put up rates for the second time in a week, the paper reports. Its front page story includes quotes from the Commons on Wednesday, where Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer attacked the government over the cost of living.

The latest in the Partygate saga leads the front page of the Daily Telegraph. Boris Johnson has quit the Commons - but he isn't going quietly. He has accused Sir Bernard Jenkin - who is one of the authors of an upcoming report set to conclude that the ex-PM misled Parliament - of breaking the Covid-19 rules himself. Mr Johnson calls this "monstrous hypocrisy". Sir Bernard has denied the allegation, the paper says.

The Guardian’s main story is that scientists have created synthetic human embryos using stem cells, which it describes as a “groundbreaking advance”. It could have implications on the study of genetic disorders and the causes of recurrent miscarriages, it says. But the paper notes the work is likely to raise ethical and legal issues, as the science has moved faster than the legislation.

And finally, to the Daily Star, which - as is often the case - ploughs its own furrow through Thursday's news agenda. It dedicates its front page to "world’s richest man and mad genius" Elon Musk, who thinks we have become so reliant on computers that we have effectively become "cyborgs".