Newspaper headlines: Hunt for Titanic sub and mortgage rates rise

By BBC News
Staff
A number of Tuesday's papers lead with the search for a submarine with five people on board that went missing on Sunday morning while on a dive to the wreck of the Titanic. The Metro says the hunt is being led by US coastguards and that the 22ft (6.7m) vessel - named Titan - is believed to have 96 hours worth of life support.
The Daily Express reports that marine experts have said it is possible the vessel became entangled in the wreckage of the ship, which sits 12,500ft (3800m) below the surface of the ocean.
Among the people on board the submarine is 58-year-old British billionaire Hamish Harding, the Sun reports.
The Daily Mail says that before submerging, Mr Harding posted on social media to say a "weather window" had opened that would allow the group to dive after the "worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years".
Mr Harding runs Action Aviation, an international firm that buys and sells aircraft, according to the Daily Telegraph. The paper quotes Col Terry Virts, a retied Nasa astronaut with whom he broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest circumnavigation of the Earth, saying that "exploration is what Hamish loves to do".
The Times quotes Mark Butler, the managing director of Action Aviation, saying "there is equipment on board for survival in this event" and that "there is still plenty of time to facilitate a rescue mission".
Infighting among Conservative MPs reached "bitter new heights" on Monday night as the Commons voted to back the Privileges Committee's conclusion that Boris Johnson committed five contempts of Parliament, according to the Guardian. The paper says Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had hoped to dampen an internal party row by avoiding taking sides on the vote, but that some Tory MPs "rounded on" Johnson in a bid to "restore faith" in democracy.
The Daily Mirror leads with evidence given by former Prime Minister David Cameron to the Covid inquiry, where he was forced to deny that the austerity measures enforced by his government had damaged the UK's preparedness for a pandemic. The paper says grieving relatives of people who died during the pandemic shouted "shame on you" as Mr Cameron left the inquiry on Monday.
Liz Truss has said a live stream set up by the Daily Star to see if a head of lettuce could outlast her tenure in Downing Street was "puerile", the paper reports. Its front page labels the former prime minister a "fun sponge" and says that, even if she didn't find the stunt funny, the "rest of the world" did.
The Financial Times reports that the cost of the average two-year fixed-rate mortgage has risen above 6% on Monday. The paper says rising interest rates pose a "mounting challenge" to Rishi Sunak's government, but that he has rejected calls for more help for struggling households, arguing that tackling inflation is the "best and most important way that we an keep costs and interest rates down".
And the i says mortgage rates are expected to remain high until 2025 and that analysts have claimed house prices could fall by as much as 10% during ongoing financial turmoil.

Most of Tuesday's front pages focus on what both the Daily Mail and the Daily Express call the "frantic" search for the submersible that has disappeared while diving to the wreck of the Titanic.

The Mail says the sub - among whose five passengers is British billionaire Hamish Harding - could be 12,500ft (3800m) down with "air running out". The Express says rescuers are in a "race against time", while the Sun says the "lost sub" has air until Thursday.

The Daily Telegraph carries a picture of Mr Harding that he posted to social media two days before the dive. Mr Harding's cousin, Kathleen Cosnett, tells the paper she was "devastated" to learn he was on the sub. The Times says the 58-year-old entrepreneur had posted images from the mission to the shipwreck only hours before the international rescue began.

Lotus Eyes Photography
British adventurer Hamish Harding is one of five people on board a submarine that has gone missing while on a dive to the wreck of the Titanic

The Daily Mirror carries pictures of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and two of his predecessors, David Cameron and Boris Johnson, alongside the headline: "Shame on you". The page combines three stories: Mr Cameron's evidence to the Covid inquiry on the UK's pandemic preparedness, Mr Sunak's decision not to take part in the parliamentary vote on the Privileges Committee report into Boris Johnson, and the news that police may issue further fines in connection with a video showing a party at Tory HQ in December 2020.

The Guardian says Conservative infighting over Boris Johnson reached a new level of intensity last night, with his supporters being told to hang their heads in shame. The paper says Mr Johnson now faces losing his parliamentary pass after what it calls a "fractious" debate on his conduct.

The Times reports that Mr Johnson wants a "ceasefire" with Mr Sunak. It follows what the paper calls "friendly fire" in the Commons and MPs voting overwhelmingly to back the findings of the Partygate report. A source close to Mr Johnson tells the Times he wants to improve his relationship with Mr Sunak and has all but given up on making a political comeback before the next election. "But all of this is conditional on the Sunak government leaving him alone," the source adds.

EPA
Experts have warned that mortgage costs are expected to remain high until 2025

The Financial Times warns of mounting pressure on homeowners - and a growing political risk for the government - after the average cost of a two-year fixed-rate mortgage topped 6%. According to the i, mortgage rates are set to remain high until 2025. The paper says Mr Sunak will make a speech to reassure the public that finances "are back on track" after a new interest rate rise is announced on Thursday.

And the Daily Star leads with comments from Liz Truss, who has said a live stream set up by the paper to see if a head of lettuce could outlast her tenure in Downing Street was "puerile". The paper's front page labels the former prime minister a "fun sponge" and says that, even if she didn't find the stunt funny, the "rest of the world" did.