“HS2 back on track” reads the headline in the Sunday Express. The paper reports secret government talks are being held next week to get the scrapped northern leg of the high-speed rail link completed. A cross-party plan has been drawn up to ensure the private sector – not taxpayers – foots most of the bill for the Birmingham to Manchester section, it adds.
The Sunday People says the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have sent get well messages to the King and Princess of Wales. Amid reports of strained relations with the Sussexes, the People says the couple are supporting King Charles, who is due to go to hospital for treatment on his enlarged prostate, and Kate, who has undergone abdominal surgery.
The Sunday Mirror says there is new “outrage” among some of the wrongly-convicted victims of the Post Office IT scandal after a clip emerged of bosses partying while they were trying to clear their names. One postmistress says of the corporate event: “It’s disgusting… I was struggling to make ends meet and… these people are out having a party”.
The front page of the Sunday Times carries photographs of some of the wrongly-convicted sub-postmasters and postmistresses who died before they were able to clear their names. Its lead story reports the increase in measles cases in England and Wales, with the paper saying nearly a third of under-16s are vulnerable because they are not fully vaccinated.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is vowing to emulate his 1980s tax-cutting predecessor Nigel Lawson, says the Mail on Sunday. It reports Mr Hunt has penned a “gung-ho” article in the paper to hail the economic boom seen under Lord Lawson and pledges to usher in his own version, starting with tax cuts in the March Budget.
The Observer reports London Mayor Sadiq Khan is calling for an overhaul of post-Brexit travel and work restrictions to allow young people to be able to move freely around the EU. The comments suggest Mr Khan will be running a strongly pro-European, anti-Brexit campaign for May’s mayoral elections, says the Observer.
The Sunday Telegraph reports the government has ordered a review of diversity networks in the Civil Service to stop officials “using their jobs as a vehicle for political activism”. Cabinet Office minister John Glen tells the paper he applauds progress on diversity but the public expected staff to be delivering the government’s agenda and public services rather than internal projects in work time.
The lead for the Sun on Sunday is the divorce of TV stars Paddy and Christine McGuinness. Christine has lined up a “pitbull” celebrity divorce lawyer ahead of a hearing next week, it reports.
And the Daily Star Sunday leads with a story about The Tourist actor Jamie Dornan. It reports he was once taken to hospital after being stung by a giant caterpillar in Portugal.
