‘Riot thugs shamed on TV’ and Taylor Swift ‘terror alert’
The Daily Mail, like other papers, continues to cover the violent disorder and unrest across parts of England and Northern Ireland after the Southport mass stabbing. Under the headline “thugs jailed and shamed on TV”, the tabloid says the courts are making examples.
The Daily Express leads with Labour councillor Ricky Jones who has been suspended by the party after being arrested on suspicion of encouraging murder after comments at a London counter-protest. Videos have emerged online reportedly showing the Kent councillor appearing to tell a crowd in Walthamstow that anti-immigration demonstrators should have their throats cut.
“I’m no longer safe as a Muslim,” Sadiq Khan is quoting as saying in a Daily Telegraph headline. The mayor of London says he felt “triggered” by the events of the last week across parts of England. Supermarket chain Asda is to put more staff on checkouts in a bid to get customers back after admitting “self-service technology has reached its limit”. The paper also reports that a new piece by street artist Banksy disappeared “in a flash” after appearing in London on Thursday.
Comments from the mayor of London also feature on Friday’s edition of the Guardian, with Sadiq Khan telling the paper laws to stop fake news are “not fit for purpose”. He believes the Online Safety Bill needs to be reviewed “very, very quickly”. Underneath the main story is a photo of Team GB’s Eleanor Aldridge who posed for a selfie on the podium after ending Great Britain’s gold drought with a sensational victory in kite sailing.
The i newspaper says football security is to be increased “over fears of far-right violence” as the Football League season kicks off on Friday night. Two astronauts could be stuck in space until 2025 over safety concerns, it also reports. The splash story centres on government departments being ordered to come up with ways to make major savings in the coming months as part of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s Budget.
“Taylor terror cops on alert” is Friday’s Metro headline. The paper leads on a story out of Austria as authorities said a 19-year- old man admitted planning a suicide attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna. Three shows – due to take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday – have been cancelled. With more Eras tour gigs due at Wembley next week, the Metropolitan Police tells the paper there is nothing to suggest any similar alerts in London.
“Visa curbs spark rapid fall in new migrants – is the headline on the front of the Times which with a story on applications for skilled worker, health and care, and student visas to come to the UK being down by more than a third compared with last year. The paper also marks reports Taylor Swift’s gigs in London will be monitored for terror risks following the alerts in Vienna earlier this week.
The Daily Mirror also leads with the alleged “machete and bomb plot” against Taylor Swift fans in Austria. The tabloid also has a picture of former glamour model Katie Price who was arrested after arriving at Heathrow Airport. Last month, an arrest warrant was issued for Ms Price after she failed to attend a court hearing relating to her bankruptcies.
“Google and Meta struck secret ads deal to target teens” is the Financial Times’s front page headline as it focuses on claims the tech giants have made a secret deal to target advertisements for Instagram to teenagers on YouTube. Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus is the main image on the front cover after he was sworn in as head of an interim government in Bangladesh – just days following the ousting of Prime Minister Sheik Hasina.
The Daily Star looks ahead to the football season as the English Football League kicks off this weekend and Manchester United play Manchester City in the season’s curtain raiser at Wembley on Saturday. The lead story says one in five men are embarrassed to take their T-shirt off at the beach because of “wolf-like hairy backs”.
