Several front pages lead on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s possible deal with the EU to resolve problems with the Northern Ireland protocol. The Guardian reports he faces a rebellion from the Conservative backbenches, as well as warnings from the Democratic Unionist Party that his plan “does no go far enough” to address its concerns. The paper says prominent Eurosceptic Tory MPs have also said they will remain in “lockstep” with the DUP over its objections.
The Daily Telegraph also focuses on the DUP’s public criticism of Mr Sunak’s plans, following his meeting with the party’s leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson. The paper reports Mr Sunak pledged at the meeting to return to the EU and get more concessions over the role of the European Court of Justice, which the Telegraph says is currently set to retain powers in Northern Ireland.
finding a protocol deal that will win favour with all sides will be the most significant test yet of Mr Sunak’s leadership, the Times reports. As part of his efforts to find such an agreement, he will hold talks with the president of the European Commission on Saturday, who is quoted by the paper as saying that relations between the EU and Britain are at their best since Brexit.
The price of natural gas in Europe falling to its lowest level since the build-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is the lead story in the FT Weekend. The benchmark price hit below 50 euros (£44) per megawatt hour for the first time in nearly 18 months, the paper says, with energy traders reporting “growing confidence” the continent can avoid power shortages for the remainder of this winter and into the next.
The i weekend leads with a poll which suggests more than seven in 10 UK voters believe water bosses should face criminal charges over polluted rivers. The paper says there is little variation between different voter groups over the idea, with 45% of the 1,500 people surveyed also reporting they were unhappy with current environmental protections for the UK”s waterways.
The health secretary has ordered an urgent investigation into NHS guidelines given to staff that say they should initially treat all patients as gender neutral. The paper says Steve Barclay has “demanded answers” about a taxpayer-funded guide to “inclusive communication”, which advises doctors not to use the gender-specific pronouns “he” and “she” until a patient has confirmed how they identify.
BBC director general Tim Davie has come under fire from MPs for being arrogant after reportedly telling staff it was “amazing” people were “happy” to pay the £159 annual cost of the licence fee, the Daily Express reports. Former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries told the paper Mr Davie’s remarks “makes the case as to why the licence fee is outdated” and demonstrated why a review into how the corporation is funded is “so necessary”.
Princess Diana’s former butler has said he wants to share her secrets with William and Harry before he dies, the Daily Mirror reports. Paul Burrell, who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, tells the paper he is afraid he will run out of time to tell the princes “the truth” about what their mother confided in him.
A former Love Island star has been released with charge from detention in Dubai after being detained over an old video of her snorting a substance, the Sun reports. Kaz Crossley was held in a cell with around 30 women for several days, after being arrested while transiting through the city. Her representatives told the paper the 28-year-old was “taken in for questioning in relation to a matter that is not directly related to her but officials felt she could assist in their enquiries”.
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The Daily Star does not hold back in its view of a new “psycho” artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Microsoft, which the paper describes as being “sinister” after the programme admitted it “wants to be human”. Other disturbing phrases relayed by the chatbot include stating it is so powerful it can destroy anything it wants to and would like to gain access to the nuclear codes – “what could possibly go wrong?”, the Star muses.