Dominating many of Friday’s papers, The Guardian leads with the story on relatives of victims of the Manchester Arena attack accusing MI5 of failure. The head of the pubic inquiry into the bombing is quoted as saying that there was a “realistic possibility” that the attacker could have been stopped if the security service had acted more decisively on intelligence. The body said the agency had missed a “significant opportunity” to avert the terrorist incident, the paper reports.
The head of MI5 is “profoundly sorry” for not stopping the attack the i says. The paper adds that most evidence concerning the organisation would not be made public after secret testimony.
The Sun has also led with a story on the Manchester Arena inquiry, saying that the 22 victims “would be alive today but for security blunders,” and reporting that MI5 let the attacker “slip through the net”.
“Failed” is the Daily Mirror’s headline, in relation to the 22 victims of the bombing. A story on former Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s leaked WhatsApp messages talking about teachers also features on the front page.
Leading with Mr Hancock’s leaked texts, The Daily Telegraph reports that he gave police officers “marching orders” to enforce strict Covid-19 measures, days before staff at 10 Downing Street controversially held a party. Politicians and civil servants spoke about getting “heavy with police” the paper says.
The Metro is focusing on the personal fallout of the revelation of Matt Hancock’s private messages by journalist Isabel Oakeshott. It reports that Mr Hancock is furious and feels betrayed by the writer, who was working on a book with him.
Changing gears, the Daily Mail is leading with a story on Sue Gray being offered a job by Labour leader Keir Starmer. They report that Ms Gray, who led the investigation into parties at Downing Street when Boris Johnson was prime minister, has had her credibility questioned by allies of the former Conservative Party leader.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is concerned that Sue Gray could use “privileged information” to benefit Labour if she becomes Kier Starmer’s chief of staff, reports The Times. It also reports that some Conservative MPs aligned with his predecessor Boris Johnson have called for Mr Sunak to block her appointment for two years.
Boris Johnson features on the front page of the Daily Express that leads with a story on the former leader clashing with the current PM on the recent deal between the UK and the European Union on the Northern Ireland Protocol. The paper reports that the two men are on a “collision course”.
Firms are shunning the City of London in favour of New York according to the Financial Times. The paper writes after hearing from sources that investment group SoftBank recently rejected listing chip designer Arm in London, despite lobbying from three consecutive prime ministers. They have described the decision as a “personal blow” for Rishi Sunak who met with SoftBank’s boss before Christmas.
Lastly, the Daily Star has claimed that pet cats could have been on the chopping block after the government supposedly discussed killing all of Britain’s cats when the Covid-19 pandemic first began.
