Child poverty payments for Scots families

I newspaper

Scotland’s new benefit to help low-income parents features on some of Scotland’s front pages. The i newspaper reports that parents will be able to claim £10 per week per child, with no limit for larger families.

The National

The National also leads with the new payment, saying campaigners have called the new benefit a “game changer”. It will be introduced for children under six from 2021.

Daily Record

A rise in suicides among young people in Scotland is the lead story in the Daily Record. It reports that there was a 50% rise in the number of people aged 15 to 24 taking their own lives, from 64 in 2017 to 96 in 2018.

The Herald

The Herald reports that Nicola Sturgeon is backing a plan for Scotland to become a “beacon” for woman’s rights. The proposals include a gender equality commission and aims for parity for women, starting from school age.

Scotsman

The Scotsman reports that pro-union parties in Scotland are to boycott government plans for a Scottish citizens’ assembly. They are concerned it is a “nationalist stunt” to revive the case for independence.

Scottish Daily Express

Tory leadership hopeful Jeremy Hunt has pledged to protect TV licences for over-75s in an interview with the Daily Express. The BBC announced earlier this month that only low-income households where one person receives the pension credit benefit will still be eligible for a free licence.

Daily Telegragh

The Telegraph leads on Boris Johnson’s plans for an Australian-style points-based immigration system, which he claims will restore “public faith” in the UK’s borders. Under the proposals, foreigners who want to work in Britain would have to be able to speak English and must have a job before they arrive, the paper reports.

The Times

The Times leads on a prediction from scientists that cervical cancer could be eliminated in Britain within decades because the HPV vaccine has been so successful. Rates of infection by the cancer-causing viruses have fallen by 86% among young women aged 15 to 19 since they started being vaccinated in schools in 2008, the paper reports.

The case of a wife who was reportedly taken to court for asking her husband to help with the chores is the lead story for the Sun. Valerie Sanders was prosecuted for “controlling behaviour” before the case was thrown out just before a trial, the paper reports.

Scottish Daily Mail

Hundreds of criminals will avoid a prison term after MSPs approved plans to restrict sentences of a year or less, the Scottish Daily Mail reports. It says the community justice system could reach breaking point.

Press and Journal

The Press and Journal reports on the Highland League footballer who admitted stabbing his ex-partner with a cheese knife. Richard Finnis pleaded guilty to attempted murder at the High Court in Glasgow on Wednesday.