Many of the papers lead with the growing pressure on Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby over a damning report into a prolific child abuser associated with the Church of England. The report said Mr Welby “could and should” have reported the allegations against John Smyth, who died in 2018, when details were presented to him in 2013.
The Daily Mail says the archbishop’s position looks “increasingly untenable”, while the Sun says Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is refusing to back him. A survivor of abuse by Smyth tells the Daily Express that Mr Welby put himself and the reputation of the church ahead of the welfare of victims.
In a letter to the TimesAnglican priest and former Conservative politician Jonathan Aitken says the Archbishop is right to resist calls to resign. He says those attacking Mr Welby should “heed Christ’s teaching: ‘whoever is without sin, let him cast the first stone’.”
The Guardian’s front page focuses on the publication of the assisted dying bill. The paper says it sets out “hardline safeguards” including “lengthy prison sentences” for people who coerce terminally ill people into ending their own lives. The Daily Telegraph says people could kill themselves in just three weeks under the process outlined in the proposals. Broadcaster and assisted dying campaigner Dame Esther Rantzen tells the Express she has her “fingers firmly crossed” that the legislation passes.
The news that Gary Lineker is to leave Match of the Day also makes the front pages. The Daily Mirror quotes an insider who says the deal has been agreed “by both sides and everyone is happy”.
In its commentary, the Mail says the presenter has become a “lightning rod and challenging employee for the BBC in deeply divided times”. The Sun’s headline is simply: “What a finish by Lineker”. The paper says fellow pundits Mark Chapman, Alex Scott, and Gabby Logan are among the favourites to succeed Mr Lineker.
The Financial Times says the European Union is changing its spending rules to redirect “potentially tens of billions of euros” to defence and security. The paper says Donald Trump’s return to the White House has increased pressure on the bloc to increase investment. The article says that, according to EU officials, member states will have more flexibility to spend money from Brussels on supporting “the defence industry and military mobility projects”.
Many of the papers reflect plans by NHS England to prescribe pills to help smokers kick the habit. The i quotes the health service’s chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, as saying the drug will be a “game-changer”. The Times says a study by University College London suggested the plan would prevent 9,500 smoking-related deaths over the next five years.
The Guardian says the Magic Circle is trying to find a woman who defied its male-only policy in the early nineties by masquerading as a man. Sophie Lloyd had waited until the society began admitting women in 1991 to reveal her true identity. The paper says she was subsequently expelled by members angry at her “deliberate deception”. Now more than 30 years on, the organisation is trying to track her down to apologise. Its first female chair, Laura London, tells the paper “it’s almost if they just made her vanish from thin air”.
