The Daily Mail leads on further allegations, external against the Duchess of Sussex’s father, Thomas Markle. Under the headline “Vault of Shame” the paper says it has reported Markle to the FBI after its journalists uncovered what it called a “stash” of child pornography in a storage unit the paper says was rented by him in Mexico.
The Sun says it has been told by staff at the care home, external where Thomas Markle has been living that he has been asked to leave, and is now staying at a different home, in Florida. Markle has strongly denied allegations that he has possessed images of child abuse.
In his Guardian article, Andy Burnham offers, external what the paper says amounts to a personal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade. The prime minister says he will launch an initiative to help the Commonwealth’s poorest countries repay their debts, over a longer period of time, with better rates. Ruling out financial reparations, Burnham says he does not think “British people today can be held liable for historical wrongs, however heinous”.
Leading the Times, Chancellor John Healey vows, external to veto new clean energy projects, if there is a risk the grid cannot cope with the electricity generated pushing up costs for consumers. The chancellor says there is “no sense in building power that can’t connect and then paying to switch it off”. The paper’s editorial notes that wind farms were allowed to connect to the network before upgrades to the national grid had been carried out.
The Daily Telegraph says several Red Wall Labour MPs, external are calling on the government to reduce the benefits bill, and not to appease what one calls the “leafy Surrey suburbs”. Another MP tells the paper the government should be “ambitious”, adding that the UK needed a “Beveridge report for the 21st century”.
The Daily Mirror leads on a report that the King’s niece, external, Zara Tindall, has a jewellery range that features gems from an Australian mine that has been criticised over pollution. “Zara and the Toxic Diamonds” is the headline. The paper says Zara Tindall’s agent did not respond to a request for comment.