Image caption, The BBC’s director-general’s apology to complaints of abusive behaviour on Strictly Come Dancing made front pages in several newspapers, including the Metro. Tim Davie apologised to the contestants who made the allegations, but confirmed that the show would return for series 20 in the autumn.
Image caption, The Daily Express described Davie’s apology as “heartfelt”, and said the BBC’s director general was “forced to personally intervene” over the scandal.Image caption, The Daily Mirror also ran a front-page story about an apology to Strictly cast members, but it said some professional dancers were left “infuriated” and felt “abandoned”.Image caption, The BBC also makes it onto the front page of the Daily Star, but for a different reason: they have published a list of their highest-paid stars. Topping the list is football commentator Gary Lineker, who the paper highlights has a daily rate of £3,698. “Garry, if you can do it, it’s a good job,” it adds.Image caption, The new commander of the British Army made the front page of the i newspaper after his first major speech on Tuesday. General Rory Walker said Britain needed to prepare for international war within the next three years and predicted Russia would seek revenge against the West.Image caption, The lead story in The Times is about government health adviser Alan Milburn, who says people on long-term sick leave should be required to look for work to tackle the burden on welfare in the UK. Milburn, who was health secretary under Tony Blair, says the current system is “insane” and needs reform. His comments come as a new report is published about the government’s plans to reduce the number of people who are economically inactive.Image caption, The Daily Telegraph’s lead story also reports on the government’s plans for a shutdown, but the focus is on GPs who will vote on whether to hold protests over pay, which could see the number of daily appointments they can make cut by up to a third.Image caption, The main photo, which made multiple front pages, including in The Guardian, was of British dressage champion Charlotte Dujardin, who withdrew from the Paris Olympics after a video of her race raised concerns about horse welfare. But the Guardian’s main story was on US politics, with Kamala Harris appearing at her first campaign rally, in Wisconsin, where she told a crowd: “We are going to win this election.”Image caption, The Daily Mail focuses on radical Islamic preacher Aneem Choudhary, who was convicted on Tuesday of leading a group banned under Britain’s terrorism laws and encouraging support for it online. The paper spoke to security experts who said Choudhary was too dangerous and should not have been released after serving his previous sentence in 2016.Image caption, The Financial Times’ lead story is a report from the UK Audit Office, which says the government may have to deliberately discourage people from using the train between Birmingham and Manchester because of the reduced number of seats available following the decision to scrap this section of HS2. In another story, the Financial Times reports that more than 250,000 tickets are still being resold for the Paris Olympics, which start on Friday.
Newspaper front pages on Wednesday were filled with photos of Charlotte Dujardin, the three-time Olympic gold medalist in dressage, who withdrew from the Paris Games after a video was released showing her “error of judgment.”
of Daily Mail She has been described as “Team GB’s golden girl”. The Daily Telegraph She allegedly whipped the horse 24 times “like a circus elephant” and said she was “deeply ashamed” of her actions.
of Telegraph The paper headlines a report that GPs are threatening to cut patient numbers over pay. GPs in England are voting on whether to take part in national “collective action” as work regulation measures are due to be introduced next week. This could result in GPs cutting the number of appointments they can take each day by up to a third, the paper reports.
Cover of Times The paper’s headline reads “People with long-term illnesses should be forced to look for work” and quotes government health adviser Alan Milburn. The paper says the former health secretary is urging radical reforms to tackle Britain’s welfare burden. Milburn is reported to have described the current system as “insane” and concluded that “seven in 10 economically inactive people would like to work but very few are supported or obliged to do so.”
The Sun’s front page features a photo of Ajem Choudhary, a radical Islamic preacher convicted on terrorism charges. The thesis declares: “Throw away the key now.”
Email “Why has a jihadi preacher been set free to spew hate?” it asks. After his release from prison in 2018, the 57-year-old “launched a global effort to recruit the next generation of terrorists” from Brazil, Canada and the United States, the paper said. Police investigations also revealed that he had been “selling his sermons” to British primary school children as young as 14.
Financial Times The headline read, “Windmillion – £1 billion flowing into Crown Fortune.” It reported that profitable offshore wind farms scattered along the coastlines of England, Wales and Northern Ireland were causing a surge in profits for the Crown Fortune. Crown Fortune, which leads the royal finances, said its revenues had more than doubled, mainly due to fees charged to offshore wind developers.
Some papers, Daily Mirror, Daily Expressand Metro The BBC’s director general has apologised over the ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ scandal.
Strictly dancers fear they have been “abandoned” by their former celebrity partners and do not feel “protected” against abuse allegations, according to the Mirror. The paper says the professional dancers are calling on BBC bosses to screen new contestants before they begin the dance show’s “rigorous training”.
Parents The paper paid tribute in an obituary to actress Roberta Taylor, who has died aged 76. She was best known on TV for her roles as matriarch Eileen Raymond in “EastEnders” and hard-drinking Inspector Gina Gold in “The Bill”. She also had a distinguished stage career. The paper said Taylor “proved admirably that a really good actor can easily handle grand tragedy, grand comedy and fine melodrama”.
