Diana Abbott’s comments at a rally in east London on Wednesday made several front page appearances. The Guardian says Ms Abbott has promised to remain an MP “for as long as possible”, amid a row over whether Labor will allow her to stand for their party in her seat of Hackney North and Stoke Newington in the election.
An agreement has been reached for Ms Abbott – who was suspended from the Labor Party last April for saying Jews, Irish and Travelers do not face racism “all their lives” – to step down as an MP on her terms, on her own terms. The newspaper says the deal collapsed after the media were instead told that Labor would bar her from running – a claim Sir Keir Starmer denies.
The Telegraph says Ms Abbott’s comments have prompted some Labor members to question Mr Starmer’s leadership. The newspaper reported that dozens of Labor MPs and senior party officials defected last night to attack Starmer’s handling of the row, with one senior figure saying the length of the process had “frustrated many of us”.
“We’re behind you, Keir,” read the front page of the Mirror, next to a photo of Mr Starmer with student nurses campaigning in Worcester yesterday. Elsewhere, the newspaper also reported that Fiona Bell, the teacher who pleaded guilty to murdering her partner Nicholas Billingham, will be jailed today.
The Daily Express reports on the Tory accusation that Labor has a billion-dollar black hole in its spending pledges, an accusation Labor also makes at the Conservatives. On Wednesday evening, the Labor Party ruled out increasing the value-added tax in the next parliament. Treasurer Jeremy Hunt told the newspaper it showed Labor had “given up” after spending “all week refusing to rule out” a tax rise.
Health Minister Victoria Atkins has accused junior doctors of carrying out a “cynical” election campaign by calling a five-day strike in the week before the July 4 ballot, the Metro reports. The newspaper said that joint leader Dr. Robert Lorenson said that the strike would be “the largest and loudest” yet.
If you’re reading this while eating breakfast, you might want to look away now. The Daily Star says North Korean leader Kim Jong Un used more than “200 giant balloons to drop tons of feces” on his neighbors in South Korea. The newspaper described this move as the “Turkish World War.”
Europe has less than 5% of the air defense capabilities needed to protect its eastern flank against a large-scale attack, according to NATO calculations in the Financial Times today. The newspaper says that some European leaders and military officials have warned that Russia may have the ability to attack a NATO member state by the end of the decade.
Finally, the Daily Mail says it has obtained an unprecedented report which it says reveals a definitive account of Lord Lucan’s disappearance.
