US President Donald Trump has declared European leaders “weak”, and his comments made several front pages on Wednesday. According to the Metro, the president “criticized ‘declining’ European nations” for failing to take action to end the war in Ukraine, in a rant that the paper said “endangered peace.”
Claudia Winkleman shines on the cover of the Telegraph, after King Charles III made her an MBE for her services to broadcasting. The newspaper begins with quotes from its interview with the leader of France’s National Rally party, Jordan Bardella, who said he would rewrite border policy to help the UK push small boats carrying migrants into French waters.
The i Paper says the UK and Europe face a “huge reality check” over their security, following Trump’s condemnation of “weak” European leaders. The newspaper reports that No 10 has rejected the president’s claims, but notes that the prime minister will meet the US ambassador in Downing Street.
Trump’s “scorching attack” on Europe headlines the Independent’s front page. Also appearing on the front is Storm Bram, causing “travel misery” and “flood alerts” across Britain.
There are hopes that kyiv will accept the US-brokered peace deal “before Christmas”, according to the Financial Times. It reports that the United States has given Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky “days” to respond to its proposal, which will require Ukraine to accept territorial losses in exchange for “unspecified American security guarantees.”
“Police force numbers to be cut by dozens as planned,” reads the front-page headline of the Times, which reports that Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is considering reducing police forces in England and Wales to just 12. Sources have told the newspaper that the Home Secretary has delayed publishing a “long-awaited” plan for police reform until 2026 as she wants to make “bolder changes than previously planned.”
The Guardian reports that Sir Keir Starmer has called on European leaders to “urgently pause” joint human rights laws, to allow states to take “tougher action to protect borders”. The paper says Labor has been “condemned” for calling for changes, with critics arguing the changes could allow countries to abandon some of the world’s most vulnerable people.
The Mail’s front page does not feature a single image and heads the headline “Endless Asylum Fiasco.” It says a “damning report” from the National Audit Office has revealed “huge gaps in systems” and missing data, including the number of asylum seekers who have gone missing since arriving in the UK.
Photographs of Afghan teenagers Israr Niazal and Jan Jahanzeb lead the Express, after they were sentenced on Tuesday for the rape of a 15-year-old girl in Leamington Spa. In her commentary piece for the newspaper, Carole Malone asks: “How many more sexual assaults will it take?”
“The billions lost to Covid” is the Mirror’s top story, after a report found aid plans were left at risk during the pandemic. The document says fraud and error under the Conservatives cost £10.9bn, and much of the shortfall “cannot be recovered”.
A photograph of the late Ozzy Osbourne with his wife Sharon appears on the cover of the Sun, after she revealed her last words to him before her death in July this year.
“Vlad’s pussies galore,” reads the Daily Star’s main headline, alleging that Larry the cat “snubbed” the Ukrainian president during his visit to No 10 earlier this week.
