‘Europe’s Silicon Valley’ and Strictly Wynne’s apology


Guardian front page 29 January 2025

“Reeves pledges to create ‘Europe’s Silicon Valley'”, reads the Guardian headline, referring to Chancellor Rachel Reeves “push for growth”, which features on many of Wednesday’s front pages. The paper says she will reveal plans to create a tech hub between Oxford and Cambridge, in a bid to “kickstarting economic growth and putting more money in people’s pockets”. The Guardian adds that industry experts say the infrastructure will add up to £78bn to the UK’s economy within 10 years. Gaza refugees returning to a “wasteland of ruins” in northern Gaza also features, with the Guardian’s leading image depicting Palestinians on their walk home.

Metro front page 29 January 2025

“Abramovich, superyachts and a tax avoiding scandal”, reads the Metro, referring to leaked documents exposing how Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich is said to avoided paying millions of pounds in taxes by leasing out his superyachts. The former owner of Premier League team Chelsea FC, was pictured on his £559m yacht Eclipse in the Caribbean one Christmas Day – when it was supposedly chartered by a company based in the British Virgin Islands, the paper adds, in a story that was first reported by the BBC.

Financial Times front page 29 January 2025

The Financial Times leads with US President Donald Trump’s “freeze on hundreds of billions” in federal loans and grants, which it says has stirred “alarm”. The paper calls it Trump’s “latest move” to cut spending, and says it jeopardises funding ranging from medical and scientific research to early childhood education and food aid. One Democrat senator called the freeze “inhumane”.

i Paper front page 29 January 2025

The i paper splashes with their exclusive on the chancellor’s speech – and an upcoming announcement of a £55m investment into supplying an extra 30,000 electric vehicle kerbside charging ports. It says that Reeves’ “major speech” is an attempt to “shake off post-Brexit concerns over stagnant growth”. The i adds that she will also confirm expansion plans for Heathrow airport.

Daily Express front page 29 January 2025

The Daily Express’s royal exclusive takes a look at King Charles reportedly vetoing the name HMS Agincourt for a new Navy submarine, to “avoid upsetting the French over their historic defeat”. The name was initially approved by Queen Elizabeth in 2018, the paper says, but will now be called HMS Achilles. Agincourt is the place where Henry V’s victory against Charles VI’s French forces occurred.

Daily Telegraph front page 29 January 2025

“I will fight for growth”, vows the chancellor in the Daily Telegraph headline, as she backs expansions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton airports amidst opposition from some colleagues in the cabinet. The paper says she will also announce nine new reservoirs, and a “growth corridor” including road and rail upgrades to Oxford. The Telegraph also takes a look at French President Emmanuel Macron’s vow that British tourists -among other non-EU citizens – will have to pay more to visit the Louvre in order to “help fund” changes to the Louvre, including a dedicated room for the Mona Lisa.

The Times front page 29 January 2025

The Times leads with Keir Starmer likening his government to Margaret Thatcher’s as he promises to cut through “thickets of red tape” to make way for growth. He write in the Times that he will take aim at “overreach” by government watchdogs, and end what he calls “vexatious legal challenges”. Attempting to make his government one of deregulation, the prime minister says it is “now essential” to make Labour’s plans on homebuilding and green energy a reality.

Daily Mail front page 29 January 2025

The Daily Mail says critics of the chancellor are telling her to “tear down barriers” to growth that she created, as she readies her latest plans to revive what the paper calls the UK’s “flat-lining economy”. In her speech on Wednesday, Reeves will say she is ready to move “further and faster” in pursuit of growth, the Mail adds.

Daily Mirror front page 29 January 2025

The Daily Mirror splashes with Wynne Evans being “axed” from the Strictly Live tour after he reportedly made a sexualised comment during the tour’s launch earlier this month. The paper quotes the former Strictly Come Dancing contestant as saying he has agreed with the BBC to “take some time out”, and adds that he is “deeply sorry” for the pain caused.

The Sun front page 29 January 2025

“Wynne: I’m so sorry”, reads the Sun’s headline, leading with Strictly star Wynne Evans’s apology for what he calls his “inappropriate actions”. The tenor’s apology comes after he is said to have made a sexualised “joke” during the Strictly Live tour, which he has now been dropped from. The paper adds that he has split from his partner and faces being “axed from his Go Compare ads”.

Daily Star front page 29 January 2025

And the Daily Star’s front page story reports how “dastardly chatbots” have learned how to replicate without the help of humans.

Getty Images Rachel Reeves wearing a red shirt and black blazer. She is talking with two small mics in front of her. The background is blue.Getty Images

The Daily Telegraph suggests that the chancellor’s speech this morning will attempt to focus on new projects, and new policies developed during what the paper calls Labour’s economically bumpy first six months in power. Among the infrastructure plans, Rachel Reeves will highlight proposals for nine new reservoirs – Britain’s first for more than 30 years – amid worries that the UK could run out of water in the 2030s without radical action. But it notes that the chancellor’s plans coincide with risks of a UK recession, plunging business confidence and lower rates of hiring, and points out that the Conservatives blame both her and the prime minister for the economy’s “predicament”.

Also looking at Reeves, the i paper reports that her speech will include a £55m investment to provide 30,000 electric vehicle kerbside charging points outside homes.

The Guardian believes the chancellor is staking the government’s success on kickstarting economic growth. It says her speech is being seen inside government as a chance to pivot away from the economic doom and gloom of Labour’s first month’s in power, and instead focus on delivering real change.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail argues that the barriers to growth the government needs to tear down are the very ones it created. The Mail says that despite Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer calling for measures to be vetoed unless they can be shown to boost the economy, No 10 is continuing with what the paper calls a string of damaging policies, such as the rise on employers’ National Insurance contributions.

According to the Times, the first patients in the UK have received blood tests to gauge their risk of dementia as part of a trial to improve diagnosis of the condition. Around 3,000 people will eventually be enrolled in the study. The tests look for proteins associated with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Combined with clinical assessments they can provide a key indication of whether people are affected. It’s hoped the data could boost the case for the tests to be available on the NHS.

The Daily Telegraph reports that the FBI is said to have been handed a dossier detailing Lord Mandelson’s alleged links with China. It was compiled using open source data from the Chinese web, and is said to contain multiple examples of apparent links to senior Beijing officials. The paper argues it could further complicate Lord Mandelson’s chance of being accepted by President Donald Trump as the next British ambassador to the US. Downing Street says it has rejected the report.

Both the Times and the Telegraph suggest that more than 20 years after Concorde last flew, a new era of supersonic passenger flights is upon us after a test plane broke the sound barrier yesterday. The XB-1 demonstrator – made by Boom Supersonic – flew faster than 850mph three times over the Mojave Desert in California. The company now wants to scale the plane up to a commercial passenger model to come into service around 2030.

And the Daily Express – in what it calls a royal exclusive – says King Charles personally intervened last year to veto a new submarine being called HMS Agincourt. It says he torpedoed the name to avoid it upsetting the French. The astute class will be now be called HMS Achilles.

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