“Ring of steel” is how the Sunday Mirror characterises an emergency law passed on Saturday giving the UK government control of British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant, and saving it from closure. The move, which appears on several front pages is branded “history-making” by the paper. In other news, Queen Camilla says King Charles III will not “slow down” following his brief hospital admission last month, the Mirror reports.
Sticking with steel, the Sunday Times reports the Royal Navy is now “on alert” to escort a fuel shipment to the blast furnaces. It says fresh supplies are needed to ensure the furnaces do not burn out and become “almost impossible to turn back on”. Separately, it reports that a Liberal Democrat MP was refused entry to Hong Kong on a trip to visit her family. The Chinese Embassy and the UK Foreign Office have been asked to comment.
The Sunday Telegraph likewise refers to a “ring of steel” at Scunthorpe and carries an image of a march in support of saving the plant on Saturday. But leading its front page is news of an attack on three prison officers by one of the men responsible for the Manchester Arena bombing, Hashem Abedi. The case “will raise questions about security measures in Britain’s prisons,” according to the paper.
Meanwhile, the Observer gives Donald Trump’s tariffs another day on the front pages. “Reeves calls for global free trade fightback” reads its headline, as the chancellor says the president’s actions will have a “profound” effect on the UK in a column for the paper. She says she will seek an “ambitious new relationship with the EU” and a trade deal with India.
The Mail on Sunday leads on a story about convicted child serial killer Lucy Letby. The paper says it has seen a “bombshell” memo that “casts doubt on court claim the nurse was caught ‘red-handed'”. Separately, it also touts the “historic” nature of Saturday’s steel intervention and describes a day of “high drama” in Parliament.
The Sunday Express splashes on Queen Camilla’s endorsement of the King’s dedication to his work as he continues to undergo cancer treatment. Reporters asked the Queen during the pair’s state visit to Italy last week whether Charles might take things easy. “Dream on,” reads the paper’s headline.
The Sunday People leads on Davina McCall’s announcement that she is “all clear” after undergoing surgery for a benign brain tumour in November. The presenter told her Instagram followers on Saturday that the tumour was “not coming back” following recent scans.
In further entertainment news, a Downton Abbey film actor says the late Maggie Smith “still feels present” in the project, according to the Daily Star Sunday. Paul Giamatti says “everybody was still acting in her spirit,” the paper reports.
