‘Tory PM ousting plot’ and ‘Gran’s death row wait’

Image caption, A variety of stories on the front pages of Saturday’s newspapers, with a handful reporting on plans to push Penny Mordaunt to be the next Tory party leader. The Daily Telegraph is one of those papers who cite sources detailing a scheme to “oust” Rishi Sunak. The broadsheet’s lead story centres on Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer, who the paper says is refusing to name whistleblowers who raised concerns about special forces carrying out extrajudicial killings. Mr Mercer told an inquiry into the unlawful killing of Afghans his sources were “not direct-hand witnesses”. He added that he needed to maintain his “integrity” and that “the simple reality is at this stage that I’m not prepared to burn them”.

Image caption, Saturday’s Guardian leads with a report on the British Medical Association saying Tory donor Frank Hester should resign from his company TPP – which the paper says runs the electronic patient records of almost half the medical practices in the UK – as questions grow about how many times he has met Sunak. According to the Guardian, the union says Hester’s remarks about Diane Abbott are “racist and misogynistic” and breach the NHS’s fit and proper person test. Hester has apologised for making “rude” comments about the former-Labour MP but said his remarks “had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”.

Image caption, A huge photo of CCTV surveillance dominates the front page of the Times as it covers the first day of Russia’s presidential election, with several reports of incidents of protesters being detained. But the lead story focuses on Lord Sewell, who was appointed chair of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, which is tasked with looking into race disparity in the UK, and tells the paper the UK is “less divided than 40 years ago”.

Image caption, Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat delivery rider accounts are being traded for use by illegal workers through a growing online black market, according to the lead story in the i newspaper. The paper also hints at a leadership challenge to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and also looks ahead to a huge weekend of sport – including the conclusion of this year’s Six Nations rugby tournament.

Image caption, “One last hope”, is the big headline on the front of Saturday’s Daily Mirror, which centres on a gran from Cheltenham who is facing the death penalty in Indonesia after being found guilty in 2013 for drugs smuggling. She was sentenced to death, but the paper quotes a source saying she could still avoid the capital punishment if she waits one more year. Elsewhere, actress and singer Billie Piper speaks out about how she has dealt with recent comments made by her ex-husband Laurence Fox, whom she married in 2007.

Image caption, Like other papers, the Daily Mail reports that there is a plot to crown Penny Mordaunt prime minister, saying that Tory MPs on the right of the party have held secret talks with moderates about replacing Rishi Sunak with the current Leader of the House. The move would signal a third change of prime minister since the last election, the paper notes, as it also examines the turmoil facing the Royal Family almost a week after multiple global photo agencies pulled a Mother’s Day image of Catherine, the Princess of Wales, and her children.

Image caption, A photo of Sir Lenny Henry catches the eye on the front of the Daily Express as the paper pays tribute to the comedian who broke down in tears as he looked back at his 39-years of hosting Comic Relief for a final time on Friday. The tabloid’s lead story cites government insiders who hint the triple lock, which increases state pension payments, will be kept as a promise at the election, as it says Jeremy Hunt is offering an “olive branch” to pensioners.

Image caption, Finally, the Daily Star looks back on the bookmakers being “bashed” in the Cheltenham Gold Cup – but the main story centres on another animal. The tabloid says rampant beavers have been found on the Cornwall nature reserve Helman Tor, on Bodmin Moor – but nobody knows how they got there.

A number of Saturday morning’s front pages consider the future of Rishi Sunak as leader of the Conservatives and as Prime Minister.

According to the Daily Telegraph, a Tory source says Penny Mordaunt is “now seen as the most likely person to stem the losses”.

“Plot to crown Mordaunt as PM”, is the headline on the Daily Mail as the paper claims MPs on the right of the Conservative Party have held secret talks with moderates about uniting behind the Leader of the House of Commons.

Another Tory insider tells the i newspaper paper they are “100%” certain Mr Sunak will face “some sort of challenge” in the coming months – warning “the party is just utterly despondent” and an election is all Tory MPs “have left”.

Sticking with politics, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt promises pensioners he will not let them down on major tax change, according to the Daily Express. The paper says government insiders have hinted the triple lock, which increases state pension payments, will be kept at the election.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Penny Mordaunt, a former defence secretary, has been reportedly tipped to succeed Rishi Sunak as Tory leader, according to some of Saturday’s papers

In other UK news, the government’s former adviser on equality, Lord Sewell of Sanderstead, tells the Times the Church of England made a “political decision” in starting a fund to help repair damage caused by its historic links to slavery.

Unions representing GPs and health workers have called on the Conservative donor Frank Hester to stand down from running NHS contracts, according to the Guardian. It cites the British Medical Association as saying his “racist and misogynistic comments” breach its fit and proper person test. Mr Hester has apologised for making “rude” comments about the former-Labour MP but said his remarks “had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”.

The Sun’s lead story focuses on part of the M25 being closed for the first time in decades. “Mission Impassable” is the headline as the tabloid says Hollywood actor Tom Cruise has gone into “crisis mode” and hired helicopters to ensure the cast and crew are able to keep shooting the latest Mission Impossible film in Surrey.

Finally, the Daily Mirror reports on a grandmother from Cheltenham who was convicted in Indonesia a decade a ago and sentenced to the death penalty. The tabloid says after languishing on death row for more than 10 years fearing each morning may be her last, Lindsay Sandiford finally has hopes of a reprieve.