Legend, The BBC’s director general’s apology over complaints of abusive behaviour on Strictly Come Dancing has made headlines in several newspapers, including the Metro. Tim Davie has apologised to the contestants who made the allegations, but confirmed the show will return for a 20th season in the autumn.
Legend, The Daily Express described Mr Davie’s apology as “heartfelt”, adding that the BBC director-general had been “forced to intervene personally” over the scandal.Legend, The Daily Mirror has also apologised to the Strictly stars. But the newspaper reports that some professional dancers are “furious” and feel they have been “let down”.Legend, The BBC is also front page news in the Daily Star, but for a different reason, after the corporation released its list of the highest-paid stars. Topping the list is football pundit Gary Lineker, who is paid £3,698 a day, the Star points out. “It’s a good job if you can get it, Gary,” the newspaper adds.Legend, The comments of the new head of the British army are making headlines in the i newspaper, after his first major speech on Tuesday. General Sir Roly Walker said the UK must be ready to fight an international war within three years – and predicted Russia would seek revenge on the West.Legend, The Times’ main story is that of the government’s health adviser, Alan Milburn, who claims that people on long-term sick leave should be forced to seek work to cope with the burden of social care in the UK. Mr Milburn, who was previously health secretary under Tony Blair, believes the current system is “crazy” and needs to be reformed. His comments come as a new report has been published on the government’s plans to reduce the number of economically inactive people.Legend, The Daily Telegraph also reports on the government’s plan to tackle economic inactivity. However, it focuses on GPs, who are currently voting on whether to hold a protest over their pay, which could see them cut the number of appointments they offer each day by a third.Legend, The main photo on several newspaper front pages, including the Guardian’s, is of British dressage champion Charlotte Dujardin, who withdrew from the Paris Olympics after a video raised concerns about horse welfare. But the Guardian’s main story moves on to US politics for another day, as Kamala Harris appeared at her first campaign rally. She told the crowd in Wisconsin: “We are going to win this election.”Legend, The Daily Mail focuses on radical Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary, who was convicted Tuesday of leading a group banned under British terrorism laws and encouraging online support for the group. The newspaper spoke to security experts who say Choudary was so dangerous he should never have been released from prison after his previous sentence in 2016.Legend, The Financial Times is in the headlines with a report from the US Auditor General’s Office, which says the government may have to discourage people from taking the train between Birmingham and Manchester because the decision to scrap that part of the HS2 network would mean fewer seats are available. In another article, the FT reports that there are still more than a quarter of a million tickets up for grabs for the Paris Olympics, which start on Friday.
Many of Wednesday’s headlines featured photos of three-time Olympic dressage champion Charlotte Dujardin, who withdrew from the Paris Games after a video emerged that she said showed her “making an error of judgment.”
The Daily Mail describes her as “Team GB’s golden girl”. The Daily Telegraph claims she whipped a horse 24 times “like an elephant in a circus” and is “deeply ashamed” of her actions.
The Telegraph headlines a story that GPs are threatening to see fewer patients following a pay dispute. It reports that GPs in England are voting on whether to take part in national “industrial action” – with work-to-rule measures set to be introduced from next week. The newspaper says this could see GPs cut the number of appointments they offer each day by up to a third.
The Times headlined: “Long-term sick people should be forced to look for work,” quoting the government’s health adviser Alan Milburn. The newspaper claims the former health secretary is calling for fundamental reform to tackle the burden on welfare in the UK. Mr Milburn reportedly called the current system “crazy” and noted that “seven out of ten economically inactive people want to work, but few of them have support or are forced to do so”.
The Sun’s front page features a picture of radical Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary, convicted of terrorism. The newspaper declares: “Throw away the key now.”
The Daily Mail asks: “Why was a jihad preacher released so he could spread hate?” The newspaper claims the 57-year-old “embarked on a global campaign to recruit the next generation of terrorists” in Brazil, Canada and the US after being released from prison in 2018. It adds that the police investigation found he had also “distributed sermons” to British schoolchildren as young as 14.
The Financial Times headlined: “Bumper profit – Crown Estate gobbles up £1bn.” It said a lucrative patch of offshore wind farms along the coasts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland had sent profits soaring for the monarchy’s estate. The Crown Estate, which plays a leading role in royal finances, said profits had more than doubled, largely thanks to fees charged to offshore wind developers.
Several newspapers, including the Daily Mirror, the Daily Express and the Metro, have published an apology from the BBC’s director general over the allegations surrounding Strictly Come Dancing.
Strictly dancers fear being “left behind” by their former celebrity partners and feel “unprotected” from abuse allegations, according to the Mirror. The newspaper says professional dancers are calling on BBC bosses to vet new contestants before they begin “rigorous training” for the dance show.
The Guardian has paid tribute in an obituary to actress Roberta Taylor, who has died aged 76. She was best known on television for her roles as matriarch Irene Raymond in EastEnders and Inspector Gina Gold in The Bill. She also had a remarkable stage career. The newspaper said Taylor “triumphantly demonstrated how a very good actor can embody great tragedy, high comedy and quality soap opera effortlessly”.