An accusation by senior barristers that Justice Secretary David Lammy has “misrepresented” figures about the collapse of rape cases is the lead in the Sunday Times. It has claimed he did this in order to push through the abolition of some jury trials in England and Wales. The paper reports that the Lammy suggested 60% of victims are pulling out of cases because of delays in the court system. But the paper quotes two barristers who say the true statistics show the vast majority of reported rape claims are abandoned before a charge is even brought. The Ministry of Justice said the lawyers’ comments were “completely misleading”.
The Sunday Telegraph claims Labour’s biggest union backer, Unite, is considering a vote on whether to split from the party. It reports that senior union officials are in talks about whether to call an emergency conference to vote on formal disafiliation from the party. But a source from Unite has told the BBC that such a conference will not take place.
A full page photo of Sir Keir Starmer splashes the front page of the Observer. In an interview with the paper, the prime minister insists he will fight on in the role, predicts that the former Labour deputy leader, Angela Rayner, will return to the cabinet, and attacks Reform UK and the Green Party.
The Sunday Mirror leads with details from a new Covid report which it says show that schemes developed by Boris Johnson’s government cost the taxpayer £10.9bn in fraud. The paper reports that furlough handouts, bounce back loans and the Eat Out to Help Out scheme were easily abused by scammers.
The Sunday Express leads with claims that dozens of foreign nationals – who are deemed a threat to national security – face constant monitoring because human rights laws prevent them from being deported. The paper says there are fresh calls for the UK to “overhaul” these laws and leave the European Convention on Human Rights. Border Security and Asylum minister Alex Norris told the Express new laws were coming.
The Duchess of Sussex’s father, Thomas Markle, has told the Mail on Sunday that he still hasn’t heard from his daughter as he recovers in hospital after reportedly having his left leg amputated below the knee. Mr Markle tells the paper he wants to see Meghan “one last time before he dies”.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: BBC
