The Times reports that ministers are prepared to hand over £8bn of Russian assets, which are frozen in Britain, to support Ukraine, external. The paper says the move is part of an international push to increase pressure on Moscow, and that as much as £100bn could be released for Ukraine’s war effort, if the UK manages to broker a deal with the EU and other countries including Canada.
The Novichok Inquiry is the lead for the Daily Mirror, which carries photos of Dawn Sturgess and Russian President Vladimir Putin on its front page. The inquiry on Thursday found that Putin was “morally responsible” for the death of Ms Sturgess, external who was poisoned by the deadly nerve agent in Salisbury in 2018. “Dawn’s Blood on his hands” is the headline.
Comments from Deputy Prime Minsiter David Lammy , externalthat leaving the EU has “badly damaged” the UK economy, and that re-joining the EU customs union would “boost economic growth”, are the lead for the Daily Telegraph. The paper reports that the deputy prime minister refused to rule out “reversing” the Brexit process during a podcast interview, but said re-joining the EU customs union was not “currently” the government’s policy.
The i Paper has spoken to Liz Kendall, external, the chair of the government’s child poverty task force, ahead of the launch of its poverty strategy on Friday. Ms Kendall, it reports, defended her party’s tax rises in last week’s Budget. It quotes her as saying that it would be “ignorant” to call Labour the “party of welfare”, but that it is the party that “backs kids and their future”.