There is a mix of stories on the front pages of Thursday’s papers. Leading the Metro, the prime minister says the UK will sue former Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich unless he gives victims of the war in Ukraine the £2.5bn he made from the sale of the club. The Russian billionaire pledged in 2022 to donate the funds to benefit victims of the war, but there has been a delay in releasing the money, which is currently frozen in a British bank account, due to a standoff over how exactly it should be used.
“Abramovich clings on to $2.5bn” is the Times’ take. The paper says the Russian billionaire believes he has “a watertight legal case” to ensure the funds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club are donated on his terms. Alongside, police are vowing to crack down on chants for intifada, an Arabic word for uprising, by pro-Palestinian supporters, saying they will “act decisively” over use of the slogan, the Times reports.
The UK’s deal to rejoin the EU student exchange programme, Erasmus, could cost more than £8bn, according to the Daily Telegraph. The paper says the ongoing membership is set to be a lot pricier than the government previously announced because of Brussels’ plans to increase funding for the scheme from 2028. Elsewhere, the Matt cartoon eyes the doctors’ strike in the week before Christmas, showing a nurse telling a patient: “Only four more sleeps till you get a visit from a resident doctor.”
The Daily Mail also stays with the Erasmus deal, quoting critics of the PM who accuse him of “throwing billions away” on the scheme. Sir Keir’s ministers defended the decision, saying it would “provide priceless benefits” to students hoping to study abroad.
The Financial Times leads with the continued bidding war between Paramount and Netflix to acquire Warner Bros Discovery. The paper reports Warner Bro Discovery’s board is urging shareholders to reject Paramount’s $108bn offer, calling it “inferior” to the terms agreed with Netflix. In the top picture spot, panda diplomacy is “bearing the brunt” of the political rift between China and Japan. For the first time in more than half a century, a panda at the Toyko zoo due to be returned to China in January will not be replaced by a new furry resident, the paper says.
The UK military has begun “advanced preparations” to send a peacekeeping force to Ukraine, the i Paper reports. Officials are hopeful that a peace deal is “closer than ever” and the Ministry of Defence has begun its “notice to move” process to deploy troops if called upon, the paper says.
The Daily Express shifts its focus to the doctors’ strike. The paper features Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch calling on the PM to “show some backbone” and ban doctors from striking. She also accuses the government of “failing patients” as the NHS struggles to cope with the walkouts, the paper says.
The Guardian also marks the doctors’ strike with their front page picture of resident doctors picketing outside St Thomas’ hospital in London. Also prominent is the paper’s story on Belgian politicians and senior finance executives being subject to a “campaign of intimidation” allegedly orchestrated by Russian intelligence.
The Daily Mirror spotlights the news that scientists who helped find the first drug to fight Covid have now joined the search for treatment of the super flu that is bearing down on the NHS. The paper quotes one of the leaders of the Recovery trial as saying: “We have got more treatments for Covid than flu.”
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola’s restaurant is shutting down, says the Sun. The team behind the venue blames the closure on “exceptionally challenging” trading conditions and increased costs, according to the paper.
Finally, the Daily Star splashes with plans by German darts fans to take over the World Championships next year as the event moves to a bigger arena at Alexandra Palace. “Herr we throw” is the headline.
The Daily Telegraph says the UK could face a bill of almost £9bn for rejoining the EU’s student exchange programme, Erasmus. The government has agreed a deal for one year, but the paper says ongoing membership would be far more expensive, as the EU plans to significantly increase the cost. A government spokesperson says the £570m agreement for 2027 is a “good deal” for taxpayers.
The Daily Mail has a different figure of £6bn, asserting in its front page headline that was the cost of what it calls Sir Keir Starmer’s “new bid to suck up to Brussels”. It quotes the shadow foreign secretary, Dame Priti Patel, accusing Labour of “throwing millions away”. In response, the minister for EU relations, Nick Thomas-Symonds, says rejoining the Erasmus scheme is a “huge win for young people”.
The Guardian says it has been told by European intelligence agencies that the Kremlin has been orchestrating a campaign of intimidation against Belgian politicians and finance executives. It says the campaign is aimed at stopping the country un-freezing billions of pounds of Russian assets and using them to help Ukraine.
According to the i Paper, the British military has been preparing to send a peacekeeping force to Ukraine as hopes rise that a deal to end the war with Russia is imminent. The newspaper says kit is being bought and plans for troop movements are being finalised.
A call by Kemi Badenoch, for Sir Keir to “show some backbone” and ban doctors from striking is highlighted by the Daily Express. Writing in the paper, Badenoch says her party would legislate to prevent doctors staging walkouts. The Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, is quoted as saying he tried his “absolute best” to avoid the industrial action.
And the Times reports that the government has put an export ban on a 220-year-old Union flag, flown at the Battle of Trafalgar, to prevent it being purchased by an overseas buyer. The paper says it is hoped the three-month ban will give a gallery or museum time to raise the £450,000 needed so it can be kept for the nation.
