'Spy chief's grim warning' and 'tiger victim was child actor'

2 hours ago

News image — Many of Wednesday's papers lead on a speech from MI5 chief Sir Ken McCallum. Under the headline "red alert", The Daily Mirror reports on his warning that Russia is the "number one threat" to UK security. Danger exists in the form of "sabotage, arson, AI, bio-weapons, coercion and violence", with the MI5 chief comparing the situation to that the which existed after 9/11.

"Red alert" reads the headline on the front page of the Daily Mirror. — Many of Wednesday's papers lead on a speech from MI5 chief Sir Ken McCallum. Under the headline "red alert", The Daily Mirror reports on his warning that Russia is the "number one threat" to UK security. Danger exists in the form of "sabotage, arson, AI, bio-weapons, coercion and violence", with the MI5 chief comparing the situation to that the which existed after 9/11.

"MI5 Chief: UK must not play into the hands of Putin" reads the headline on the front page of the Daily Express. — The Daily Express also leads with the warning, headlining that the "UK must not 'play into hands' of Putin". It notes that the MI5 chief said "Russia trolls" who are alleged to have attempted to sway the Brexit referendum will be "delighted" to be "front page news once again" after being mentioned in the prime minister in a recent interview.

"MI5 chief: Russia did not sway Brexit vote" reads the headline on the front page of the Daily Telegraph. — The Telegraph pulls out a different line from the MI5 chief's speech, headlining "Russia did not sway Brexit vote". Sir Ken said it was "a matter of public record" that there was interference in the referendum by online trolls and bots.

"Online tax crackdown to boost the high street" reads the headline on the front page of the Times. — The Times also includes coverage of the MI5 chief's speech, noting that AI is being used by terrorists in attack plans. Its main story is the "online tax crackdown to boost the high street", reporting that "Healey's budget plan will stop foreign sellers avoiding VAT on Amazon, eBay and Temu".

"MI5 warns of rightwing shift from anti-migrant opinion to terrorism" reads the headline on the front page of the Guardian. — The Guardian's take on the spy chief's speech is "MI5 warns of rightwing shift from anti-migrant opinion to terrorism". The Guardian also reports that the UK has resisted "EU pressure to hit China with tariffs".

"Putin's Russia is biggest threat the Britain, MI5 chief confirms" reads the headline on the front page of The i Paper. — The i Paper also leads with the spy chief's speech, quoting him as saying threats from foreign adversaries have quadrupled in a decade. Also on its front page, television chef Dipna Anand shares that she had 13 miscarriages.

"Spy chief: AI is 'supercharging' threat to Britain" reads the headline on the front page of the Independent. — The Independent goes with Sir Ken's warning that "AI is 'supercharging" threat to Britain" for its lead story. It also carries a picture of the man killed in a tiger enclosure, who has been named as William Chapman.

"Tiger's victim a child actor" reads the headline on the front page of the Daily Star. — The Daily Star says that 23-year-old Chapman was once a "child actor" in its headline. He had appeared on both the BBC and ITV, it says.

"Tax fears eased in Burnham's 'pro-business' pitch to bosses" reads the headline on the front page of the Financial Times. — Tax fears have been "eased in Burnham's 'pro-business' pitch to bosses", according to the Financial Times. The paper also reports a warning from Anthropic, developers of chatbot Claude, which has warned that "AI worms" will soon able to "hijack smart home devices such as ovens and televisions".

"Toxic water spills surge" reads the headline on the front page of the Metro. — "Toxic water spills surge", writes the Metro, saying a toxic spill "pollutes our waterways every 90 mins." This is an exclusive for the paper.

"4 out of 5 new jobs went to foreigners in the past decade" reads the headline on the front page of the Daily Mail. — According to the Daily Mail, "four out of five new jobs went to foreigners in the past decade". It also announces the arrival of Trump's "very glamorous" new press secretary Katie Zacharia, saying "move over Eyelashes Andy" - a reference to Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

"Man shifty" reads the headline on the front page of the Sun. — The Sun headlines with "Man shifty" as it says the prime minister has been "accused of covering up his links to scandal-hit Manchester City". It says he had two "freebie dinners" with City and that a Sun probe has found "deleted records".

Many of the front pages focus on the head of MI5 warning that Russia poses the biggest threat to the UK. "Red alert" is the Daily Mirror's headline.

The Daily Express highlights that Sir Ken McCallum said that "Russian trolls" alleged to have influenced the Brexit debate a decade ago will be "delighted" to be front page news once again, after being mentioned by the prime minister in a recent interview.

The Express warns that the UK must not "play into the hands of Putin". The Brexit referendum is the Daily Telegraph's focus as well, saying Sir Ken insisted the result was not in dispute.

According to the Times, the Chancellor John Healey is to use his Budget later this month to announce what's described as a "tax crackdown" on online retailers.

Under the plans online marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay and Temu will for the first time be made responsible for collecting tax owed by retailers selling on their platforms.

The Financial Times also looks ahead to the Budget, reporting that the Chancellor and the prime minister have been holding meetings with Britain's bosses in an attempt to calm any nerves.

Andy Burnham is said to have reassured executives after telling them he wanted to run the most "pro-business country in the world".

The Daily Telegraph reports that leading dementia experts are calling for ministers to lift, what's described as, an "NHS block" on breakthrough Alzheimer's drugs. Lecanemab and donanemab were licensed in Britain in 2024, but the health watchdog Nice ruled that the benefits didn't justify their cost.

A government spokesperson has said decisions on whether to approve drugs for routine use were taken independently.

And most of the papers mark London's oldest restaurant, Rules in Covent Garden, being donated to the National Trust.

The Daily Telegraph notes that the move will protect the restaurant, which was a favourite of Charles Dickens, against redevelopment. The Times says the nation has been "served a dining institution".

'Spy chief's grim warning' and 'tiger victim was child actor'

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