Several of Thursday's front pages lead with the arrest of Paul Murrell, former SNP chief executive and husband of former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, as part of an investigation into party finances. Metro features an image of blue tents and police tape outside the couple's home in a quiet cul-de-sac in Glasgow and notes that a search of SNP HQ in Edinburgh was made at the same time. Mr Murrell, who resigned as chief executive last month, has been released without charge, pending further investigation.
The Daily Mail asks whether knowledge of the arrest was the "real reason" behind Nicola Sturgeon's own resignation as SNP leader and first minister. A spokesperson for the former first minister said she had had "no prior knowledge" of Police Scotland's action or intentions. An image of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who the paper says have not confirmed whether they will be attending the King's coronation next month, completes the front page.
Police chiefs in Scotland are being urged to reveal if they faced political pressure to delay the arrest until after a replacement was found for the outgoing first minister, the Daily Telegraph reports. The paper quotes former MSP Alex Neil, who served as health secretary in Ms Sturgeon's first government, as saying that Police Scotland should "make clear if they were asked in any way to delay the arrest and, if so, why they did so". The Telegraph's Scottish Editor Alan Cochrane comments: "Only an election can sweep away the cobwebs of a disgraced administration."
In other news, the i newspaper leads with an exclusive report that no new smart motorways are to be built in England over serious safety concerns. Smart motorways have been blamed for multiple deaths, the paper says.
The Times leads with its own exclusive on its front page. Tory MP Scott Benton was filmed offering to lobby ministers for a fake company in return for payments by undercover reporters posing as gambling industry investors, the undercover investigation found. Mr Benton, who was suspended as a Conservative MP after the story broke, did not pursue the role and no rules appear to have been broken.
The Daily Express features an image of King Charles sipping gin on a distillery tour in Yorkshire. But its main story is on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's defence of government plans to house 500 migrants in a barge off the Dorset coast. The PM describes it as "fair" and a saving for taxpayers, the paper says.
The Daily Mirror turns its attention to the campaign to stop convicted killers from refusing to attend their sentencing hearings - as happened with Thomas Cashman who was jailed for 42 years for the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel. Jabina Yasmin Islam, whose sister Sabina Nessa was murdered in 2021, has urged Justice Secretary Dominic Raab to put the plan into action.
The Financial Times reports that Ukraine is willing to discuss the status of Crimea with Moscow if its forces reach the border of the Russian-annexed peninsula, according to a senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky who has spoken to the paper.
And the Daily Star's front page story highlights new research from scientists who have reportedly discovered it is not necessary to have a brain in order to learn something. The research shows that sea anemones, which do not have a brain, can still learn and adapt. The paper jokes that the findings are also good news for Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab. The Oxford and Cambridge graduate was not immediately available for comment.
