The UK's *Daily Express* leads with the inquest findings into the death of soldier Jaysley Beck. The coroner ruled that army leaders failed to adequately deal with the harassment of her by colleagues, which contributed to her death. The paper quotes the mother of 19-year-old Royal Artillery Gunner Beck, saying "no apology will bring our daughter back," and emphasized that "things need to change."
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02-22, 2025The *Metro* leads with the suicide of Gunner Beck under the headline "Driven to Death," reporting that she took her own life after suffering a sexual assault by a superior officer and relentless bullying from her superiors. The paper notes that the army is "under scrutiny" for failing to take appropriate action against the two men. Furthermore, the inquest has led to hundreds of women coming forward with their own stories of harassment, abuse, and rape in the military.
The *Guardian* also features a photo of Gunner Beck on its front page, but its main story focuses on comments made by Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Lammy stated that the West should not be "duped" by Russian President Vladimir Putin before any peace negotiations take place regarding Ukraine. Lammy said the UK is "prepared to listen" to Russia, but "we want to hear more than just Russian gentlemen's fabrications." The *Guardian* adds that Lammy issued his warning as the UK attempts to navigate a "delicate diplomatic path" between supporting Ukraine and not offending Donald Trump.
The *i* reports that there are calls for the UK to raise its defense spending to 3% of GDP ahead of a meeting between Rishi Sunak and Donald Trump next week. Former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Sir Richard Shirreff, told the paper that unless Keir Starmer makes a new spending commitment, he will be "laughed out of court" when he meets with Trump. Current defense spending stands at 2.3% of national income, but the Treasury wants to increase it to 2.5%, though it has not said when. However, the *i* says that Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves has hinted that defense spending could rise "as soon as possible."
The *Financial Times* reports that the US is objecting to language describing Russia as the aggressor in the war in Ukraine in a G7 statement. Traditionally, the G7 issues a message of support for Ukraine on the anniversary of the invasion, but the *Financial Times* has spoken to Western officials who say that this year "the Americans are holding things up" regarding the use of certain wording.
The *Sun* leads with a story about disgraced BBC news anchor Huw Edwards. The paper says he has made his "first public appearance" since being sectioned. The paper quotes a passer-by who spotted Edwards as saying: "He was coughing and spluttering. He looked a shadow of his former super-confident self." The *Sun* claims that Edwards is still refusing to pay back the £200,000 he earned after he was arrested to the BBC.
Daniel Craig as James Bond is the lead picture in *The Times*, following the handover of control of the franchise to Amazon by its long-term producers. But the paper's headline story is a government plan to offer a "youth mobility scheme, Australian-style" to European countries. According to *The Times*, the scheme would allow tens of thousands of young EU workers to come to the UK to live and work for two years, with a reciprocal scheme for Britons going to the EU.
The *Daily Telegraph* leads with a main picture of Israeli soldiers repatriating the bodies of hostage Ofelia Roitman and Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, after they were freed by Hamas on Thursday. But the main story is the paper's own investigation, which reports that doctors who change gender are being given new registration numbers, meaning any past complaints against them are being wiped from their public record.
Britain's current "bonkers weather" makes the front page of the *Daily Star*. The paper says the country has been split in two, with "lucky southerners wandering around in their swimming trunks while poor northerners face some snow." "How very British," the paper adds.
The *Daily Mail* dedicates its front page to its own campaign, which aims to "protect Britain's creative industries from the threat of AI." The paper says senior figures from the music, media, and film industries have now backed the campaign and have issued stark warnings over a plan that would allow Big Tech firms to ignore copyright rules when training AI systems, calling it "potentially devastating."
The *Daily Mirror* also features its own campaign on its front page – this time focusing on dentistry. The paper reports that the government has announced an extra 700,000 urgent dentist appointments will be available from April. The paper calls this a "victory" for its "Dentists for All" campaign.
