Friday’s newspapers cover a variety of stories, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision not to hold an early general election on 2 May. However, the i reports on growing anxiety within No 10 as angry Tory MPs increasingly question Sunak’s authority. One MP says there has been a “definite vibe shift” caused by the handling of comments made by donor Frank Hester, who allegedly said MP Diane Abbott made him “want to hate all black women”. The MP notes that their colleagues have gone from “being resigned, quitting, to being angry”.
According to The Guardian, Mr. Hester has given the Conservative Party a further £5m this year, on top of the £10.2m previously reported. The paper states that Sunak is facing increasing pressure to return the money. The donation will be confirmed in the next Electoral Commission update on donations, due to be released in early June.
The Daily Mail reports that a Russian electronic warfare unit jammed the systems of an RAF jet being flown in by Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, causing a satellite and communications blackout lasting 30 minutes. The incident occurred on Wednesday while the plane was flying over the Baltic Sea and triggered a “major security alert.”
The Financial Times accuses Sunak of presiding over a “zombie parliament” and states that the average working day for MPs in the House of Commons chamber has been shorter than in any other parliamentary session since 1997. The average day in the current session, which began in November, has been 7 hours and 9 minutes, while the average between 1997 and 2023 was 7 hours and 58 minutes. “There’s very little going on day to day,” one minister is quoted as saying.
The Daily Express reports that MPs will debate the legalisation of assisted dying following a campaign by broadcaster Esther Rantzen, who has terminal cancer. The paper quotes Rantzen urging her supporters to ensure that the “voice of the people” is heard
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More