The front pages of Thursday’s newspapers are dominated by Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke’s defection to the Labour Party. The Times reports that Elphicke’s move has split Labour, while The Daily Express describes it as “shameless.” Meanwhile, The Guardian’s front page features a photo of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer with Elphicke and reports on a survey of hundreds of leading scientists who predict that global temperatures will rise to at least 2.5C above pre-industrial levels this century, causing catastrophic consequences for humanity.
The Daily Telegraph leads with former Conservative prime minister David Cameron’s call for the EU to be tougher on Russia, while The Daily Mail quotes Conservative Chairman Richard Holden accusing Labour of exploiting the Middle East conflict to win votes. The Mirror reports on how King Charles and Prince Harry did not meet, despite being just two miles away from each other in London. The Financial Times covers the significant reduction in the fortunes of pandemic-era boom companies, while The Metro reports on a young girl’s success in receiving “world-leading” gene therapy to recover her hearing.
Political commentators offered their reactions to Elphicke’s defection, with The Sun’s editorial calling it an opportunistic move by a politician who has “trashed” Labour in the past. Meanwhile, The Daily Mirror’s editorial noted that the defection demonstrated Labour’s increasing appeal to swing voters. The survey of climate experts conducted by The Guardian projects a time of increased natural disasters and conflict, prompting despair in the scientific community.
Lastly, The Mirror notes that some traditional British insults, such as “plonker” and “git,” are falling out of use among the younger generation, to be replaced by more contemporary terms
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