Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a surprise appearance at a rally last night to urge voters not to let Labour form the next government, according to The Daily Telegraph. Previously blaming Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for his 2022 downfall, the two buried the hatchet and joined forces to stop “Starmergeddon”, as The Daily Mail reports. Johnson warned that a Labour landslide would be “pregnant with horrors”. He also criticised Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who has been criticised for suggesting the West provoked Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling him a “Kremlin crawler” in The Times.
Meanwhile, The Guardian reports that the Conservatives are facing backlash after critising Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer for saying he would try to spend Friday evenings with his family if he won the election. Sir Keir, whose wife is from a Jewish family, claimed the intervention was insensitive and had anti-semitic undertones. Sir Keir said at a rally in Hucknal Town on Tuesday that the election was an “opportunity to turn our backs on 14 years of chaos, division, and failure” according to The Daily Mirror.
The i suggests that whoever wins the election, they will face a crisis in the country’s prisons. The paper says that a controversial scheme which released some prisoners early has not sufficiently eased overcrowding, leaving prisons days away from becoming overwhelmed. A contingency plan could see the introduction of a “one in, one out” system, with inmates driven across the country to facilities with free cells, an unprecedented move.
The Financial Times reports that the UK’s water companies are preparing for an influx of lawsuits after the Supreme Court ruled that private landowners can seek redress over sewage leaked into waterways. The ruling follows a case made against United Utilities by the Manchester Ship Canal. The decision has been described as “massive” by environmental campaigner, Feargal Sharkey, and opens the way “for thousands of claims by fishing clubs, swimmers, riparian owners” against water companies.
Finally, The Metro reports that universities and police are working together to monitor students taking part in protests over the conflict in Gaza. One e-mail to campus staff is reported to have shown a police officer describing a pro-Palestinian talk as “one to monitor”, with another asking for the address of a student who had posted pro-Palestinian content on social media. The move has raised concerns about academic freedom
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