No one story dominates Friday’s front pages, however, the Daily Mirror is one of several to report that five babies have died of whooping cough. The paper says the country is facing its worst outbreak in 40 years.
The Metro also reports on the outbreak of whooping cough, also known as the “100-day cough”.
The Mail also has the whooping cough outbreak story as its lead, saying that almost 3,000 cases have been reported so far this year. The paper also carries a picture of Stormy Daniels, who is at the centre of a case in the US in which former president Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges of falsifying business records in relation to a hush-money payment made to the adult film star.
The Guardian leads on Israel’s Rafah offensive in Gaza, reporting that 100,000 have fled while Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu vows his country will “‘fight with our fingernails’ in defiance of US warnings not to proceed with a ground invasion in Rafah.
The i has an interview with Dominic Cummings. The former chief adviser to Boris Johnson claims to have saved thousands of lives during Covid, but says it’s “extremely, extremely unlikely” him and Mr Johnson will ever speak again.
The Express leads with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt urging the Bank of England not to cut interest rates until it’s “absolutely sure” high inflation is beaten.
The Daily Telegraph also leads on the chancellor warning the Bank of England about cutting interest rates too quickly. This is alongside a story about Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner assuring MPs that Natalie Elphicke – who defected from the Tories to Labour – will have no “formal role” in the party.
The Times leads with a story on the education secretary saying that there has been an “unacceptable” rise in school truancy on Fridays.
The FT reports that mining firm Anglo American’s South African shareholders are open to a takeover from BHP.
And the Star has a story on “space boffins” wanting to launch “an up-close and personal mission to Uranus”.
