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The Daily Telegraph reports that Police Scotland are being asked to reveal if they faced political pressure to delay Peter Murrell’s arrest until after Nicola Sturgeon’s successor as first minister had been found. It says that although the force has denied notifying Ms Sturgeon in advance, she and senior officers face “big questions” about the circumstances of her resignation and the timing of the arrest.
The Daily Mail’s headline is: “Is this the real reason Sturgeon walked out?” and also insists that Ms Sturgeon is facing questions about whether she resigned because she knew her husband was going to be arrested.
And online, the Independent also asks – in its headline – how much Nicola Sturgeon and her successor Humza Yousaf knew about the issues at the centre of the SNP fraud inquiry.
The Times leads on its investigation into the alleged lobbying offers made by Blackpool South MP Scott Benton – which it suggests will renew public debate about MPs using second jobs to push commercial interests for money. The paper said it had begun its investigation after hearing that several senior political figures were concerned that the gambling industry had been successful in securing support from MPs in return for some form of financial reward – amid moves at Westminster to tighten regulations around problem-gambling.
The Sun says it has seen leaked Cabinet papers outlining plans to stop those aged under 25 betting more than £2 a spin online. It claims older gamblers will be allowed to stake up to £15 in slot games.
A special investigation by the Guardian reports that King Charles and his mother received payments totalling more than a billion pounds from the duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall. It says generations of MPs have called for the estates’ incomes to be paid to the Treasury, not the Royal Family – as they currently are because of charters stemming back hundreds of years.
The Daily Express says Rishi Sunak has defended government plans to house migrants on a barge off Dorset. The Sun leads on the same story – and quotes critics saying the floating hotel for 500 migrants is “cruel”. But the paper points out that the three-storey barge has “luxury facilities”, with a pool table, gym and bar, as well as TV and wifi throughout – and suggests that “only middle-class lefties could whinge that it is not luxurious enough”.
The Daily Mirror carries a plea to Justice Secretary Dominic Raab from the sister of murdered primary school teacher Sabina Nessa. Jebina Yasmin Islam wants him to stop killers being able to snub their sentencing hearings. Her sister’s killer refused to come to his sentencing, as did Thomas Cashman on Monday for murdering nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel. The paper says the call is supported by former Home Secretary Lord Blunkett who said Mr Raab could “get the ball rolling” on changing the law now.
And the Financial Times reports that Ukraine would be “ready” to hold talks with Moscow on the status of Russian-held Crimea if a counter-offensive by Ukrainian forces was successful. The papers says it is the most explicit expression of Kyiv’s interest in negotiations since it cut off peace talks with the Kremlin last April.
