A real mix of stories make up the front of Saturday’s newspapers. The lead for The Times is “a simple blood test” which could “save thousands of lives after a British trial showed promising results”. The Galleri blood test looks for more than 50 types of cancer, and according to the paper it could bring forward diagnosis time by months. The results of the Symplify study – led by Oxford University – were presented at a conference in Chicago. The paper also carries a portrait of Prince Harry and Prince William “painted long before the princes fell out” which will no longer hang in the reopened National Portrait Gallery.
The Guardian carries a report about a potential “game-changing drug” which could boost breast cancer survival rates. It is based on a report from the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago, which it says is is “the world’s largest cancer conference”. The front of the paper also has a picture of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, from a collection of photos by Paul McCartney.
Saturday’s Telegraph leads with a story from its investigations team about “a secretive government unit” which it says worked with social media companies to “curtail discussion of lockdown policies” during the pandemic. The paper also has a story quoting financial advisers saying “thousands of wealthy individuals are departing Britain” because of inheritance tax.
The i paper leads with the results of its own polling into Britain’s economy and Brexit. It reports 63% of those surveyed believe leaving the EU is fuelling food price inflation, and 57% say Brexit is having a negative impact on Britain’s economy.
While coverage of the fallout from Phillip Schofield’s departure from ITV may be waning, the story is still on the front of a couple of Saturday’s papers. Saturday’s Mirror leads with presenter Alison Hammond breaking down during Friday’s This Morning, and saying she “still loves” the show’s former host. “Alison’s tears for Phil,” is the headline.
The Sun also lead with a story about Phillip Schofield, saying he “fears he will be spat on in the street after confessing to his affair with a younger colleague”.
With rail strikes potentially affecting Saturday’s FA Cup Final and Epsom Derby, the Daily Mail reports the action “could drag on for a further year because talks have collapsed”. It also has a picture of presenter Holly Willoughby ahead of her return to the This Morning sofa next week.
A personal finance story leads the Daily Express, with a focus on “rocketing” interest rates being offered by banks to UK savers. It says it comes after “criticism led by the Express put banks and building societies under the spotlight”.
The Financial Times says the director of the CIA made a clandestine trip to China last month on the orders of Joe Biden, reporting it shows how concerned “the White House has become over deteriorating relations between Beijing and Washington”. The FT also has a story about a British medicinal cannabis company on the Isle of Man selling up to 25% of its equity to patients, “giving them influence in the production and availability of a drug they struggle to obtain legally”.
And finally, a bit of light relief from the Daily Star. Under the headline “Who the hell are these sickos?”, it reports Britain is becoming a “nations of deviants” as 13% of people admit to pouring tea or coffee on their cereal. The figure comes from research carried out by cereal brand Kellogg’s.
The Daily Telegraph reports that a “secretive” unit set up by the government worked with social media companies to “curb critics” of lockdown policies during the pandemic.
The paper says the Counter-Disinformation Unit was used as part of what is described as a “chilling tactic” to monitor discussion including about vaccines. It says lockdown critics had posts removed from social media.
Ministers have denied asking for posts by certain people to be taken down. The government tells the paper that the unit is “focused on helping it understand online disinformation narratives and attempts to artificially manipulate the information”.
The Guardian says a “game-changing drug” could boost breast cancer survival rates – and cut the risk of the most common form of the disease returning by a quarter. According to the paper, “very promising” research has been presented at the world’s largest annual cancer conference in the United States. It says the report suggests that a new, targeted therapy called Ribociclib could be “transformative”.
“Unions line up another year of rail strike mayhem,” warns the Daily Mail, as it says sports fans face rail chaos on Saturday. The paper quotes the rail industry as saying that industrial action has already cost £5bn.
“I fear being spat on,” are the words of Phillip Schofield across the front of the Sun, after confessing to his affair with a younger colleague.
For 21 years he was welcomed into the homes of millions of Brits, says the paper. Now, he tells it he is too scared to step out of his own front door.
The Daily Mirror focuses on what it calls “Alison’s tears for Phil”. It is referring to the presenter, Alison Hammond, breaking down during Friday’s This Morning show.
Writers in both papers remind readers that at the centre of the story is “a human being”. The Sun’s assistant Showbiz editor, Clemmie Moodie – who interviewed Phillip Schofield – says: “The witch-hunt on social media must stop.”
The i weekend leads with the results of a poll suggesting that nearly two-thirds of British voters believe that Brexit has contributed to higher food prices. The paper also says that 57% of those surveyed think that leaving the European Union is having a negative impact on Britain’s economy.
The i says “Brexit regrets are growing slowly, but not enough to galvanise” the Rejoin EU movement.
The Times carries a picture of a portrait of Prince Harry and Prince William together in military uniform. According to the paper, it was “painted long before the princes fell out” – and will not be included in the hang for the reopening of the National Portrait Gallery in London.
The paper says the gallery, whose patron is the Princess of Wales, has not explained the omission of what it calls the “well-regarded 2009 artwork”.
“At last you’re listening!” exclaims the Daily Express headline – as the paper says banks are putting up interest rates for savers. It says one building society is offering a regular saver rate of 9% – the highest for 12 years. Financial experts point out that most rates on offer continue to be lower than inflation.
