On a Saturday morning, the British press turned its attention to three stories that, taken together, sketch the uneasy weight of public life: a famous family's private trouble spilling into criminal court, a celebrity's conviction for rape prompting a national reckoning about how such cases are tried and who speaks up, and a government weighing how to pull young people back into work. Each story carries its own uncertainty, since charges are not verdicts and recommendations are not yet policy, and the newspapers, in reporting them, were doing what they have always done: holding the moment up f
Front pages: Thomas Markle charged, Russell Brand probe widens, and Burnham faces welfare and jobs pressure
Victims of Russell Brand's rape and sexual assault conviction, and sources suggest he is suspected of attacks on at least 10 more women.
Suspected of attacks on at least 10 more women, according to its sources
Mark
Two big court stories share the front pages. Where do you start?
Mimi
With Thomas Markle. He's been charged with possessing child sexual abuse material, after FBI searches of lock-ups he rented in Hollywood. The Sun shows him in handcuffs.
Luke
Careful, though. The charge is what's established. The detail about a dozen armed agents at his care home is The Sun's account, and he has denied wrongdoing in the past.
Mark
And Brand?
Mimi
He's been convicted of rape and sexual assault. Burnham said rape trials need constant scrutiny so victims don't feel on trial, and the Met Commissioner called it a possible tipping point.
Luke
Note the word possible. Rowley is predicting, not reporting that more people have come forward.
Mark
The Guardian says at least 10 more women.
Luke
Per its sources. Nobody on the record has confirmed that number, and suspicion isn't a charge.
Mimi
Which is why the human weight sits with the women already in the verdict.
Mark
And the £6bn for jobs?
Luke
That's the Telegraph's understanding of a report not yet published. The DWP won't comment on it. Maskell's demand for evidence shows how contested it'll be.
Il Polso
- Thomas Markle was charged with possessing child sexual abuse material after an armed raid on his care home and FBI searches of storage lock-ups, and he has previously denied wrongdoing.
- Russell Brand's rape and sexual assault conviction has set off a fierce public debate, with the prime minister pressing on how rape trials are conducted and Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley warning it could be a tipping point for more allegations.
- Unnamed sources told the Guardian that Brand is suspected of attacks on at least 10 more women, a claim that is the paper's own reporting and not a charge or finding.
- Chancellor-level pressure is building on Andy Burnham as a Milburn review on youth unemployment may recommend up to £6bn in invest to save spending, while Labour MPs such as Rachael Maskell demand evidence that welfare reform will help rather than punish claimants.
- Early signs of recovery on Oxford Street show West End spending up 13% in the six days after cars were banned, though the wider effect remains to be seen.
On a Saturday morning, the British press turned its attention to three stories that, taken together, sketch the uneasy weight of public life: a famous family's private trouble spilling into criminal court, a celebrity's conviction for rape prompting a national reckoning about how such cases are tried and who speaks up, and a government weighing how to pull young people back into work. Each story carries its own uncertainty, since charges are not verdicts and recommendations are not yet policy, and the newspapers, in reporting them, were doing what they have always done: holding the moment up for a country to look at, and asking what it asks of us.
Saturday's front pages opened on a photograph of Thomas Markle, father of the Duchess of Sussex, in handcuffs. The Sun reported that a dozen armed agents had swooped on his care home after FBI officers searched storage lock-ups he had rented for years, and the Daily Mirror called the charge, possession of child sexual abuse material, a court bombshell. Markle has previously denied wrongdoing, and nothing has yet been tested in court.
The Russell Brand case ran alongside it. Brand has been convicted of rape and sexual assault, and The Times led on the prime minister's response. Andy Burnham spoke of the constant need to examine how rape trials are conducted, so that victims do not feel they are the ones on trial. The Guardian went further, citing unnamed sources who say Brand is suspected of attacks on at least 10 more women. That is the paper's own reporting, not a charge or a finding. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, told the Daily Mail the conviction could be a tipping point, encouraging people to come forward about other celebrities.
The politics turned to work. The Daily Telegraph reported that Burnham would be urged to spend up to £6bn getting people back into work, as part of Alan Milburn's review of youth unemployment, which is expected to argue for invest to save. The Department for Work and Pensions said it would not pre-empt the findings. The i Paper noted the pressure Burnham faces from his own benches, with Rachael Maskell wanting detail showing welfare reform will help people on benefits rather than punish them.
The Financial Times offered some good news from Oxford Street, where spending across the West End rose 13% in the six days after cars were banned from a stretch of the shopping hub. Several papers also carried Monty Don saying farewell to Gardeners' World after more than 20 years, though the Daily Star was quick to add that he remains an expert in his field.
What comes next: whether Markle's case moves through the courts, whether more women come forward after Brand's conviction, and what the Milburn review actually recommends once it is published.
Saturday's front pages open on a photograph in The Sun: Thomas Markle, father of the Duchess of Sussex, in handcuffs. The paper reports that a dozen armed agents swooped on his care home, after FBI officers searched Hollywood lock-ups he had rented for years. The Daily Mirror calls his charge, possession of child sexual abuse material, a court bombshell. Markle has previously denied wrongdoing.
The Russell Brand case runs alongside it. Brand has been convicted of rape and sexual assault, and The Times leads on the prime minister's response. Andy Burnham is quoted as saying there is a constant need to look at the way rape trials are conducted, so that victims do not feel they are on trial.
The Guardian pushes the story further. Citing its sources, it says the disgraced star is suspected of attacks on at least 10 more women. That figure is the paper's own reporting, attributed to unnamed sources, and it is not a charge or a finding.
The Daily Mail carries a comment from the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley. He says Brand's conviction could be a tipping point, one that prompts people to come forward with allegations about other celebrities.
The politics move to welfare and work. The Daily Telegraph reports that Burnham will be told to spend up to £6bn getting people back into work. The paper understands the recommendation will be part of Alan Milburn's report on youth unemployment, which it says will argue for an invest to save approach. A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions said they would not pre-empt the review's findings.
The i Paper suggests Burnham will face pressure from inside his own party to get it right. It quotes the Labour MP Rachael Maskell saying she wants to see detail and evidence that proposals for welfare reform will help people on benefits, not punish them.
The Financial Times offers some early good news on London's Oxford Street. It reports that spending across the West End rose 13% in the six days after cars were banned from a stretch of the shopping hub.
Several papers also picture Monty Don, who has said farewell to the BBC's Gardeners' World after more than 20 years. The Daily Star notes that he will still remain an expert in the field.
What to watch next: whether Markle's case moves through the courts, whether more women come forward after Brand's conviction, and what the Milburn review actually recommends once it is published.
Citazioni salienti
Rowley said Brand's conviction could be a tipping point prompting people to come forward about other celebrities.— Sir Mark Rowley, Met Police Commissioner, to the Daily Mail
Maskell wants to see detail and evidence that welfare reforms will help people on benefits, not punish them.— Rachael Maskell MP, quoted in The i Paper
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Crime & Justice