'Net migration almost halves' and 'Paint the town claret'

11 hours ago

"SpaceX, OpenAl and Anthropic IPOs to trigger Wall Street trading frenzy," reads the headline on the front page of the Financial Times. — "SpaceX, OpenAl and Anthropic IPOs [Initial Public Offerings] to trigger Wall Street trading frenzy" is the Financial Times' lead story, describing the event as "blockbuster listings". The IPO for Elon Musk's Space X firm "is expected to be the largest on record", the paper writes, creating a "trillionaire" prospect for the Tesla tycoon. It also reports "net migration almost halves to lowest since 2021" for the UK, based on the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics.

"Immigration: It's tit for stat" reads the headline on the front page of the Metro. — "The number of extra people living in the UK has fallen to its lowest level this century – with 171,000 more arriving than leaving" is the Metro's top story. While Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood "hailed the fall", the paper writes that Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick refers to 75,000 Britons aged 16 to 34 leaving the UK as "[Prime Minister Sir Keir] Starmer's exodus".

"London mayor blocks Met's AI deal with controversial tech firm," reads the headline on the front page of the Guardian. — "London mayor blocks Met's AI deal" is the Guardian's lead, reporting that "controversial US tech company Palantir has been blocked by Sadiq Khan", in a deal billed at £50m to use AI tech "to automate intelligence analysis in criminal investigations". According to the paper, "the mayor's office said there had been a "clear and serious breach" of procurement" while Scotland Yard says the move is "disappointing". Photographs showing Aston Villa's celebrations also fill the front page, with the paper writing "paint the town claret" as "Birmingham welcomes back victorious Villa" following their Europa League win.

"Stop running away from the Brexit question Andy!" reads the headline on the front page of the Express. — The Daily Express leads with a photograph of Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham wearing running gear on a pavement, next to the headline: "Stop running away from the Brexit question Andy!" Burnham is Labour's candidate in the forthcoming by-election in Makerfield.

"Polling fraud row in Rayner constituency," reads the headline on the front page of the Daily Mail. — "Five arrested after claims fake council candidates were on ballot to make sure Labour's man got in," the Daily Mail writes. "Greater Manchester Police confirmed the arrests of four men and a woman 'on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud' in the lead-up to Tameside council elections on May 7," it says. It notes the area falls under former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner's constituency of Ashton-under-Lyne.

"Rayner in election fraud row," reads the headline on the front page of the Daily Telegraph. — "Five arrested in MP's constituency over claims of fake council candidates as former deputy PM denies any involvement" leads the Daily Telegraph. There is also a headline about a police investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

"Andrew cops in sex crime probe" reads the headline on the front page of the Daily Mirror. — "Misconduct inquiry widens", the Daily Mirror writes, next to a photo of Mountbatten-Windsor.

The Daily Telegraph leads on the arrest of five people by Greater Manchester Police, following an investigation into suspected fraud in this month's local elections. The ward in question is in the constituency of former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, the Telegraph says, adding that it understands Rayner says the developments have nothing to do with her, and that suggestions she's involved in wrongdoing are baseless. A Labour spokesperson tells the paper that no evidence has been presented of the party being involved in the allegations.

The Daily Mirror reports that police investigating Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office are assessing claims of sexual offences. A woman allegedly sent by Jeffrey Epstein to the former prince's Royal Lodge is at the centre of the probe, according to the paper. The Daily Mail describes the widening of the investigation as a "bombshell development". The papers all note that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

The Times, leading on the same story, carries a picture from 2015, of the former prince standing with his late mother. In an editorial the Times says Queen Elizabeth made a "bad mistake" when she pressed for him to become a UK trade envoy, as was revealed in files released yesterday. The paper recalls a prediction from the Prince of Wales, now the King, that the appointment was a disaster waiting to happen.

The Guardianreports that a bitter row has broken out between the mayor of London and Scotland Yard, after Sir Sadiq Khan blocked a fifty-million deal, between the Met, and the American data firm, Palantir. The Mayor is said to have intervened because of concerns about the procurement process.

Expected stock exchange listings by the US tech giants Anthropic, SpaceX and Open AI are set to create a trading frenzy on Wall Street, according to the Financial Times. The paper says relentless investor appetite for AI could help the trio raise tens of billions of dollars.