'Farage faces Met inquiry' and 'Ready for departure?'
A criminal investigation into Reform UK over allegations it broke foreign funding laws is leading many of Thursday's front pages. The Metropolitan Police is carrying out the inquiry following a broadcast by Channel 4 News last week in which an undercover reporter recorded two senior Reform aides apparently suggesting a way around electoral law to secure foreign party donations. A Reform UK spokesman says the party "denies any wrongdoing and will fully cooperate with the investigation".
The Guardian splashes on the same story, reporting that the Electoral Commission has also said it is "considering all relevant information and regulatory steps" in parallel with the police inquiry.
Police are set to interview Reform UK leader Nigel Farage as part of the donations investigation, according to the i Paper. A Met spokesperson says it received "a number of reports relating to donations and polling involving a political party", after the film by Channel 4 News and Verbatim Investigations was aired last Thursday.
"Another day, another probe..." the Mirror declares on its front page as it also reports that Farage is facing a "police grilling over potential donation offences". The Met had already been investigating whether payments to Reform in the weeks before the last election complied with donation laws. It is also examining payments from a company controlled by Reform's deputy leader Richard Tice, which received £1m in June 2024.
As well as the investigation into Reform's donations, the Independent covers the airport chaos in the UK on its front page. The number of flights cancelled after a technical failure of the UK's air traffic control system rose above 2,000 on Wednesday - and the UK Civil Aviation Authority says passengers are unlikely to be entitled to compensation.
"Ready for departure?" asks the Metro on its front page, saying the boss of National Air Traffic Services (Nats) is on the brink. Martin Rolfe, who has led Nats for 11 years, is facing pressure after the latest computer glitch affected 330,000 passengers.
Labour is planning a "new tax assault on hospitality", according to the Daily Telegraph. The paper reports that Prime Minister Andy Burnham will hand mayors the power to impose unlimited taxes on tourists that could lead to families paying hundreds of pounds more on holidays in England.
The Financial Times says Anthropic excluded Britain's AI Security Institute (Aisi) from tests on its latest model, with the government fearing it is a result of the US government's artificial intelligence (AI) protectionism. The $1tn tech company only made Claude Mythos 5.1 available to vetted US bodies.
"Hasta la vista," declares the Daily Star, which also leads its front page on Anthropic. It says out-of-control AI will lead to the apocalypse, with the dire warning coming from an Anthropic researcher, Jacob Coxon, who quit the company fearing the tech arms race is moving too quickly.
The Daily Express reports that the Duke of Sussex and King Charles III have spoken since Harry returned to the UK, contrary to a report that suggested there had been no contact. The paper notes, however, that the pair have not reunited in person.
Labour has been branded the "Welfare Party" by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, according to the Daily Mail, after Burnham said he would not prioritise defence spending over social security. Writing in the Mail, Badenoch criticised the admission in Prime Minister's Questions, saying Burnham had "said the quiet part out loud".
