The Papers: 'Official exposed as Chinese spy' and 'Time for Starmer to stand aside'
'Official exposed as Chinese spy' and 'Time for Starmer to stand aside'27 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleSeveral of the papers lead with reports that a Home Office official has been found guilty of...
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Key developments are emerging from the global stage. 'Official exposed as Chinese spy' and 'Time for Starmer to stand aside'27 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleSeveral of the papers lead with reports that a Home Office official has been found guilty of working for Chinese intelligence as part of a "shadow policing operation". The Daily Mail describes it as an "unprecedented case" that saw UK immigration officer Chi Leung "Peter" Wai and retired Hong Kong police office Chung Biu "Bill" Yuen spy on "Chinese dissidents" living in the UK. Similarly, the headline of the Telegraph reads: "China exploited WFH to spy on UK".
The paper focuses on how a flexible working policy in the Home Office could have enabled the security breach, which saw one of the men access the Atlas database, a vast record which contains sensitive information such as passport details and addresses of foreign nationals. It is "first case of its kind", the Telegraph says, adding that it is the first conviction for Chinese espionage in the UK. Schools have been warned to remove images of pupils from their websites and social media because blackmailers are using them to create sexually explicit images, according to the Guardian.
The Details
The front page also carries a photograph of Sir Keir Starmer and his wife, Victoria Starmer, paired with the caption: "Starmers cast their votes in crucial local elections". Barry Gardiner, a Labour MP who served alongside the prime minister as the shadow international trade secretary in Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet, has told the Express that it is "time for Starmer to stand aside", following what the paper predicts will be a "local elections disaster". The Times reports that Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has privately suggested to Sir Keir that he should consider setting out a timeline for his departure, amid concerns he will be forced out of No 10.
The paper notes that former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Health Secretary Wes Streeting are both said to have the support of the 81 Labour MPs needed to trigger a contest. Conversely, the i Paper says that Rayner does not have the support required to launch a leadership challenge - it says she met a key power broker in Sheffield two weeks ago to canvas support, but left the city empty handed. The paper says Andy Burnham, the current mayor of Manchester, is the preferred candidate for some of those within the party.
"Record low number of stocks driving Wall St bounce raise 'fragility' fears" reports the Financial Times, which says that although the S&P 500 Index has soared more than 12% since the start of April, just five tech stocks account for more than half of those gains. An expert has told the paper that there is a heightened "fragility risk" as a result. Kim Kardashian's orange Met Gala look is front and centre of the Sun's Friday edition, which says that the fibreglass creation was spray-painted at an auto repair shop in Kent.
The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.
