What the papers say – March 16

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Secret talks over a political leadership challenge and the weekend closure of the M25 feature among a variety of stories on the front pages of Saturday’s newspapers.

The Daily Mail says Tory MPs from the right have held “secret talks” with moderates about replacing Rishi Sunak with Penny Mordaunt as Prime Minister.

The Guardian relays calls from GP and health worker unions who have called on Conservative donor Frank Hester to lose NHS contracts as his comments about MP Diane Abbott breach its “fit and proper person” test.

The Independent says Ms Abbott was offered the Labour whip back but refused as she would have to undergo antisemitism training.

The Daily Express leads with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s “olive branch” to pensioners, responding to criticism that they were “neglected” in the Budget.

The Sun reports on the closure of the M25 and how it will affect the filming of Hollywood star Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible movie.

The i weekend says thousands of Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat food delivery rider accounts are being traded on the black market.

The Daily Mirror reports on a British woman’s “last hope” as she faces the death penalty in Bali.

The Daily Telegraph says the Minister for veterans’ affairs Johnny Mercer is facing prison after he refused to name Special Forces whistleblowers who raised concerns about alleged unlawful killings of Afghans.

The Times carries calls from Lord Sewell who said the Church of England’s £1 billion slavery reparation fund is “almost like bribery”.

Social media app TikTok has hit 16 billion dollars (£12.5 billion) in revenue, according to the FT Weekend.

And the Daily Star runs with a story on the “mystery of the rampant” beavers in Cornwall.