Photographs of Boris Johnson on a visit to Ukraine feature across several front pages – but there is also a focus on the claims the chairman of the BBC, Richard Sharp, helped the former prime minister secure a loan guarantee, weeks before Mr Johnson recommended him for the role. Both men deny any wrongdoing. The Metro says Boris Johnson “popped up in war-torn Ukraine as yet another sleaze row erupts”.
The Scottish Daily Express says Mr Johnson is back on the front line despite no longer being prime minister. The story goes on to report his pledge that Britain’s backing for Ukraine would last “as long as it takes” to defeat Russian president Vladimir Putin. Mr Johnson said it was a privilege to show solidarity with the war-torn nation as the paper says he “shrugged off” questions over his finances while in Kyiv.
The National lead focuses on a letter written by SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, calling on the prime minister to sack Nadhim Zahawi as well as remove the whip from Boris Johnson. The paper says it follows reports that the Conservative party chairman paid a penalty to resolve a dispute with HM Revenue & Customs over unpaid tax.
The Daily Record leads with a plea for 2,000 more GPs and consultants from the British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland chairman – who says doctors are at breaking point. As part of a five-part investigation into the NHS crisis, the paper reports a shortfall of consultants in every expertise.
The i says energy firms are hitting back at plans to stop them forcibly installing prepayment meters if people cannot afford to pay their bills. The paper says the UK’s biggest gas and electricity suppliers claim that without the meters, unpaid debts will build up that will have to be recouped from customers’ bills through higher charges.
The Daily Telegraph reports that households will be paid to reduce their electricity use for the first time on Monday under plans being drawn up by the National Grid. It comes as temperatures are expected to drop to -2C, which could ramp up pressure on Britain’s power network.
The Times leads with an investigation claiming that more than 40 British universities have collaborated with institutions linked to malign activities in China. It says they have partnered with bodies connected to the Uighur genocide, nuclear weapons development, espionage, defence researching or hacking.
The Scotsman reports on the subject of assisted dying – it says the moderator of the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly fears legislation for assisted dying could be seen as an “opportunity for cost-saving”. It comes as MSP Liam McArthur is expected to introduce a members’ bill on the subject later this year, the paper says.
The Daily Star of Scotland focuses on comments by the chairman of Tesco – that some food firms may be using inflation as an excuse to hike prices further than necessary.
The Scottish Daily Mail says people in the UK are more dependent on the state than ever before. Some 36 million people are getting more from the government than they pay in tax, according to a study by think tank Civitas. The Mail says this is up from 24 million, or two-fifths of households when Tony Blair was prime minister from 1997 to 2007.
The Press and Journal says people living in the north of Scotland “besieged” ministers to speed up the dualling of the A9 and A96 following a spate of fatal crashes last year.
Glasgow’s subway network experienced disruption in one in every five days last year, reports The Herald. It says broken-down trains, signal faults and power failures occurred – but the most common source of disruption was “operational issues”.
Data published by the Scottish Housing Regulator makes the front page of the Glasgow Times – the paper says several social housing landlords across the city have struggled to meet certain criteria, such as emergency and non-emergency repair times and overall tenant satisfaction.
The Edinburgh Evening News says the city council will not rule out school cutbacks after its leader said there were no plans to sack teachers. Cammy Day said “all options were being considered” as part of an £80m cut to the city’s budget next month.
The Courier leads with a man who ran a “drugs on wheels” service who police caught with £4,000 of cocaine and cash “stuffed in his underpants”.
The Evening Express reports on a man who drank a bottle of bourbon before crashing into a wall.
And the Evening Telegraph leads with funds raised for a charity after vandals set fire to its property.
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