German far rightâs âbig winâ and school ârace hate surgeâ
The Times characterises the electoral success of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as the countryâs first âbig winâ for the far right since World War Two. It reports that the AfD won a regional state election, âbreaking a political taboo that dates from the fall of the Nazisâ. Like other papers, it also carries the images of six Hamas hostages, whose bodies were recovered in Gaza by Israeli soldiers on Saturday.
The AfDâs victory in Thuringia is also the focus of the Financial Times, which suggests voters have âquitâ the centre ground in Germany. The paper describes the poll in the eastern state as a âdisaster for [Chancellor Olaf] Scholzâs coalitionâ, and point out that the hard left also made gains.
The Daily Mirror focusses on domestic issues, with an exclusive story headlined âRace hate surge in schoolsâ. The paper reports that âalmost 60 children a day were suspended from school for racism last yearâ. It adds that means the number of race hate incidents among pupils rose by a quarter in 12 months.
Protests in Israel lead the Guardian, alongside the images of the six hostages also featured on the front pages of the Times and Financial Times. It reports that tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Sunday and that a general strike had been called âamid an eruption of public outrage against the governmentâ.
The Daily Express brands the UK governmentâs claim that it cut the winter fuel allowance to help to stop a run on the pound âludicrousâ. Labour had been âderided for a âdesperate attempt to defend axing winter fuel payments,â it reported. Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell told BBC Breakfast on Sunday that there could have been a ârun on the poundâ had the government not taken action on public finances.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmerâs party is also criticised on the front page of the Daily Mail, suggesting in its headline that âLabour is âscaring offâ big businessâ. The paper warns of a âsudden collapseâ in economic confidence among bosses, amid âfears of a tax-raising Budget⊠and concern about Labourâs plans for a union-friendly package of workersâ rightsâ.
One-word Ofsted statements are to be scrapped immediately, Metro reports. Its headline quips: âGrade big U-turn on schoolsâ. The report runs alongside a picture of headteacher Ruth Perry, who died by suicide while waiting for an Ofsted report to be published last year.
The Daily Telegraph leads with the same story, reporting that parents will âno longer be told whether a school is outstanding, good, requiring improvement or inadequate by inspectorsâ. Instead, the Telegraph explains, school âreport cardsâ will come in from September next year â âalthough the change has been introduced so swiftly that their exact form has not been decidedâ.
Meanwhile, the Daily Star takes aim at Oasis, labelling tickets for the bandâs reunion tour âa rip off at ÂŁ488â. âFrom working-class heroes to zeroes,â the paper says of frontmen and brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, after prices surged while fans queued for tickets online.