‘Gun cop cleared’ and ‘workplace reforms could cost £5bn’
The news that police officer Martyn Blake has been cleared of the murder of Chris Kaba, who was shot during a police stop in south London in 2022, leads many of the papers. At the time of the incident, Mr Kaba was unarmed but was driving a car that had been linked to a previous shooting. The Metro says a jury at the Old Bailey took three hours to reach a unanimous not guilty verdict after a three-week trial.
The Daily Mirror reports that Mr Blake was “overcome with emotion” when the verdict was read out, but also quotes Mr Kaba’s family saying it has left them suffering the “deep pain of injustice” and vowing to fight on.
The verdict has fuelled police anger that Mr Blake was ever put on trial in the first place, according to the Guardian. The paper reports that officers want to see reform of a system they say punishes them for doing their job and that police chiefs are lobbying ministers to make it harder for such a trial to happen again.
The Daily Telegraph reports Mr Kaba was shot while trying to ram his way through a police roadblock and that Mr Blake told the trial he genuinely believed one of his colleagues could be killed. The paper quotes Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick as saying the decision to prosecute Mr Blake was wrong and describing him as a “hero”.
The Times quotes Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley as saying “no firearms officer sets out on duty intent on ending a life” and “the more we crush the spirit of good officers, the less they can fight crime”. The paper also reports that Mr Blake’s suspension from duties was immediately lifted following his acquittal.
Teachers and nurses are among two million people who could be dragged into paying the 40% income tax rate by the end of the decade, according to the i. Tax thresholds were frozen by the Conservative government in 2022 and were due to rise again from 2028, but Chancellor Rachel Reeves is said to be considering using the Budget next week to extend the freeze until the end of the parliament.
A government assessment of planned workplace reforms suggest the changes could cost business £5bn a year, according to the Financial Times. The paper says the reforms, contained in the employment rights bill, include a ban on “exploitative” zero-hours contracts and measures to give unions access to workplaces. The British Chambers of Commerce is quoted warning that companies risk being “buried under a mountain of additional cost”.
The Daily Mail says the assessment also found the changes could lead to more strikes and workplace disputes, though also quotes Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner insisting they are “pro-business” and herald a “new era for working people”.
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