Two stories dominate Wednesday’s front pages: Nigel Farage’s plan to deport 600,000 migrants and the engagement of Taylor Swift to Travis Kelce. The Taliban is “ready and willing” to work with Reform UK to accept Afghans that deported by the UK, reports the Daily Telegraph. The paper quotes a Taliban official as saying it “may be easier” to deal with Farage than the current UK government.
The Metro also leads on the unveiling of Farage’s “shock” plan, dubbed Operation Restoring Justice. Reform said it would cost about £10bn over five years, but would save the government money it spends on asylum hotels and other costs over the long term.
Under Farage’s plan, immigration enforcement teams would introduce “US-style raids” to track down illegal migrants in Britain, according to the Daily Mail. Women and children who arrive in the UK on small boats would be detained and removed as well as men, Farage said, to mitigate what the paper calls “mounting public anger and despair”.
“Britain is better than this” is the headline for the Daily Mirror, which warns against politicians “playing the migrant card” to win support. It call on public figures to “look to their consciences before speaking – for the sake of decency and humanity”.
Farage’s plan also makes the Daily Express splash. Also featured is a picture of newly-engaged Swift and Kelce, with the caption “Baby just say yes!”, a line from the US popstar’s 2008 hit Love Story.
Opponents of Reform describe its plans as “ugly” and “divisive”, according to the Guardian. Also with a top slot is the news that the UK has “almost certainly” had its hottest summer on record, according to provisional statistics from the Met Office.
Plans for the French coastguard to intercept migrant boats could be “in jeopardy” because of the possible collapse of France’s government, according to the Times. UK officials hailed changes to French maritime law in June as a “gamechanger” in stopping small boat crossings, but they could be at risk if the French government loses an upcoming confidence vote, it says.
The i leads on Farage’s promise to strikes deals with “fundamentalist regimes”, including the “Taliban and Iran’s Ayatollah”. Downing Street hasn’t ruled out a returns agreement with Afghanistan, but would not hand over asylum seekers to the current regime, the paper reports.
Swift’s engagement splashes the Sun, which features a close-up picture of her “enormous” engagement ring. “Look what you made me.. I do,” is the headline.
The US is prepared to provide “intelligence assets and battlefield oversight” as part of a European-led air defence shield for Ukraine, reports the Financial Times. The US offer to assist the so-called “coalition of the willing”, led by the UK and France, is “contingent on commitments by European capitals to deploy tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine”, according to European and Ukrainian officials cited by the paper.
“Wedding Tay,” declares the Daily Star, which lifts a quote from the couple’s engagement post on Instagram: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married”.
