According to the Sunday Telegraph, European football’s governing body, Uefa, is considering launching an investigation into Gianni Infantino’s conduct, external throughout his entire 16 years as a top official at the organisation. The paper reported yesterday that a woman who worked there was paid off after having an alleged relationship with Infantino. A spokesperson for Fifa tells the Telegraph its president “strongly denies the allegations” and that “any insinuation of inappropriate conduct or violation of statutes or regulations is defamatory”.
Separately, the paper claims Andy Burnham is considering whether to block the early release of prisoners responsible for the death of emergency workers, external – to ensure PC Andrew Harper’s killers remain behind bars. The Ministry of Justice is quoted as saying it wanted to block more offenders from getting out sooner – but could not do so “without risking prisons reaching capacity and collapsing”.
The shadow justice secretary, Nick Timothy, has penned an article for the Sun on Sunday, warning of what he calls “disaster” unless the early release scheme is halted., external He argues there’s still capacity within the estate – and points to examples of other countries renting prison spaces overseas.
The Observer says that while attention has shifted to who is in prison and for how long – just as important is what happens to inmates while they are behind bars, external. It says so-called “Scandi wings”, modelled on units in Sweden and Norway, could help solve the prison crisis by improving rehabilitation. The paper highlights what it calls the “striking” results of one such wing in HMP Wandsworth – which comes complete with a piano and plants from the Chelsea flower show.
“Fury over Royal funeral plan for shamed Andrew” declares the headline on the front of the Mail on Sunday. It says the King’s brother, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, is due to receive a royal ceremonial funera, externall – despite being stripped of all his titles. The Cabinet Office and Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
The Sunday Times reports that elite universities are accepting more applicants with lower grades, external “in an attempt to fill the gap left by an exodus of high paying international students”. The paper says there’s been a 10 per cent drop in people from overseas studying in the UK.
The Times also reveals what it calls a “top secret plan” by Margaret Thatcher’s government to “bomb” Peru with “voraciously hungry moths”., external It says the prime minister gave her initial backing to the idea in the late 1980s as part of a strategy aimed at destroying cocaine crops, and halting the export of the drug to Britain. But the paper says a lack of support from the authorities in Lima meant the scheme never went ahead.
