The Guardian focuses on the political crisis in South Korea, external, describing the declaration of martial law as “the most serious challenge to the country’s democracy since the 1980s”.
According to the Financial Times, the confrontation between South Korea’s president and the opposition “is the culmination of long-simmering tensions”, external – as the country’s political system has been effectively paralysed since the last general election.
A politician who broke into South Korea’s parliament to vote to block the imposition of martial law has told the Daily Telegraph, external how she “crawled on her hands and knees through the frantic legs of security forces to save democracy”.
The Times highlights what it calls the “damning” report by the National Audit Office, external, warning about a possible shortfall of more than 12,000 prison places in England and Wales by 2027. The paper says ministers have been prompted to make changes to sentencing, ending short custodial terms and making more use of house arrest and electronic tagging, after the spending watchdog found the existing prison expansion scheme was “unrealistic” and “overambitious”.
The i reports that the government has expanded a scheme first introduced by the Conservatives, which involves moving violent offenders to open prisons, external to cope with the continuing overcrowding crisis in jails.
The Telegraph says Labour has overseen a drop in office attendance across Whitehall since coming to power, external. It says official figures show attendance rates at 13 government departments – including the Treasury and the Ministry of Justice – have fallen since July, prompting critics to claim Labour has “gone soft” on working from home.
The government says office occupancy levels were higher between July and September than in the same period last year under the Conservatives. The Telegraph says the audit is the first part of a series by the paper looking at work-from-home policies across the civil service, police, town halls, the and the NHS amid growing concerns about public sector efficiency.
With the headline “Full Steam Ahead”, the Daily Mirror celebrates the renationalisation of the railways, external after the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, set out the timetable for the first operators to return to public ownership. South Western Railways will be the first to make the switch in May – followed by c2c and Greater Anglia.
The Mirror’s leader column says the change is an achievement the government “should be proud of”, arguing that saving millions of pounds in franchise fees and clamping down on waste, delays, cancellations and confused ticketing “will all benefit long-suffering passengers”.
According to several papers, ministers are also considering renationalising British Steel, in what the Guardian calls “a last ditch attempt to save thousands of jobs”, external.
Images of the Princess of Wales feature on several front pages, after she continued her gradual return to public duties by welcoming the Emir of Qatar to the UK. The Telegraph says it was her first involvement in a state visit since undergoing cancer treatment. , external
“It’s Kate to be back!”, says Metro’s headline, external. The Times says Queen Camilla “shook off a bout of pneumonia” to join the Princess and guests, external – including David and Victoria Beckham for a state banquet at Buckingham Palace last night.
