In the headlines
The “true scale of pandemic waste” is now clear, says the Express, after an official report found that the government squandered almost £9bn on PPE. An estimated £673m went on unusable equipment, and £750m on items that weren’t used before their expiry dates. The largest write-off (£4.7bn) was for PPE that was bought for much more than it is now worth. Michael Gove has unveiled the government’s long-delayed Levelling Up White Paper. The strategy lays out 12 “missions” to save Britain’s “forgotten communities”, including improvements to education, broadband and transport. An almost year-long copyright row between Aldi and M&S over their similar-looking caterpillar cakes has been resolved. “War is finally over,” says the Star. “Peace in our teatime.”