What the papers say – July 12

The scandal surrounding a BBC presenter dominates the front pages of Wednesday’s newspapers.

Here is what the papers across the UK said on Wednesday (PA) (PA Archive)

One story continues to dominate across Wednesday’s newspaper front pages.

The ongoing scandal surrounding an unnamed BBC presenter leads the majority of papers and makes an appearance on all the front pages.

The Sun, which first broke the story about the presenter paying a teenager for pictures, reports the star broke lockdown to meet with another youngster.

Both The Daily Telegraph and The Times include coverage of Nato not offering Ukraine swift entry, but both lead on the BBC star – the Telegraph saying he faces a fresh allegation while the Times reports the sent “abuse” to a dating app user.

That line is echoed in the Daily Mirror and the Daily Express while The Independent said he faces a claim of sending “abusive” texts from a second accuser.

The i opts for the same line, while the Metro also says the star is facing “fresh claims”.

The Met Police asking the BBC to pause their inquiry into the presenter makes a downpage story in The Guardian, which opts to lead on Chancellor Jeremy Hunt saying there is no extra cash to increase pay in the public sector.

“BBC Meltdown” is the headline across the top of the Daily Mail which also features a picture of Carrie Johnson and her third child with former prime minister Boris Johnson, but it leads on a story about a “Chinese spy” attempting to enter a talk by Hong Kong dissidents at the House of Commons.

The BBC allegations and Nato’s meeting in Lithuania both feature on the front of the Financial Times, but it focuses on Microsoft moving closer to securing its purchase of Call of Duty video game makers Activision.

And the Daily Star focuses on a spaceship which could cut flights to Mars to 30 days.