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• Tue Apr 15 2025

Katy Perry in space and Birmingham bin strikes

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Tuesday's Metro is one of a number of newspapers which features news of singer Katy Perry being part of an all-female crew which enjoyed 10 minutes in space on Monday. "Look at the moon ... oh my God we're in space", is Metro's headline. Perry is pictured holding a daisy after she returned back to Earth. Elsewhere on the front, the paper teases its "guilty pleasure" section with British actress Florence Pugh.

The Daily Star also leads on Perry becoming the first pop star to fly to space and being part of the first all-female space flight in over 60 years. "I went to space and I liked it", is the tabloid's headline - a play on the lyrics of her 2008 debut single "I Kissed a Girl".

The Sun also plays on the words of Perry's famous song as she is pictured brandishing the daisy in space and then kissing the ground on her return. But the paper's lead story says "Britain is broken" according to a voters' poll which say there is "fury at government in red wall seats".

"Giant leap" is the sub-headline on the Financial Times as it marks the celebrity team who had their brief foray in space. The FT's lead story focuses on risky corporate borrowers being "shut out of bond market" since Donald Trump's tariff blitz last week. It reports that Wall Street banks have "pulled the plug" on deals.

But the Daily Mail's Jan Moir suggests the venture into space was one "giant step BACK for womankind". The Mail's lead story focuses on what it says was a "humiliation" for the UK government and more misery for residents in Birmingham as union workers "overwhelmingly" reject deal to end bin strike. The paper says the Unite union rejected a plea from deputy prime minister Angela Rayner to end the dispute.

The Birmingham bin strikes also lead the front of Tuesday's Daily Telegraph as the paper says Unite union is considering series of walkouts after its local members rejected the latest pay offer. Catching the eye on the main photo is the Princess of Wales smiling while promoting the Scouts Movement in the Lake District. Not one for missing the main topics of the day, Matt's cartoon jokes the Blue Origin was a "giant leap for the hen do".

For the i Paper, its main focus is on reports the UK government is seeking to defuse a "simmering diplomatic row" over China's involvement in British infrastructure. The paper says Beijing appeared to threaten future investment after the government stepped in to take control of British Steel from its Chinese owners.

According to the Guardian, senior Labour figures have urged the government to review Chinese investment in UK infrastructure in the wake of the British Steel crisis. The paper also reports on the "forgotten war" - two years after conflict broke out in Sudan.

Sticking with the British Steel story, the Times says it can reveal that Energy Secretary Ed Miliband promised "close co-operation" with Beijing a month before the government wrestled control of the company from Jingye amid fears it would close the plant down.

The Daily Mirror leads on former Conservative MP Craig Williams being among 15 people charged with betting offences by the Gambling Commission. The paper says the investigation was launched last year following bets placed on the timing of the 2024 general election.

Finally, the Daily Express has an exclusive interview with Nazi death camp survivor Susan Pollack marking 80 years since the liberation of Bergen-Belsen. The 94-year-old tells the paper about hero British liberators and pays tribute to those who helped save her.

The Daily Telegraph leads with a warning that bin workers across the country could be poised to go on strike. The paper says the Unite union is considering staging walkouts in areas where there are pay disputes similar to the row in Birmingham, which has led to rubbish piling up on the streets. The headline on the front of the Daily Mail is "Bin strike grinds on as Labour humiliated". It says Unite's members in Birmingham rejected an improved pay offer despite a plea by the Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner for them to accept. The Guardian reports that senior Labour figures are urging the government to review Chinese investment in Britain in the wake of the British Steel episode. A Labour peer, Helena Kennedy, tells the paper "this fiasco shows the risks". A Conservative MP is quoted by the Daily Express saying "China is a threat to everything we do", while the Times says the Energy Secretary Ed Miliband publicly encouraged Chinese involvement in key parts of UK infrastructure less than a month ago.

EPA The Blue Origin flight contained Lauren Sanchez, Amanda Nguyen, Katy Perry, Gayle King, Aisha Bowe and Kerianne Flynn

The i Paper says Downing Street has been trying to calm tensions with China diplomatically. The Financial Times reports that some European Commission staff who are heading to the United States for meetings next week are being given burner phones and basic laptops. The paper says such counter-espionage methods are usually reserved for trips to China - and illustrate the worsening in relations with the US since President Trump returned to power. Katy Perry is back in the papers for a second day after her brief trip to space. The Sun's headline, "I kissed the ground and I liked it" is neatly echoed by the Daily Star's "I went to space and I liked it", as they cover the singer's trip - and grateful return to Earth - alongside an all-female crew. Finally, Metro shows Perry holding a daisy she carried aboard.