Newspaper headlines: ‘Nine-minute tanker raid’ and PM faces ‘revolt’

image captionSeveral of Monday’s papers carry images of an oil tanker which was seized by seven stowaways off the coast of the Isle of Wight on Sunday. The lead image dominating Metro is the moment elite Special Boat Service commandos stormed the Nave Andromeda. The stowaways have been detained.

image captionFour military helicopters took 40 personnel to the scene of the suspected hijack, the Times reports. A mayday call on Sunday morning alerted British authorities to the incident, as the vessel approached Southampton dock. Armed forces gained control of the ship on Sunday evening following a 10-hour standoff. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson will increase funding for the poorest families during the Christmas holidays as the row over free school meals continues.

image captionContinuing the coverage of the seized ship, the Daily Telegraph says special forces raided the tanker in nine minutes. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel have praised police and armed forces for their swift action. Separately, four in 10 pupils are not getting a full education, leading to warnings of “permanent scarring” to the Covid generation, the paper reports.

image captionDowning Street is facing growing pressure to perform a U-turn on providing free school meals during the holidays in England, the Guardian reports, as Conservative MPs become increasingly frustrated that the government will not climb down on its stance against Marcus Rashford’s campaign. The paper says that discontent is brewing in Tory ranks, with one MP saying the issue had been a “political handling disaster”. Meanwhile, more than 800 former judges and senior legal figures have said the PM and home secretary are endangering the safety of lawyers through their abusive attacks on the profession.

image caption“Marcus: The pride of Britain” is the headline on the front page of the Daily Mirror as the paper honours the Manchester United footballer with an award for his campaign to feed children during the school holidays. “I’m humbled,” the England striker is quoted as saying.

image captionBoots is launching a coronavirus test which delivers results in 12 minutes, the Daily Mail reports. The test should be available in two weeks and has proved 97% accurate in trials. The initial charge for the test is £120, but could drop if demand grows, the paper adds.

image captionHopes for a vaccine are rising, the i newspaper says. US disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci has suggested a jab could be approved by the end of the year, and the Irish government is “increasingly optimistic” a vaccine is approved in the next couple of months. And the NHS is planning to prioritise vaccinations for staff, but a nation-wide rollout will likely take many more months.

image captionAcross the Atlantic, as the number of new coronavirus cases surge in the US, Donald Trump continues to claim it is down to improved testing, rather than a worsening outbreak, the Financial Times reports. “Even without the vaccines, we’re rounding the turn. It’s going to be over,” he told a crowd at a New Hampshire rally as the US election fast approaches. Separately, a growing number of wealthy flyers are using private jets to reduce the risk of catching Covid-19 from other passengers.

image captionDementia patients are being given “dangerous” anti-psychotic drugs to keep them sedated during the pandemic, experts have told the Daily Express. The paper says that the “archaic” medication is prescribed to control agitation, delusions, sleep disturbance and aggression. Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman Munira Wilson told the paper: “This is an incredibly worrying time for anyone with a loved one in care with dementia.”

image captionAnd the Daily Star leads with “Halloween from hell” as gales, torrential rain, sleet and 26ft waves could ruin half term.