What the papers say – February 23

A wide variety of stories feature across Thursday’s front pages.

What the papers say -February 23 (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Archive)

The nation’s papers are led by the Government announcing fresh plans to crack down on the soaring backlog of asylum cases.

The Daily Express reports the scheme, which is being launched on Thursday, will aim to fast-track thousands of cases.

The Daily Mail leads with critics of the policy labelling it an “amnesty in all but name”.

Elsewhere, The Independent leads with bare supermarket shelves as fruit and vegetable shortages spread across the UK.

Metro says a Lidl manager stopped a woman from buying 100 cucumbers for her business, while the Daily Star dedicates its front page to a campaign to “save our salad”.

The Telegraph carries a warning from telecommunications giant BT that a planned increase in corporation tax would send Britain in a “drastically anti-investment direction”.

The Guardian reports pollutants which build up in the body and do not break down in the environment have been found at high levels at thousands of sites across the UK and Europe.

The NHS wants to double medical school places under a blueprint to tackle the industry’s chronic job shortage, according to The Times.

The i says the nurses’ union has been accused of breaking ranks with fellow strikers after it paused planned industrial action to engage in “intensive talks” with the Government.

The Financial Times reports tobacco group Phillip Morris International has said it would “rather keep” its business in Russia than sell it on stringent Kremlin terms.

And the Daily Mirror carries an interview with two captured members of Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries.