What the papers say – August 31

Another twist in the Labour Party’s ongoing anti-Semitism row features prominently on the front pages on Friday.

The Times reports that one of the party’s longest-serving MPs, Frank Field, resigned the whip on Thursday, saying Jeremy Corbyn had turned the party into “a force for anti-Semitism in British politics”.

Mr Field, who has served as MP for Birkenhead for nearly 40 years, also said that Labour was increasingly “seen as a racist party”, the Daily Telegraph says.

The i reports that deputy leader Tom Watson warned that more MPs could follow suit and quit, while the Metro says Mr Field told how he had raised concerns about bullying 18 months ago but that “no decisive action had been taken”.

In his resignation letter, Mr Field said Britain had fought the Second World War to banish the type of views expressed by Mr Corbyn, the Independent reports.

In other news, The Guardian leads on the collapse of pay day loan firm Wonga, saying it leaves an estimated 200,000 customers still owing more than £400 million in short-term loans.

The Daily Mirror reports on the council worker who stole £62,000 from victims of the Grenfell Tower fraud, and the Daily Mail leads on an investigation into deaths on a maternity unit.

Elsewhere, the Daily Express carries a promise from Home Secretary Sajid Javid that Brexit will end uncontrolled immigration.

The Financial Times says Argentina raised interest rates to 60% in a bid to arrest a plunge in the peso.

And The Sun reports that a man broke into a funeral parlour that was going bust and stole his mother-in-law’s corpse.

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