What the papers say – June 12

Friday’s front pages feature rows over calls to remove memorials to historical figures and further developments in the coronavirus crisis.

The Guardian, The Times and the Daily Star all lead with fallout from the continued targeting of statues around the UK, including Poole’s memorial to Scouts founder Robert Baden-Powell.

The Daily Telegraph reports on Home Secretary Priti Patel’s statement that she “will not be silenced” on race issues, while the Metro leads with concerns over attacks on police officers.

Elsewhere, the Daily Express and Daily Mail express differing views on whether or not the two-metre social distancing rule should be reduced.

The backlog in people awaiting cancer diagnosis and treatment “will kill many thousands” without urgent action, according to the i.

The Independent reports the Government’s test and trace system has failed to successfully trace contacts of people who test positive “in a third of cases”.

The Government has scrapped plans to implement full border checks with the EU post-Brexit, says the Financial Times.

The Daily Mirror says Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been told to “spend big” to avoid a “new Great Depression”.

And The Sun leads with a non-apology from the ex-husband of JK Rowling over abuse claims raised by the Harry Potter author.