Newspaper headlines: 'Sorrow at tower fire turns to anger' By BBC News

Staff Published duration 16 June 2017

image copyright EPA

The UK's national front pages are again dominated by the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Against the backdrop of the charred building, the Daily Mirror's headline reads simply: "Criminal".

"We need answers. We need change," the paper says.

"Now the anger," is the headline on the Sun's front page, which says "sadness has given way to fury as angry locals demand to know how the inferno was allowed to happen."

The Daily Telegraph talks of a "litany of failings" , while the Daily Mail says ministers are facing three disturbing questions: was the lethal cladding chosen to meet environmental targets; why were families told to stay in their flats; and how many other "tinder box towers" are there?

The i newspaper quotes from the planning application submitted before the block's recent refurbishment.

It said cladding would improve the environmental performance of the building and its appearance.

Meanwhile, the Sun says the cladding covers thousands of homes and offices across Britain; numerous schemes have made use of it "to get green energy ticks".

The Times reports that particular type of cladding used on Grenfell Tower is banned in the US on buildings taller than 40ft (12m) - for fire safety reasons.

It says the manufacturer makes two fire-resistant alternatives, but they are more expensive.

The paper calculates the difference in cost at Grenfell Tower would have amounted to less than £5,000 for the entire building.

Family saved

There were also further heart-rending accounts of the horrors at Grenfell Tower - as well as the heroism.

The Sun says one father got his pregnant wife and youngest daughter down the smoke-filled stairs from the 21st floor, climbing over bodies on the way.

Marcio Gomes, an Ofsted inspector, says he and his family had been instructed to stay put for two hours by emergency operators; but by 04:30 BST the blaze had reached his windows and he realised he had to act to save his family.

Another woman tells the paper she saved her family by running a bath and letting it flood the floors; it kept the flames at bay until crews reached her flat at 03:00.

The Daily Mail tells how a young Italian couple who were engaged to be married phoned their parents from their flat on the 23rd floor to say goodbye.

The architecture graduates moved to London three months ago to look for work and were captivated by the views of the capital from their flat, often posting pictures on social media.

One had shown a rainbow across the city skyline, with the word: "Spectacular".

A million on the streets?

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Away from the North Kensington fire, several papers round on shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, who has reportedly called for a million protesters to take to the streets to call for Theresa May to leave Downing Street.

"Our democracy has no place for the mob," says the Daily Telegraph in a lengthy editorial

"We had an election last week," says the Daily Express, adding that "whichever way you cut it, Labour lost".

There's a similar message in the Daily Mail, which tells Mr McDonnell: "We live in a democracy and our arguments are settled in Westminster."

Student debts rise

Student loan debt in the UK has risen to more than £100bn, according to the Guardian - a rise of almost 17% in a single year.

The figures come from the Student Loans Company and show that England accounts for more than £89bn of the total.

The average amount of debt accrued by each student on graduation is more than £32,000.

Meanwhile, the Times reports that almost a dozen universities have given their vice chancellors big pay rises - despite suffering a significant fall in student numbers.

It says "university chiefs received an average package of £280,877 including pension contributions".

End to school trips?

A report by the British Council - the UK's international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations - suggests that school foreign exchange trips are being killed off by excessive red tape.

There is confusion over child protection rules, according to the Times.

The problem is said to be contributing to a big slump in pupils taking foreign languages at GCSE level.

In an editorial , the newspaper laments what it calls a "blinkered" approach. A mastery of foreign languages, it says, has never been so important.

A special date

And finally, the Daily Mirror celebrates three people who have pulled off an amazing feat, with odds of 48-million-to-one against.

Steve Winterbottom, 35, from Buxton, Derbyshire, shares the same birthday as his father - 4 June.