What the papers say – April 19

Downing Street falling victim to hackers and Russian forces entering the next stage of their war on Ukaine lead the papers.

19 April 2022

The stories on the front pages say No 10 has been targeted by hackers, civil servants have been told to get back to the office and Russia has increased its efforts in the assault on eastern Ukraine.

The Prime Minister’s office at Downing Street has been the suspected target of “multiple” Pegasus spyware attacks by the United Arab Emirates, The Guardian reveals.

The Daily Mail also carries the story, reporting that global security experts alerted Boris Johnson to the hack which was understood to have occurred in 2020.

As Mr Johnson becomes the first PM to address Parliament “as a law-breaker”, the Daily Mirror says “jittery Tories” fear the ongoing fall-out from the partygate scandal will “cost them dearly” at May’s local elections.

Elsewhere, The Daily Telegraph writes that ministers have been ordered to send their civil servants back to the office after it emerged up to three-quarters of staff are still working from home.

The Times and i focus on the latest Russian attacks in Ukraine, carrying sombre warnings from the president that the invaders’ large scale assault on Donbas has begun, while one of the country’s mayors says “nowhere is safe” for civilians.

The “Queen’s dearest wish for Jubilee” is to have the Duke and Duchess of Sussex join the rest of the royal family on the balcony, says the Daily Express.

The Sun reports Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed one of his twins died during birth – leaving him in “the greatest pain”.

Rail fares will be half price from today, says Metro‘s front page.

The Financial Times reports Asda’s private equity buyer has valued its stake in the supermarket chain at 20 times the amount it paid for the grocer last year.

And the Daily Star requests “Don’t beam us up” in relation to Nasa’s plan to send Earth’s location into outer space, which a senior research fellow at Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute has warned against.