What the papers say – February 20

Immigration plans and continued problems caused by flooding are among the stories making the front pages on Thursday.

The i and Metro both take a closer look at the fallout following the announcement of Britain’s points-based immigration system. The former says there are fears of the impact on the numbers of carers in Britain, while the latter focuses on Home Secretary Priti Patel’s claim that eight million people could fill vacancies.

Ms Patel’s department is in the spotlight of The Times, with the paper reporting that she has attempted to “oust” permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam after a “toxic clash”.

To ongoing flood misery, and the Daily Mirror leads with a picture of a man wading into water to rescue a woman in Wales.

And The Guardian reports that one in ten new homes built in England since 2013 have been constructed on land “at the highest risk of flooding”.

The Daily Telegraph leads with comments from the head of Ofsted about the potential for a £14 billion increase in funding for education to be “squandered” by poorly managed schools.

The Daily Mail credits the so-called “Boris bounce” for an increase in house prices in every region of the UK.

The Independent carries a story about Donald Trump offering Julian Assange a pardon, as told to Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

Brussels looking to break up “the near monopolies enjoyed by the likes of Amazon and Google” leads the Financial Times.

A new “wonder drug” for sufferers of cystic fibrosis leads the Daily Express.

While the Daily Star leads on a cancer diagnosis for Jimmy Tarbuck.