‘Police probe incidents before train attack’ and ‘tough but fair’ Budget
Several newspapers are reporting that police are investigating whether a man accused of stabbing 10 people on a train passing through Peterborough on Saturday was involved in separate incidents 24 hours before the attack. He added that “three opportunities may have been missed to stop the alleged knifeman” and that 999 calls were made regarding three separate incidents leading up to the train stabbings, the Daily Express reported. The newspaper quotes a statement from Cambridgeshire Police which said it was “currently reviewing all incidents within the time frame to understand whether there are any other potential offences”.
Metro says an “investigation” has begun into whether police “missed a number of opportunities” to stop 32-year-old Anthony Williams, who is accused of 10 attempted murders on the Doncaster-London train on Saturday night and “10 attempted murders at the DLR station in the capital a few hours earlier, assault with a gun and assault on a police officer while in custody”.
The Times also leads the allegation that Williams is linked to separate stabbings. He writes that Cambridgeshire Police referred him to the police watchdog IOPC, but he did not meet the referral criteria because “none of the injured persons contacted the police before being attacked”.
The Independent claims the police investigation into the alleged train attackers is linked to “a series of previous knife-related incidents”.
“Three heroes who tried to stop Saturday’s train horror have been praised,” the Daily Mirror reported. The newspaper writes that the train driver was “praised” for making an unplanned stop at Huntingdon station, while a train staff and passenger were “injured while confronting the knifeman.”
The Daily Star runs a profile reporting that “hero football fan Stephen Crean” “snatched a knife from a train attacker.” The attacker asked Mr Crean “do you want to die?”, the newspaper reported. He states that he asked the question.
Meanwhile, various other newspapers are leading the discussion on tax increases in the November Budget. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is “signaling a ‘tough but fair’ budget,” the Financial Times reported. The newspaper writes that Sir Keir “promised to tackle the national debt but ruled out major cuts to public spending”. The report says many Labor MPs have “resigned” to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, breaching the party’s manifesto commitment “not to increase income tax, national insurance or value added tax (VAT) rates”.
“Reeves clears the way for tax rise budget,” writes the Guardian, and gives a preview of the chancellor’s speech later today in which he will be “‘candid’ about the tough elections ahead”.
The Daily Mail also publishes a preview of the chancellor’s speech to Downing Street on Tuesday, reporting that he will “address ‘speculation’ about the contents of the November 26 Budget – when he is expected to increase taxes by up to £30bn.”
“The Chancellor will give his strongest hint yet that he will increase income tax in a major pre-Budget speech,” reports i Paper.
The Daily Telegraph reported that the BBC “edited” Donald Trump’s speech to “make it look like he was encouraging the Capitol Hill riot”, according to an “internal whistleblower memo” seen by the newspaper. It says that the Panorama program, which was broadcast a week before the 2024 US presidential elections, “misled” viewers. The paper says a 19-page dossier on “BBC Bias” has been compiled by a new member of the BBC’s standards committee and is “currently circulating in government departments”. A BBC spokesman said: “While we do not comment on leaked documents, when the BBC receives feedback it takes it seriously and considers it carefully.”
