Labour told to ‘unite for budget’ and ‘1,000 abuse victims safer’
On the eve of the Budget, speculation about Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ financial statement hit the papers. The Times reported that he called on Labor MPs to “unite for his Budget” and hit out at what he called “misogynistic critics”. He adds that pre-budget leaks were “incredibly destabilizing” and quotes him addressing MPs in the House of Commons in the paper.
“The Chancellor will significantly cut the £20,000 annual cash Isa (Individual Savings Account) allowance to £12,000,” the Daily Mail reports. Lowering the tax-free interest limit could “potentially cause mortgage rates to rise while penalizing savers,” according to the newspaper. The report said the chancellor could use his financial statement to argue that “billions of pounds held in savings accounts would provide better returns if invested in the riskier stock market”.
A proposal to impose a council tax surcharge on properties valued at more than £2 million “could become a ‘glue plaster’ for the government”, writes the i newspaper. He describes the measure as a “mansion tax,” citing warnings from former Institute for Fiscal Studies economist Paul Johnson, who told the newspaper the system “needs to be completely overhauled.”
Campaign group Silver Voices is warning the chancellor that “many older people will struggle to heat their homes without help due to living costs”, the Daily Express reports. “Frozen income tax thresholds expected in tomorrow’s Budget will lead to a freeze on homes,” the paper writes, adding that people already struggling with rising energy costs are “facing higher tax bills”.
The Independent leads with “reports that efforts to grow the economy have stalled”, citing an unpublished analysis from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the economic watchdog. The newspaper said the OBR had “cut its growth forecast for every year until 2029”, adding that the news “couldn’t come at a worse time for the beleaguered chancellor”.
The Financial Times says US and Ukrainian negotiators are drafting an unfinished peace proposal in Geneva that “leaves major appeals to presidents”. “Washington was pressuring Kiev to accept the 28-article proposal developed by US and Russian officials,” the newspaper writes. Some parts of the plan, such as land concessions, crossed “Ukraine’s red lines”. The newspaper states that the prominent “politically sensitive elements” of the Geneva plan will be decided by Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky.
“1,000 abuse victims safer,” Metro writes, reporting the number of domestic abuse protection orders (DAPOs) imposed in the year since its introduction. DAPOs “limit the movements of perpetrators, with violations punishable by up to five years,” the newspaper says.
The cases of hundreds of thousands of vulnerable and unpaid carers will be reassessed following an official review, the Guardian writes. Some carers were “subject to hardship; others were jailed” after “draconian fines of up to £20,000” were imposed on some carers. According to the newspaper, the review blames “government failure and mismanagement”.
The Daily Telegraph reports that BBC chief Samir Shah “insists he will not resign despite deep divisions within the broadcaster”. It says board members are divided over how to respond to the Telegraph’s “revelation of bias at the company” based on a leaked memo.
“Reform’s Russia crisis” is the Daily Mirror’s front-page headline, as the paper says party leader Nigel Farage faces “increasing pressure to investigate pro-Putin links” within the party. It comes after former Welsh Reform UK leader Nathan Gill was jailed for taking pro-Russian bribes.
The Daily Star leads the way, with darts champion Luke Littler backing the newspaper’s campaign to knight motor neurone disease charity campaigner and former rugby league star Kevin Sinfield.
According to the Sun, TV star Jeff Brazier separated from his wife Kate Dwyer. It is stated that the separation took place 16 years after the death of Brazier’s former partner Jade Goody, who appeared in Big Brother years ago.
Chancellor’s pre-Budget briefing with Labor MPs The Times’ front page. Rachel Reeves has reportedly lashed out at “armchair” critics who question her ability to do the job. He also said the leaks in the run-up to the budget were “incredibly destabilizing.” The last of these is According to Daily Mailplans to reduce his £20,000 annual cash ISA (individual savings account) allowance to £12,000. Reeves is expected to argue that billions of pounds held in savings accounts would provide better returns if invested in the stock market.
Financial Times reported Banks were asked to approve the budget in a way that would attract public attention. Treasury officials want lenders to praise the policies and “at least” refrain from criticizing government decisions.
The Daily Telegraph’s claims The BBC is in “turmoil” over allegations of bias as it leads into a hearing of the House of Commons culture, media and sport committee on Monday. The newspaper says the leadership of the company’s chairman, Samir Shah, has come under “intense scrutiny”. message of the sun He told the BBC emphatically: “Reform or die”.
Times And Finance Times He reported that ministers supported Heathrow’s £49 billion plan to build a third runway. One of the biggest aspects of the proposal will reportedly involve rerouting the M25 to pass through a tunnel under the runway.
Daily Mirror says Nigel Farage faces “increasing pressure” to investigate pro-Putin links in Reform UK. The party’s former leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, was jailed last week for taking pro-Russian bribes. The Mirror’s main headline is “There are more VLAD diamonds, Nigel”.
“The great pioneer of Reggae” i Newspaper tells After Jimmy Cliff died at age 81. According to The TimesHe is surpassed only by Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff as the most successful singing star to emerge from Jamaica. The Guardian says his music “lifted people up in difficult times,” and the newspaper’s obituary praised the “stirring optimism” of his 1969 hit “Wonderful World, Beautiful People.”
