Reflections from last week’s budget dominate Monday’s newspapers. Metro headlines say the Chancellor “didn’t lie” after accusations that Rachel Reeves misled the public about the national economic outlook in the preparation of the budget. The paper is full of a photo from Sunday’s edition of the BBC by Laura Kuenssberg showing Reeves in a “Budget face-off” with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.
The Times leads ministers who say Reeves misled them about the “fiscal gap”. According to the report, the Chancellor has repeatedly emphasized that the productivity forecast was downgraded “to justify tax increases”. Meanwhile, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) had told Reeves the forecast was improving and balanced by tax revenues.
The Daily Mail writes that the Chancellor is “on the shelf” as Reform England leader Nigel Farage calls for a “dirt inquiry”. The ethics watchdog is said to have been “encouraged to take action” based on “Budget lies.” The paper also asks whether Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s wife, Sarah Ferguson, is about to move into her daughter Princess Beatrice’s “granny annexe”.
i Paper also leads Reeves in denying that he is “lying” about tax increases and the “black hole”, referencing the funding gap he has stated needs to be filled. Starmer is expected to tell the public “our welfare state is trapping people, we need to reform it”. One of the newspaper’s columnists says Reeves “may not be a liar, but he’s lost trust.”
The Daily Telegraph reminds the Mail that Reeves is facing “ethics investigation over Budget lies.” It is stated that Farage wrote to the UK’s independent ethics advisor, requesting an investigation into whether he broke ministerial rules. The newspaper also highlights a part of the budget that it said was “buried” last week: young people with certain mental health problems will not need to attend school or training before their parents can claim help.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said his “bold” economic plan will take “years” to succeed, The Guardian reports. Writing in the newspaper, the Prime Minister defended the Chancellor’s decision to increase taxes by £26bn after the Conservatives called on Reeves to resign. Also on the front page, the former director of the UK special forces was involved in a cover-up over concerns about unlawful killings in Afghanistan, an investigation has heard. A Ministry of Defense spokesman told the newspaper that “the government is fully committed to supporting the independent investigation into Afghanistan” and added that it would await the outcome before commenting further.
The Independent describes Starmer’s defense of Reeves as “defiant” for “denying the lies”. In his speech on Monday, the prime minister will argue that he has achieved economic stability by creating more fiscal space, referring to the money remaining after covering the government’s expected costs.
“If he had been honest at all, Reeves would be gone by now,” says the Daily Express headline quoting Badenoch. He called on the Prime Minister to “develop a backbone and sack his Chancellor”. The paper says more than 40,000 people had signed the Conservative Party’s “Sack Reeves now” petition by Sunday afternoon.
The Financial Times is moving away from UK finances, instead covering the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war. NATO leaders are reportedly considering a “more aggressive” response to Russia’s hybrid war. The military committee chairman told the newspaper that the alliance was considering being “more proactive rather than reactive” against cyber attacks and airspace violations.
The Sun headlined its investigation into the raids carried out by a group it called “Gucci gang”. “Gangsters” are targeting Premier League footballers and taking their luxury items, including Everton player Jack Grealish’s £1million watch and jewellery.
The Daily Mirror’s Christmas appeal fills the front page. The campaign will use “pioneering assisted and sensory technology” to help children with “life-limiting” conditions.
The Daily Star is calling for former rugby league star Kevin Sinfield to be knighted after completing a range of physical endurance feats to help motor neurone disease (MND) research.
BBC
