'North Sea stand-off' and 'Council tax hike for millions'

The headline on the Mirror's front page read:

The activity of a Russian spy ship in the North Sea featured on many front pages on Thursday, with the Mirror’s headline quoting Defense Secretary John Healey. He told reporters that Yantar had directed the lasers “dangerously” to thwart RAF pilots monitoring his activities near British waters. “We see you, we know what you are doing,” he warned Moscow.

The headline on the front page of the Independent reads:

The Independent also referenced Healey in its headline, describing his remarks as a “stern threat to Putin”. The Russian Embassy in London said this did not harm Britain’s security and condemned Healey’s statement as provocative.

The Sun said the incident had led to rising tensions with Russia, amid “further grave revelations” that a British man was facing war crimes charges for spreading what the paper called “sick Putin propaganda”.

The headline on the front page of i Paper reads:

Local authorities in London and the South East will be allowed to increase council taxes without a public vote, i Paper reports. The paper says the rises are part of a “major funding overhaul to protect services” and suggests Whitehall grants will be directed to areas of “greater need” in the North and Midlands.

The headline on the front page of the Times reads:

Transgender people could be banned from single-sex spaces based on their appearance, according to an exclusive report by the Times. The newspaper states that the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s guide was given to ministers three months ago, but has not yet been published.

The headline on the Guardian's front page reads:

“Starmer urges Farage to address allegations of racism,” says the Guardian, citing Wednesday’s report alleging the Reform UK leader made racist comments while at school. Farage has denied making any of the comments and actions attributed to him by former students of Dulwich College in south London in the 1970s.

The Telegraph's front page headline read:

Officials have spoken to the Daily Telegraph about a secret deal that “unraveled” in recent “rapid” talks between the US and Russia. Sources familiar with the 28-point plan told the newspaper that Ukraine could be forced to cede control of the eastern Donbas region to Russia but retain ownership. Moscow will pay an undisclosed rent to the country.

The headline on the Mail's front page reads:

The Daily Mail says public confidence in the economy under a Labor government has “hit rock bottom” with just a week to go before the Budget is due. They lead with the results of a YouGov poll showing that only 4% of respondents rate economic conditions as “fairly good”.

The headline on the front page of the Express reads:

Budget speculation also made the front page of the Daily Express, which said the new analysis provided evidence that the pension triple lock “must remain”. The paper says millions of people will experience “retirement poverty” if Chancellor Rachel Reeves “bows to pressure and allows pensioners’ incomes to dwindle”.

The headline on the front page of the Financial Times reads:

The Financial Times says, “Household investors are pulling £26bn from London stocks despite a fierce rally” and warns that the budget has created uneasiness among investors “in an environment where the sense of impending doom is growing”. But the newspaper says the FTSE 100 is on track for its best year since recovering from the financial crisis in 2009.

The headline on Metro's front page reads:

Metro claims that a prestigious fertility clinic was hacked by a group with links to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The newspaper says ransomware gang Qilin is believed to have infiltrated the clinic’s computer systems last month.

The headline on the Star's front page reads:

Adam Peaty and Holly Ramsey were photographed on the front page of the Daily Star after the Olympian said the couple’s family were “encouraging false claims” ahead of their upcoming wedding.