The Daily Mail is among several papers leading with the story that Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has offered to resign, should she be found to have broken the law over her living arrangements. Greater Manchester Police are investigating claims she broke electoral law, the paper reports, after Ms Rayner was accused of giving false information about her main residence.
The Daily Mirror is also reporting on the accusations against Ms Rayner, noting that she has welcomed the scrutiny. The paper adds she put out a defiant statement in response to the investigation revelation, in which Ms Rayner said she was “completely confident I’ve followed the rules at all times” and accusing the Tories of trying to smear her.
The Daily Telegraph’s splash on the Rayner row says Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer “faces a test of his authority” as the party’s Left “jumped to defend” Ms Rayner. The paper reports that while figures like former leader Ed Miliband and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan put out strong messages immediately, Sir Keir took four hours to declare his support.
The Times also leads with the possible impact the growing controversy could have on Sir Keir, reporting Labour sources have confirmed this is the first time Ms Rayner has offered to stand down. The paper also carries a quote from Conservative Party Chair Richard Holden, who said the issue calls the Labour leader’s “judgement into question”.
Chinese spies are repeatedly targeting their British counterparts in “honeytrap sex plots”, according to the i weekend’s front page. The paper reports that the Chinese agents are attempting to begin sexual relationships to “extract secrets” and compromise the UK’s security, according to intelligence sources.
A “gang of squatters has set up home” inside a £13m pub owned by Gordon Ramsay, according to an exclusive in the Sun. The “invaders” are said to have used the celebrity chef’s appliances to barricade themselves inside the grade II-listed building near Regent’s Park, with the paper reporting Mr Ramsay being “at the end of his tether” over struggling to evict them.
The Guardian leads with calls for Rishi Sunak to end the prosecution of unpaid carers who “unwittingly breached earnings rules”, following an investigation by the newspaper. The report adds that three former Tory ministers and Labour have “demanded to know why”, with some carers describing being “plunged into debt, given criminal records, and forced to sell their homes”.
The FT Weekend’s splash reports on a former head the Federal Reserve warning the Bank of England its forecasting must change after “significant shortcomings” contributed to a recent failure to predict rising inflation. Ben Bernanke advised the UK’s central bank to “invest heavily in its outdated software” and revamp its economic model, the FT says.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said Britons have “done the hard yards” over the economy and the government is ready to “cut taxes and bet on growth”, according to the Daily Express. Issuing a “rallying cry to the nation”, Mr Hunt also said it is time to release the handbrake as the UK economy improves, the paper reports.
Under the headline “hug a hornet”, the Daily Star reports Chris Packham has told people they must learn to love the Asian Hornet even though the invasive species are “beastly to our British bees”.
