Reports on the potential entry of Israeli troops into Lebanon dominate Thursday’s front pages. The Financial Times leads on an Israeli army chief’s comments that extensive air strikes in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah could pave the way for them to “enter enemy territory”. The paper says Herzi Halevi’s remarks were Israel’s “most explicit threat” that a ground invasion may be imminent.
“Israeli boots ready to hit the ground in Lebanon” is the Telegraph’s headline. The report includes US President Joe Biden’s remarks to ABC News that all-out war in the Middle East is possible, but not “inevitable”. Also featured is Prime Minister Keir Starmer telling the BBC his chief of staff’s salary “should not be the subject of debate”, after it was revealed Sue Gray was paid £3,000 more than him a year.
“All parties need to pull back from the brink, to de-escalate,” Sir Keir told the BBC during UN meetings in New York on Tuesday. The comments, the subject of the i splash, followed the PM’s call for British citizens in Lebanon to leave “now”. The paper also reports that an expected meeting in the US between UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer has “fallen out of the diary”.
The Guardian quotes Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh as saying a ground offensive does not appear imminent in its Middle East dispatch, alongside detail of growing calls for a ceasefire. A story on Treasury fears that the UK government’s plans to crack down on the non-dom tax regime may fail to raise any money is also featured.
Sir Keir used an £18m penthouse belonging to a major Labour donor to broadcast a stay-at-home message to the public during the pandemic, the Times reports. No 10 tells the paper it’s confident no rules lockdown were broken in filming the December 2021 video at Lord Waheed Alli’s central London property. It follows criticism of senior Labour figures for donations they accepted from Lord Alli, including gifts of clothes to the PM’s wife that he initially failed to declare.
The Daily Mail says “mounting questions” face the prime minister over his use of Lord Alli’s penthouse. Sir Keir yesterday defended his stay there during the general election, telling the BBC it was important his son had a peaceful place to study for his GCSEs. In its headline, the Mail suggests the PM’s excuses “just don’t add up”.
The Express splashes on unions winning a non-binding vote at the Labour Party conference calling on the government to reverse its cuts to winter fuel payments. It quotes one Tory source as saying Sir Keir has “lost the support” of his party, MPs and “paymasters”.
The Mirror reports on the first Briton to die after under going Brazilian butt lift surgery. Alice Delsie Preete Webb, 33, died on Monday following the buttock enlargement surgery. The paper says Gloucestershire Police is investigating.
Darts star James Wade has denied letting out the “biggest fart in sporting history” at the Players Championship, says the Daily Star. In a statement, Mr Wade insisted it was the velcro on his new trainers. “I now consider this matter put to bed as don’t wish to talk about it again,” he said.
The Daily Telegraph says any Israeli ground invasion to force Hezbollah away from Israel’s border would be a huge, complex operation. It suggests Israel would be taking on a better armed adversary than Hamas. But the paper also reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is understood to have given the “green light” for discussions on a proposal for a ceasefire in Lebanon. It would be linked to the conflict in Gaza and the release of hostages there. The US is said to be mediating emergency talks, with details being discussed at the UN.
The Times reports that ministers are drawing up plans for Texas-style prison reforms in England and Wales which would allow inmates to win points towards reducing their jail time, by taking part in workshops. Prisoners in the US state can shorten the time they serve by earning credits for good behaviour and by going on courses aimed at addressing the underlying causes of offending, such as drug rehabilitation. The policy’s understood to have brought down the prison population and the rate of offending in Texas.
There are suggestions in the Guardian that the government’s plans to crack down on the tax status of non-doms may not raise any extra money for the Treasury. The paper says officials are thought to be worried that the government’s spending watchdog believes the policy may be undercut by the fact that so many high-earning non-doms have now left the UK.
The Daily Telegraph picks up on Sir Keir Starmer’s interview with the BBC in which he says the salary of his chief of staff, Sue Gray, shouldn’t be a subject of public debate. It has emerged that she is paid £3,000 more than him. The prime minister said he wouldn’t discuss it or the salaries of any individual members of staff.
According to the Guardian, Sir Keir has become dismayed at “tensions inside the No 10 machine” because of infighting across government involving Ms Gray. He is said to be under pressure from senior aides and cabinet members to “get a grip” on the situation.
The Daily Mail says Sir Keir is facing “mounting questions” about the use of an £18m penthouse in London briefly lent to him by the Labour donor, Lord Waheed Alli. The prime minister said he had used the flat during the election to help stop his son being distracted from his GCSE studies. But the Mail reports that he has also been accused of using the flat, dressed to look like his home, to record a video during Covid urging the public to work from home. The prime minister’s press secretary said no social distancing rules were broken.
The Times, Express and Guardian all carry photos of Post Office campaigner Sir Alan Bates receiving his knighthood at Windsor Castle.
