Rachel Reeves has given her “clearest signal yet” that business taxes will rise in the Budget, the Financial Times says. According to the paper, a rise in employers’ national insurance contributions has not been ruled out and “difficult decisions” will have to be made to balance the books, the chancellor says. Elsewhere, Canada and India have engaged in “tit-for-tat” diplomatic expulsions, it reports, following Canadian allegations the Indian high commissioner was connected to the death of a Sikh activist.
The I leads on the same issue, with the paper reporting the chancellor “all but confirms” she will raise national insurance contributions for employers. The front page also features an image of the Nasa spacecraft which was launched on Monday in a historic quest to find alien life on Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons.
The Times’ take on the same story leads with business heads warning the chancellor of anticipated “collateral damage” to the UK, following the proposed rise in business taxes. Also on the front is a piece saying Scotland Yard sought legal advice about providing a police escort for Taylor Swift during two of her Eras Tour concerts at Wembley in August.
The chancellor’s plans to raise employer national insurance contributions have prompted accusations Labour is “about to break a manifesto promise”, according to the Guardian. Also vying for the front page is the latest from the Novichok inquiry, which suggests Russian President Vladimir Putin “authorised” the Salisbury poisonings, and news of a “remarkable” new treatment for cervical cancer.
The Metro splashes on the trial of Urfan Sharif, father of 10-year-old Sara Sharif, who is said to have admitted killing her at their Surrey home in a phone call to police. “I beat Sara up too much,” he was quoted as saying in the call from Islamabad, Pakistan. Jurors were told Mr Sharif’s case was that her stepmother, Beinash Batool, was responsible for Sara’s death and he had made a false confession to protect her. Elsewhere on the front, the paper alludes to findings from the Novichok inquiry, claiming “thousands could have been killed”.
The Daily Express also leads with quotes from Mr Sharif, featuring a photo of Sara and smaller inset of her father.
The Daily Mail details Sara’s multiple injuries, adding that Mr Sharif told police his daughter had been “naughty”.
“Weight-loss jabs will get Britain working,” the Daily Telegraph declares, leading on Wes Streeting’s claim a new class of weight-loss medication will have a “monumental” impact on obesity and getting unemployed people in Britain working. The front page also carries a picture of the Duchess of Edinburgh, who was speaking to women who had fled conflict in Sudan. Elsewhere, the front page reports Kamala Harris “plagiarises Martin Luther King”, following “research” conducted by a self-styled plagiarism hunter and seized upon by Donald Trump’s campaign, claiming a book Harris wrote 15 years ago was a “rip-off” of the civil right’s activist’s words. Harris did not respond in time for publication in the paper.
The Daily Mirror leads on the BBC’s inquiry into the conduct of Mrs Brown’s Boy’s star Brendan O’Carroll after he made a “racist” joke. O’Carroll apologised and said the comment had “backfired and caused offence”, the paper reports.
The Sun leads on claims by former Manchester City star Benjamin Mendy that his team-mates enjoyed and participated in his “sex parties”. According to the paper the footballer told a tribunal that “we all had casual relations with women”, but claimed the club singled him out when they stopped his pay after his rape arrest. He was later cleared of all charges, and is suing for £11m in wages.
And the Daily Star suggests that one in three people hide in the garden shed to “avoid having to talk” to “loved ones”, with one in 10 staying squirrelled away for four hours.
Several of the papers seize on the latest hint by Rachel Reeves that employers’ national insurance contributions could go up in the Budget. The Guardian calls her refusal to rule out the move the “strongest hint yet” that an increase is planned. The Financial Times says that, at Monday’s investment summit, the chancellor insisted business leaders understood the need to put the UK on a stable footing.
It says that while increasing business taxes would help the public finances, it would also hit the bottom line for companies. The I says some economists fear the measure could end up hitting workers too if employers hire fewer staff or reduce pay rises. The Daily Mail says Reeves has broken Labour’s manifesto pledge not to put up National Insurance.
A study which found a new treatment regime could cut deaths from cervical cancer by 40% is highlighted by The Times. It says researchers at University College London found that simply by changing the order in which women were given existing drugs, survival rates could be “transformed”. Doctors involved tell the Guardian it’s the most significant breakthrough in treatment since the end of the last century.
The front page of the Daily Mirror reveals that the BBC halted production of the Christmas Special of Mrs Brown’s Boys after the star of the show made what the paper calls a “racist joke”. Brendan O’Carroll – who created and plays Agnes Brown – has apologised in a statement, saying he made a “clumsy” joke which “backfired”. The paper says cast and crew members were shocked, and the production was stopped while an investigation was carried out.
The Times offers the latest twist in the row about Taylor Swift’s police escort when she performed in London. After reports that the attorney general was pressed to intervene, the paper says Scotland Yard asked him for advice because of its concern that officers could be liable if bystanders were injured by the escort. The Sun reports that Swift’s mother, Andrea, spoke directly about the arrangements with Sue Gray, who was Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff at the time. Government ministers and the mayor of London have all denied pressuring the Met about security for the singer, and have said the decision was left to police.
An unlikely tale of skulduggery has emerged from the World Conkers Championships. The Daily Telegraph reveals that the winner of the men’s event in Northamptonshire at the weekend was found to have a steel conker in his pocket, and rivals are feeling hard-done by. David Jakins, 82, who was also the top judge for the event, says he only had it with him “for humour value”, and denied using it in competition. But the loser of the men’s final has lodged a complaint and organisers say they’re investigating. He says his conker “disentegrated in one hit – and that just doesn’t happen”.
