Thursday’s national newspaper front pages were sent out before news broke of the death of One Direction star Liam Payne in Argentina. “Benefits to rise £1.50 a week” the I reports on its front page, adding that Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces a “Labour backlash”. The paper says Reeves is under pressure to restructure the system for calculating benefits. It also features a picture of England’s new manager, Thomas Tuchel, with the caption “2026 trophy success” is his only goal.
The Times
“Reeves will raise capital gains tax on share sales,” reports The Times. The paper quotes a source saying that the revenue from increasing capital gains tax would be in the “low billions”. A picture of Kate Moss, at the Victoria’s Secret catwalk show in New York, is also leading the front with the caption “winging it”.
Daily Express
The Daily Express leads on the Budget , saying Reeves is “accused over ‘bogus’ £40 billion black hole”. It reports that senior Tories have said that the chancellor is inventing the shortfall to justify “hammering taxpayers”.
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail also leads on more Budget criticism with the headlines “business fury at Reeves plan” and “bosses warn it would hit jobs and pay”. It adds that both the chancellor and the prime minister have “insisted the rise would not break Labour’s manifesto pledge”. It also carries a “royal world exclusive” that “Harry and Meghan buy a seaside home in Portugal”.
Daily Telegraph
Reeves is “poised to launch the biggest Budget tax raid in history”, reports The Daily Telegraph. It is also running with a repoert that Russia is suspected of placing an incendiary device on a plane to the UK. British counter-terrorism police are “investigating after the parcel containing the device caught fire”, it reports.
Guardian
“Russia suspected after device put on flight caused UK warehouse fire” is the splash on The Guardian. The paper says an inquiry is looking at whether spies planted the parcel to explode mid-air. A large picture of Thomas Tuchel is also on the front, with the caption “Tuchel takes hotseat as England manager”.
Metro
“Devastating” the Metro front page reads alongside a picture of a badly damaged block of flats in Newcastle. It reports a seven-year-old boy died and six more people were taken to hospital after a blast tore through a row of six properties divided into two flats each. The paper says a gas leak is suspected of causing the explosion.
Daily Mirror
“Beyond a joke” is the headline on the Daily Mirror front page. It carries an allegation that a black crew member quit Mrs Brown’s Boys after Brendan O’Carroll made an “n-word gag”.
Financial Times
“Advent primes bid for Tate and Lyle” says the Financial Times. The US-based firm is preparing a takeover offer that would acquire the London-listed group, it says, with an offer expected to exceed £2.8bn. It also reports that Donald Trump received a campaign “boost” as Elon Musk donated $75m and “more graduates vie for fewer jobs” as AI makes it easier to apply for jobs at speed.
The Sun
The Sun splashes on Tuchel news, with the headline “there’s a trophy missing in the England cabinet”. It reports that the German football manager says he wants to help the England team win more trophies and bag the 2026 World Cup.
Daily Star
“You are ‘aving a giraffe!” is the headline that leads the Daily Star. The paper reports that actor Danny Dyer keeps toilet roll in his fridge to “protect his delicate bottle and glass”.
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