The i leads on there being no major tax cuts planned for 2023 and public spending increases also being off the table as the interest rate is raised to 4.25%. The paper says hundreds of thousands of homeowners who cannot afford to remortgage on to fixed rates now face increases of almost £400 a year – with some set to be charged 8.48%.
A Nigerian politician and his wife facing jail over a “kidney swap plot” dominates Metro’s front page. The pair were found guilty in a trial at the Old Bailey in London in the first case of its kind in the UK. A jury decided Senator Ike Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, and a middleman conspired to smuggle a victim from Lagos to London to harvest their victim’s kidney in order to save the politician’s sick daughter.
TikTok’s chief executive Shou Zi Chew told hostile US politicians that the video app would be kept “free from any manipulation by any government”, the FT’s front page reports. The Chinese-owned app is facing a potential ban in America over data security concerns. The Bank of England raising interest rates to 4.25% also features on the front page where the FT notes it is the 11th consecutive increase from the bank, which started raising rates in December 2021.
The Express takes a more positive approach to interest rates hitting a 14-year high by leading on Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey being “more optimistic” that things may be getting better for the UK’s economy. The front page also celebrates footballer Harry Kane, who has overtaken Wayne Rooney as England’s all-time leading goal scorer following his penalty against Italy on Thursday.
The Daily Mirror says there is a new football scandal as an unnamed footballer who is accused of raping two women and facing a third sex allegation is still playing for a premier league club. The paper goes on to say women’s charities including Women’s Aid have said this risks “minimising” violence against women.
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner makes the front page of the Daily Telegraph after she criticised prime minister Rishi Sunak for paying a lower rate of tax than most working people. The paper reports that she suggested that Labour should focus on raising tax on savings and investments. The party says it has no current plans to raise capital gains tax but has not ruled out a change in the future.
The Daily Mail leads on around 120 top legal professionals being accused of undermining the legal system in the UK by preparing to sign a “Declaration of Conscience” – vowing to refuse their services in prosecuting protesters from eco-groups such as Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion. They will also refuse to act on behalf of clients involved in oil and gas on the grounds that they are destroying the environment, the paper reports.
The Times warns households are facing more financial pain as mortgage bills will rise, cost of living payments will end and the average council tax will exceed £2,000 for the first time. The paper also mentions the BBC’s decision to stop filming the current series of Top Gear following presenter Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff’s crash in December.
The Daily Star front page asks: “Have killer machines taken over the world?” – alongside a graphic of a scary looking robot skeleton with red eyes. The paper explains the mastermind behind the famous Terminator franchise now fears clever AI may have secretly taken over the world without us realising.
