Author: WTX News Editor

Bank adds to growing pains for chancellor The Times reports Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves face ‘strong headwinds’ against growth, according to Andrew Bailey, who said that new technology could boost Britain’s prospects. Rori the lion is pictured on the front page. The paper says Rori is recovering a new rescue centre at Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, after suffering shellshock caused by explosions when he was abandoned by a private collector in Ukraine…

Domestic abuse driving more victims to suicide, warn police The Guardian leads with a police warning that domestic abusers are driving their victims to suicide. Police admitted to past mistakes and pledged to investigate more “hidden” cases of violence against women. A picture of French actor Gérard Depardieu, 76, appearing in a court in Paris yesterday. He is charged with assaulting two women during a film shoot in 2021.

Threat to take Reform donor’s OBE ignites free speech row The Daily Telegraph says the honours forfeiture committee threatened to strip the wealthy Reform UK supporter of his OBE last year due to his social media comments. Charlie Mullins said someone should kill the Mayor of London. Mullins has agreed to go to diversity training and as such he can now keep his OBE. Mullins tells the paper he’s a victim of a politically motivated attack.

The headlines this morning continue speculating over Wednesday’s Spring Statement. The chancellor has hinted at severe spending cuts and the left-wing backbenchers are eyeing up a rebellion – one No 1o is desperate to stamp out before it gets going. The papers suggest the chancellor is trying to buy off rebels with a £2bn affordable housing plan.

Opinions on the England National Football team are being shared far and wide after their first two World Cup qualifier matches ended in two wins, two clean sheets and some debut performances. 

England sit at the top of their group after a 2-0 win over Albania and a 3-0 win over Latvia. Despite the positive results, there are still rumblings about the role of Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford in the team and questions about how to make English football more interesting. 

Cliff Notes The UK government announced a £2bn initiative to construct up to 18,000 new homes, aiming to address the housing crisis, with at least half designated as social homes. Charities are advocating for a majority of these new homes to be allocated for social rent amid soaring homelessness rates, with current local authority waiting lists reaching over 1.3 million households. This announcement precedes the Chancellor’s spring statement, where further spending cuts are anticipated, despite…

Tuesday’s headlines are heavily focused on what’s happening outside our little island, with heavy coverage of the latest airstrikes in Ukraine and the group chat blunder from top US officials. 

A handful of headlines look ahead to Wednesday’s Spring Statement and continue to speculate on potential job losses and cuts to public spending. There is a handful of stand-alone stories on the front pages, covering domestic news.

A report reveals that 92% of suspects in domestic abuse suicide cases were known to police, indicating systemic issues in prevention and support.

Mari Santos, an American student in Scotland, experiences a personal dimension of international tension as locals express concerns about the political climate under President Donald Trump, illustrating how the perception of American identity has shifted due to his administration’s policies and rhetoric.

A large glowing spiral was observed in the night sky across the UK and Ireland, likely caused by frozen exhaust from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

Another Al Jazeera journalist Hossam Shabat killed in Israeli attack on Gaza, to silence his incredible bravery during a genocidal campaign by Israel.

The UK Health Security Agency has identified 24 “priority pathogens” that pose significant public health risks to inform future research and vaccine development.

Activists report that Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal was detained by the Israeli military in the Occupied West Bank after allegedly being assaulted by Israeli settlers in the village of Susya.

A group chat on the Signal app involving Trump officials, discussing sensitive military plans against Houthi rebels in Yemen, was inadvertently exposed to Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic.

Cliff Notes Morrisons plans to close 52 cafes, 35 meat counters, and other in-store services, risking around 365 job redundancies. The supermarket chain cites operational costs being misaligned with customer usage and value as the primary reason for the closures. While some staff may be redeployed within the company, specific cafes will partner with third parties to offer alternative services. Hundreds at risk of redundancy due to Morrisons shutting cafes, meat counters and convenience stores…

Chancellor Rachel Reeves will provide an economic update on 26th March, Wednesday, following a fiscal statement made last October, amid growing speculation regarding potential breaches of her borrowing rules.

Three men, Louis Ahearne, Stewart Ahearne, and Daniel Kelly, were convicted of conspiracy to murder Paul Allen, a former member of the Securitas heist gang, after a trial at the Old Bailey.

Time to roll up your sleeves and get litter-picking: the Great British Spring Clean kicks off this week. 

Cliff Notes A new 100% council tax premium on second homes will be introduced by approximately 75% of councils in England, aimed at generating an additional £445 million in revenue. Critics argue that this measure is insufficient to address the housing crisis, describing it as a “naked cash grab” that will not significantly impact second homeowners’ decisions. Local authorities may impose exemptions for certain circumstances, raising concerns about potential loopholes while acknowledging the tax is…

Nearly half of Scots ‘would back charging tuition fees’ The Scotsman reports the report, published by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, found 48 per cent of Scottish adults would back the idea of charging fees “based on the ability to pay”. Fewer than a third of respondents (29 per cent) said they would not back such a move, according to polling conducted by Ipsos Mori. The front page covers Scotland being demoted to…

Wales World Cup campaign off to a flyer Western Mail leads with Wales boss Craig Bellamy has praised his side for sticking to their principles in Saturday’s win over Kazakhstan, but warns they will need to be at their very best if they are to rack up a second straight World Cup qualifying win on Tuesday. Wales beat Kazakhstan 3-1 last night.

Uncovered: How Britain conceals its secrets and protects its informers The Irish News reports for decades there have been suspicions that the Northern Ireland justice system and the ‘neither confirm nor deny’ policy was being used to protect informers and hide embarrassing secrets for the British intelligence services in Troubles cases. It can now be revealed how this worked in practice during one of the most high-profile cases in the 30-year conflict.

Chancellor risks war with unions over spending cuts The Times looks at a more political angle, suggesting the chancellor is risking a “war” with the public sector over her plans to cut thousands of civil service jobs.  Pope Francis is pictured on the front splash after he was released from hospital having been admitted in hospital for an extended period of time.

Education braces for worst squeeze in a generation – as Reeves admits cuts are coming The i reports departments across Whitehall are preparing to tighten their belt ahead of expected spending cuts, with the education sector being no exception. The paper says the department is bracing for the “worst squeeze in a generation”.

Reeves must take action to stop OAP bill The Daily Express warns the chancellor that a petition, with more than 100,000 signatures, asks her to use her Spring Statment to stop pensioners on modest incomes from being hit with tax bills.  Elsewhere, thousands of lives could be saved by combining statins with another cholesterol-lowering drug, according to new research, according to a new study.