Editorial 29 August 2024.
Most of Thursday’s newspapers lead on Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s trip to Europe this week where he aims to ‘reset’ Britain’s relationship with the EU. The prime minister said: “We must turn a corner on Brexit and fix the broken relationships left behind” but made clear it’s not a reversal of Brexit.
There is ongoing coverage of the upcoming Autumn Budget as the papers speculate on tax hikes and who will carry the burden of the £22bn black hole the government is looking to plug.
The back pages cover the latest from the Premier League and Emma Raducanu crashing out of the US Open.
‘Brexit reset not a reversal’
The Daily Mirror says “Brexit reset” and says Starmer’s attempt to build a closer relationship with Europe includes new plans on trade, illegal migration, security and technology which all feature in a treaty being “hammered out” with Germany.
The i newspaper says EU sources tell them that if the PM wants to improve relations he will have to agree to key demands from Brussels – the easing of immigration rules for young Europeans.
The FT says government insiders have told them that ministers want to “bolster education and cultural exchanges”. However, they insist that wouldn’t be comparable to youth mobility schemes suggested by some within the bloc.
“We must turn a corner on Brexit and fix the broken relationships left behind”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer
‘Reeves tax rises’
Ongoing coverage of the upcoming Autumn Budget makes several of the front pages.
The Daily Mail says drivers are being warned to prepare for a fuel duty hike as the chancellor is lining up tax rises in a “painful” Budget.
The Telegraph leads with the same story saying the prime minister has opened the door to a rise in fuel duty in this autumn’s Budget. The paper frames it as fuel duty being “next in the tax grab.”
The Sun leads on leaked plans which will see smoking phased out in the UK. The government plans will see“drastically toughened up” proposals.
The Times reports that “things will go wrong” when thousands of prisoners are released early next month, the chief inspector of probation says. Thousands of prisoners will be granted early release as the government attempts to tackle overcrowding in jails.
The Guardian leads with a report from a leading think tank. The IFS says that “woeful budgeting” by the Home Office – under the Tory government – led to repeated overspending on asylum support.
Unsurprisingly, the Daily Express leads with Reform leader Nigel Farage who criticises Starmer after “not a word” about the more than 520 people intercepted in the English channel on Wednesday.
The Metro’s front page reports on the Ryanair boss who wants people to be restricted to two drinks at airports to tackle bad behaviour on flights.