Today’s news summary – Paper Talk: ‘Deeper cuts to public spending in next month’s Budget’
Several of Thursday’s front pages report on the findings of an annual report on antisemitism in the UK, amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Elsewhere, the UK economy and other domestic stories make the front page. Several of the tabloids feature pictures of the royals on their front pages.
‘Worse antisemitism in 40 years’
The Times and the Daily Mail both lead on the findings of an annual report on antisemitism in the UK which suggests the number of incidents recorded by the Jewish community has hit a 40-year high.
For the Mail, the paper says the findings are “shocking” with a “massive surge” in antisemitic abuse following the Hamas attacks in October.
Lord Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, writes in the Times, calling for “each and every” political leader to put themseleves on the front line in “stopping this evil.”
The Guardian says Labour boss Starmer is facing a “fresh test of his authority” as MPs prepare for another Commons vote on a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Starmer and his officials will spend the next few says deciding what to do after the party’s decision to abstain from a similar vote in November triggered 10 resignations from the Labour front bench, according to the paper.
‘Deeper cuts to public spending’
Next month’s Budget features on the front page of the Financial Times. The paper says Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is considering deeper cuts to public spending to fund a tax giveaway.
The paper says Hunt has less headroom than expected and he is currently weighing up the idea because tax cuts are seen as “politically essential” for Tory messaging in the run-up to the general election.
The Daily Express urges Hunt to get on and “loosen the purse strings.” The paper has an optimistic view of the nation’s finances insisting the Chancellor should be bolder, with an economic forecast “on the up.”
The i newspaper reports that the Bank of England is expecting interest rates to start falling, and quotes governor Andrew Bailey as saying they are “not forecast to return to pre-Covid levels for years to come”.
The Daily Mirror leads on the NHS “recruitment meltdown” saying the number of applications for degree courses in nursing has “plummeted” leaving the health service in “crisis”.
Figures from UCAS show just over 31,000 people applied to study nursing this year, down by more than 10,000 on the number for 2022. In its editorial, the paper says the figures should be “cause for alarm” particularly when some 40,000 nurses quit the profession last year.
The Sun says Steve Wright “died of a broken heart” after being “dumped” by the BBC, according to “pals”.
Tiktok influencers will be “paid by the government” to urge migrants not to cross the Channel in small boats, the Metro reports. The paper says that the Home Office says it will help counter human traffickers who use the video-sharing platform to sell the British lifestyle to people, “tempting them to make the potentially deadly crossing”.