Editorial 24.10.24
Thursday’s headlines continue to speculate on the upcoming October budget, due out next week. The papers report on measures they expect to be included.
A handful of broadsheets lead with the supposed row that has erupted after Donald Trump accused the Labour Party of election interference.
Elsewhere, other domestic stories make the front pages including the death of a former British Olympian and the remarkable story of a baby who survived after her mother fell from a block of flats in Leeds.
MoJ budget on the ‘chopping block’
‘Chancellor’s plan has sparked fury,’ reports the Mail.
The Daily Mail says the chancellors’ plan to impose national insurance on employers’ pension contributions in the private sector while sparing those in the public sector has sparked “fury.” The paper said such a move would raise £15 billion in the budget.
‘MoJ budget on the chopping block,’ claims the i newspaper.
The i newspaper suggests the MoJ budget will be “on the chopping block” as the chancellor looks to make savings. Former justice secretaries Robert Buckland and Alex Chalk are quoted warning against the move. Buckland says “the idea there’s anything left to cut is fanciful”.
Trump accuses Labour of interference
‘US lawyer suggests meetings between Labour and Democratic officials may have broke rules,’ leads the Telegraph.
The Daily Telegraph leads on a different political story saying aides to the PM have been drawn into a row with Donald Trump over claims that Labour activists volunteering on the Kamala Harris campaign broke US electoral law.
The paper reports that several high-ranking members of the Labour Party attended the Democratic National Convention in August. It cites a US election lawyer who suggests that conversations between Labour and Democratic officials may have violated rules prohibiting foreign involvement in election campaigns. However, the paper notes that Labour has denied holding any formal meetings with Kamala Harris’s team.
‘Trump launches extraordinary attack and could strain relations if Trump wins in November,’ reports The Times.
The Times reports that Trump has accused the Labour aides of “anti-American election interference,” claiming it is part of a “far-left” scheme to install Harris in the White House. The paper describes his remarks as an “extraordinary attack” and warns that the incident could strain UK-US relations if Trump wins the November election.
UK ban on disposable vapes
‘Labour accused of nanny state meddling as ban to come into place in June 2025,’ writes The Sun.
The Sun says there will be a UK-wide ban on disposable vapes from 1 June 2025. The paper says new laws are being drawn up to protect children’s health and the environment but some are accusing the prime minister of “nanny state meddling.”
‘Special needs education costs expected to double to £1m within decade,’ reports The Guardian.
The Guardian says a report by the National Audit Office has found the cost of special needs education in England has hit £10bn a year. It says some local authorities have been forced towards insolvency by the rise in demand. The paper says the number of children entitled to support is expected to double to one million within a decade.
‘Geoff Capes dies aged 75,’ writes the Mirror.
The Daily Mirror’s front page pays tribute to Olympian and professional strongman Geoff Capes who has died at the age of 75.
‘Baby delivered after mother falls to her death from block of flats,’ leads the Metro.
The Metro reports on the delivery of a baby whose pregnant mother died after falling from the tenth floor of a tower block in Leeds. The paper carries a picture of the baby, named Posie, on a critical care unit while big sister Demi looks over her.