The Guardian – Reeves paves way for cuts and tax rises to fix finances
The Guardian says Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, is to lay the ground for spending cuts, tax raises and delays to some big infrastructure projects, saying Conservatives ‘covered up’ true state of finances.
Elsewhere, the paper features a report on the US – amongst other countries – attempting to cool rising tensions in the Middle East, amid fears of an all-out war.
Adam Peaty’s silver medal at the Olympics and a tribute to Edna O’Brien makes the front splash.
Rachel Reeves paves way for cuts and tax rises to fill shortfall left by Tories
Rachel Reeves will lay the ground for cuts to public spending, tax rises and delays to some infrastructure projects as she sets out the dire economic situation the Labour government inherited from the Conservative party.
She is expected to pause work on a string of infrastructure projects on Monday, including Boris Johnson’s plan to build 40 hospitals and the proposed two-mile road tunnel bypassing Stonehenge.
Reeves will announce an “office of value for money”, an arm’s-length body that will use civil service resources to identify and recommend savings for the current financial year.
She will say surplus publicly owned property will be sold and action will be taken straight away to stop “non-essential” spending on consultants.
Israel strikes Lebanon as diplomats try to prevent regional war
Israeli jets struck southern Lebanon overnight as diplomats worked frantically to prevent a regional war after a rocket strike that killed 12 children in the occupied Golan Heights.
Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, visited the scene of Saturday’s rocket attack in Majdal Shams, a predominantly Druze village, calling the strike “a terrible tragedy”.
The attack killed 12 children between the ages of 10 and 16 as they were playing football and wounded dozens more.
“Hezbollah is responsible for it and they will pay the price,” said Gallant on Sunday, as thousands of mourners gathered in the village for the victims’ funeral ceremonies.
Heartbreak for Adam Peaty on bittersweet day two for Team GB
World record-holding swimmer Adam Peaty was left in tears after being beaten to gold by the smallest of margins on a bittersweet day for Team GB at the Paris Games.
The 29-year-old had been seeking to join American legend Michael Phelps as only the second man to win three successive Olympic golds in the same discipline, but trailed Italy’s Nicolò Martinenghi by just 0.02 of a second in the men’s 100m breaststroke.
Peaty, who had considered retiring in recent years after what he has described as a breakdown, said: “I mean, it has been a very long way back, and look at the score there. I gave my absolute all there.
“It’s not about the end goal, it’s all about the process. It doesn’t matter what the scoreboard says, I’m already a winner. I’m not crying because I came second, I’m crying because of the journey.”
Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
If you are someone who reads every perspective of a story, here is a news summary of all of today’s front pages from today’s newspapers; summarised in a 2-minute read
Editorial 29 July 2024.
Monday’s front pages continue coverage of Labour’s plans to cut public spending, tax rises and delay some major infrastructure projects – as Labour try to fix the £20bn hole.
Other domestic topics include threats by GPs to go on strike, the latest from Team GB at the Olympics and the Tory leadership race all find space on the front pages.
In international news, Kamala Harris has raised more than £200m in donations since Biden announced he wouldn’t seek re-election in November – paving the way for Harris to become the Democratic nominee.
The Golan Height attack – which killed 12 children – is reported on the front pages, as Israeli PM Netanyahu cut his US trip short to return to Israel and has vowed to retaliate against Hezbollah.
Adam Peaty’s silver medal dominates the back pages this Monday morning, and so does Andy Murray’s dramatic win.
