Thursday’s front pages are made up of a variety of domestic and international news, with several political stories finding themselves taking prime positions on the front pages. 

Away from politics, a handful of tabloids continue to cover Prince Andrew being frozen out of the royal family and restaurant critic Grace Dent replacing Gregg Wallace on the hit show Celebrity MasterChef. 

The back pages cover Ruben Amorim’s response to the recent Marcus Rashford interview in which he suggested he was ready for a new challenge, indicating his desire to leave Manchester United.  

‘Starmer urged to tighten rules on donations’

‘PM urged to tighten rules as Musk signals donation to Reform,’ says The Guardian.

The Guardian reports the prime minister has been urged to tighten the rules on donations to political parties by the elections watchdog. The paper says it comes amid concerns that Elon Musk is planning to give millions to Reform UK. Party leader Nigel Farage has welcomed the reports that the world’s richest man might donate. 

The PM’s spokesperson is quoted as saying the rules are “already clear” and that they will make sure to “reinforce the existing safeguards.” 

‘Tories attempting to woo Musk away from Reform,’ says The FT.

The FT says the Conservative Party are attempting to woo Musk out of Reform’s arms. The shadow business secretary, Andrew Griffith, tells the paper that those looking to oppose the Labour government should “have a proper look at the full menu before jumping into one particular course”.

‘PM’s anxiety over needing to build bridges with Trump,’ reports the Telegraph.

The Daily Telegraph says the PM’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, went to the US earlier in the month to hold talks with Trump’s senior team. The paper says the decision suggests “anxiety at the heart of the government about the need to build bridges with the incoming US president”.

The paper quotes a senior Downing Street source as saying that “Team Starmer is confident the UK is in a good position for a strong bilateral relationship with the new presidency”.

‘Labour MPs ready to defy government’

‘Labour MP’s ready to defy government,’ says the i.

The i newspaper reports Labour MPs are warning they are ready to defy the government following the widely criticised decision not to compensate the Waspi women. The paper says MPs are willing to lose the whip if the SNP forces a vote on the issue. 

‘PM is right to say compensation is unaffordable but he led voters to believe Labour would write a cheque,’ says the Mail.

The Daily Mail’s editorial says while the PM is right to say the bill for compensation is unaffordable, it’s important to remember that when he was in opposition he led voters to believe Labour “would write the cheque.” 

‘It’s not to o late to reverse the decision,’ says the Mirror.

The Daily Mirror says it’s “not too late” to reverse the decision and remind people of the difference Labour can make now they are in No 10. 

‘Starmer says women were warned years ago the pension age was to rise,’ says The Independent.

The Independent says Starmer refuses to hand ‘tens of billions we can’t afford’ to women born in the 1950s and insists they were warned years ago the pension age was to rise from 60 to 65 – despite calling this an ‘injustice’ while in opposition.

‘Prince Andrew scandal sees him frozen out’

‘Prince Andrew frozen out of pre-Christmas lunch for extended family,’ reports the Express.

The Express says Prince Andrew has been “frozen out” of a pre-Christmas lunch for the extended royal family today. The paper says the latest scandal – this time involving a Chinese spy – has seen the Duke banned from royal events this Christmas. 

‘Sarah persuaded him to skip the event,’ reports The Times.

The Times says Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson may have persuaded him to skip the event and that King Charles was grateful for assistance in keeping Andrew away from the public eye. 

‘Andrew missing from event as new Chinese spy claim emerges,’ says The Independent.

The Independent says Andrew will miss the ‘annual royal Christmas lunch’ as a ‘new Chinese spy claim emerges’. 

‘Grace Dent replaces Wallace’

‘Grace Dent replaces Wallace,’ notes the Mirror.

The Daily Mirror reports restaurant critic Grace Dent will replace Gregg Wallace on Celebrity MasterChef. Wallace stepped back from his role following allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour. 

‘More than qualified to deflate celebrity cooks,’ says the Mail.

The Daily Mail says Dent is a “part-time vegan” and is “more than qualified to deflate celebrity cooks for their soggy soufflés”.

‘Dent has been huge fan on the show since she was little,’ says The Independent.

The Independent features a large image of Dent, noting the former writer for the paper, has been a huge fan of the show. She said: “I’ve been watching MasterChef since I was a girl sitting with my dad on the sofa. My whole family watches it. It’s all about uncovering and championing talent – and to have ended up in this position, is more than a dream to me.”