Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Tax cut warnings & Tories rally around Lee Anderson
Good Morning! Your Tuesday headlines are in so grab your coffee and get up to date with the headlines dominating the UK newspapers.
There isn’t a lot of unity on the front pages, with several different domestic news stories stretching across the splashes – from celebrity news to the latest from Downing Street.
One story across a few of the front pages is next week’s Budget, with some papers already making their predictions.
‘Hunt has six days to save Tories’
There isn’t a lot of unity across the front pages as most lead on different stories. However, one story that finds space across several splashes is on the upcoming March Budget. The traditional left-leaning newspapers suggest the chancellor’s desire for tax cuts could have dire consequences for public services and the economy. They also look at what tax cuts for wealthy people would mean for the Conservative Party ahead of the 2024 general election.
The right-leaning newspapers are more focused on the ongoing Lee Anderson story. The papers report Anderson has plenty of support from the ‘Red Wall Tories’ and he should not be suspended because he is key for the party if they have any hopes of winning the next general election.
‘Hunt warned against tax cuts’
The Guardian reports that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s financial planning has been labelled “dubious” and “lacks credibility” by a leading economic think tank. The IFS warns that the chancellor should not announce tax cuts in the Budget if he isn’t able to detail how they will be funded. The paper’s lead reports the warning from the IFS also came with a calculation – Hunt will need to dins “£35bn of cuts from already threadbare public services.”
The i newspaper looks at what the Budget means for the Conservative Party as the next general election is on the horizon. The paper says the chancellor has “six days to find tax cuts to save Tory MPs,” but he “is still clinging to hope” that he can cut 2p off personal taxes in the Budget next week, without reducing spending.
The Times reports he is considering cutting national insurance by one percentage point and introducing a new levy on vaping.
‘Tories rally around race row Anderson’
The ongoing row stemming from comments made by Tory MP Lee Anderson, who said London Mayor Sadiq Khan was controlled by Islamists, leads several papers – including the Times. The paper says some Tory MPs believe his suspension will spark backlash from supporters, despite the PM’s attempt to end the row.
The paper reports PM Rishi Sunak has said he is “living proof” that Britain is not a racist country. He said politicians must be “careful” and not “unnecessarily inflame” tensions.
The Express suggests that ‘Red Wall Tories’ are calling for Lee Anderson’s suspension to be lifted. The paper claims some Tory MPs want Anderson back before a general election as he is “incredibly popular.”
The Guardian has published WhatsApp messages from members of one grassroots Conservative group, which describe the prime minister as a “snake” who is “weak and feeble”.
Elsewhere, other domestic stories feature on the front pages.
The Daily Mirror leads on its own investigation into children being blackmailed online over nude photos. The paper reports on the story of a 16-year-old who ended his own life after being caught up in a “sextortion” scam.
The Metro leads on the story of Scarlet Blake who was jailed for 24 years for the murder of Jorge Martin Carreno in 2021. The paper labels her a “cat sadist” after also killing a cat – which she livestreamed. The judge said a Netflix show about killing cats “played a part” in the plan.
The Daily Telegraph leads on the government’s U-turn on Army housing. It says the MoD was “taken aback by the scale of anger” about the plans to allocate accommodation according to family size rather than rank.
On the international front, the Financial Times lead son Sweden joining Nato, suggesting Hungary’s decision to ratify the bid as “one of the biggest geopolitical consequences” of the invasion of Ukraine. It says the accessions of both Sweden and Finland give the alliance “control of almost the entire Baltic Sea”, doubling the length of its border with Russia.