Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Most of Wednesday’s front pages report on the cost of living and partygate as the mass shooting at a primary school in Texas came too late for most of the UK newspapers.
The front pages have warnings of a further hike in energy bills and most of the papers report that a package of measures to help ease the pressure on households could be announced as early as tomorrow.
The Times – second edition – says the attack was the deadliest school shooting in Texas history – and the worst at an American primary school since Sandy Hook in Connecticut in 2012.
Energy price hike & windfall tax
The Guardian’s front page reports that Chancellor Rishi Sunak is “scrambling” to finalise the details, and a windfall tax on oil and gas companies is “back on the agenda.”
The Times reports Sunak and the PM could meet later today to agree on the plans, with the paper saying 70 to 80% of the overall funding targeted at the poorest families. The paper claims senior figures are still opposed to a windfall tax but the PM is reported to have sided with the chancellor to push the scheme through.
The Financial Times focuses on how energy companies have reacted to the news that a windfall tax on their profits could be just around the corner. The paper says electricity producers have “responded furiously” to suggestions that they could be included in the tax, insisting they have not benefitted from the surge in proces.
Cost of living crisis – the rescue plan
The Daily Telegraph says PM Boris Johnson will annpicne the package in a bid to “draw a line” under the partygate scandal.
FT says the government was expected to unveil its plans to help struggling families after the Platinum Jubliee weekend but is now planning to bring the announcement forward to help minimise the fallout from the release fo the Sue Gray report.
The Daily Mail says the cost of living “rescue deal” could help the PM “move on from Partygate.”
The Daily Mirror’s front page leads with another photo that was apparently taken at a lockdown gathering inside Downing Street, showing a table loaded with doughnuts and bottles of wine.
The paper says the image was taken in November 2020 and was shared among staff on a WhatsApp group with the caption “bar open”.