Disclaimer: Today’s papers carry spoilers for The Celebrity Traitors
Many of the papers continue to look ahead to next month’s Budget. The Daily Telegraph reports that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering a 2p increase to income tax – which would be the first hike to the basic rate since the 1970s. The Telegraph also notes that some 100,000 young men have fled fighting in Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelensky eased departure rules.
The i paper says Starmer has paved the way for “manifesto-breaking” tax increases, which it describes as a “political gamble to find cash to boost growth”. The i also features news from the Caribbean, with testimonies from British tourists trapped by Hurricane Melissa.
Reeves is the story on the front page of the Daily Mail as well – this time on her admission that she broke housing rules by unlawfully renting out her family home without a licence. The chancellor has apologised and the prime minister said he was happy the “matter can be drawn to a close”. But the Mail says Reeves is facing a “crisis”.
The Times carries the story of a potentially life-saving trial which has found that early screening for prostate cancer could save thousands of people each year. A study with 162,000 men saw deaths reduced by 13% by catching the disease early. A photo of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at a Hindu temple in London also makes the front page.
Five victims of grooming gangs are accusing Reform UK leader Nigel Farage of “degrading” remarks over their abuse, the Guardian reports. Farage had suggested they were not victims of grooming gangs but instead other types of child sexual abuse. A picture from Cuba also makes the front page, after Hurricane Melissa hit the Caribbean island.
The Independent shares pictures of the disaster area left by Melissa in Jamaica. The paper also carries an exclusive interview with Justice Secretary David Lammy who says he was “spat on for being black” but believes the UK is not a racist country. Lammy has also launched what the paper describes as a “deeply personal attack” on Reform UK for “pitting neighbour against neighbour, feeding fear and fuelling outrage”.
The Financial Times leads with an investigation into Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal who it says has bought almost $280m of Russian oil transported on sanctions-listed vessels in a joint energy venture. In the US, the Federal Reserve has cut rates by a quarter point. The FT says this “signals the end to quantitative tightening”.
Metro leads with news migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu, whose crimes sparked protests outside an asylum hotel in Essex this summer, was paid £500 after he threatened to disrupt his deportation to Ethiopia. Kebatu was convicted of sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl and a woman, but was mistakenly released from prison before being rearrested on Sunday.
The Conservatives have described the payment to Kebatu as a “farce”, the Daily Express reports. The paper also highlights party leader Kemi Badenoch’s attacks on the reported plan to increase income tax.
The Daily Mirror leads with a parliamentary committee demanding answers over Prince Andrew’s lease of Royal Lodge. The paper also carries a spoiler for hit murder mystery TV show, The Celebrity Traitors.
The Sun leads with that spoiler: “Wossy” – aka Jonathan Ross – has been “whacked” is its headline. It celebrates the cast’s discovery of the traitor with “they’ve finally got one”, labelling them “witless wallies” for taking so long to discover his identity.
And the Daily Star highlights its campaign for charities set up for the late boxer Ricky Hatton, praising its readers for helping them to hit target.
