Monday’s newspapers are dominated by the fallout from last week’s budget. Metro headlines show the Chancellor saying she “didn’t lie”, following allegations that Rachel Reeves misled the public about the national economic outlook in preparing the Budget. The paper is peppered with a Sunday photo from the BBC with Laura Kuenssberg showing Reeves facing Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch in a “budget showdown.”
The Times investigates ministers who say Reeves also misled them about the “hole in finances”. The Chancellor repeatedly highlighted a reduction in productivity forecasts “to justify the increase in taxes”, he reports. Meanwhile, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) had told Reeves that the forecast had been offset by tax collection and had improved.
The Chancellor is “on the rack”, writes the Daily Mail, as UK reform leader Nigel Farage calls for a “sordid inquiry”. The ethics watchdog has been “urged to act” on its “budget lies”, it claims. The paper also asks whether Sarah Ferguson, wife of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, is about to move into her daughter Princess Beatrice’s “grandmother’s annex”.
The i Paper also highlights Reeves’ denial that she “didn’t lie” about the tax increases and the “black hole”, referring to the funding gap she had indicated she needed to cover. Starmer is expected to tell the public that “our welfare state is trapping people; we must reform it.” One of the newspaper’s columnists says Reeves “may not be a liar, but she is losing trust.”
The Daily Telegraph echoes the Mail with Reeves facing an “ethics investigation over budget lies.” It says Farage wrote to the UK’s independent ethics adviser requesting an investigation into whether he breached the ministerial code. The document also highlights a part of the budget that it says was “buried” last week: Teenagers with certain mental health conditions will not have to attend school or training so their parents can claim benefits.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says his “bold” economic plan will take “years” to come to fruition, The Guardian reports. In the paper, the Prime Minister defended his Chancellor’s decision to raise taxes by £26bn, as Conservatives call for Reeves to resign. Also in the spotlight, the former head of the UK special forces was involved in a cover-up of concerns about illegal killings in Afghanistan, an investigation has found. A Ministry of Defense spokesperson told the newspaper that “the government is fully committed to supporting the independent investigation relating to Afghanistan”, adding that it would await the outcome before making further comments.
The Independent calls Starmer’s defense of Reeves “challenging” as she “denies the lies.” In a speech on Monday, the prime minister will argue that she has provided economic stability by creating more fiscal space, referring to the money left over after the government covers its expected costs.
“If he had any decency, Reeves would be gone by now,” the Daily Express headlines, quoting Badenoch. He called on the prime minister to “pluck up the courage and fire” his chancellor. The paper says more than 40,000 people had signed the Conservative petition to “fire Reeves now” as of Sunday afternoon.
The Financial Times moves away from UK finances and instead tackles the latest in the war between Russia and Ukraine. NATO chiefs are weighing a “more aggressive” response to Russia’s hybrid war, it reports. The chairman of its military committee tells the newspaper that the alliance is thinking about being “more proactive rather than reactive” in the face of cyberattacks and airspace violations.
The Sun headlines its investigation into raids carried out by a group it calls “the Gucci gang.” “Gangsters” have been attacking Premier League footballers and taking their luxury items, including £1m worth of watches and jewelery from Everton player Jack Grealish.
The Daily Mirror’s Christmas appeal takes over its front page. The campaign will use “pioneering sensory and assistive technology” to help children with “life-limiting” conditions.
The Daily Star is calling for former rugby league star Kevin Sinfield to be knighted after completing several feats of physical endurance in aid of motor neurone disease (MND) research.
bbc
