Making a number of Friday’s front pages is the publication of Boris Johnson’s memoir, Unleashed, which comes out next month. The former prime minister’s new book will be serialised in the Daily Mail, which details on its front page Johnson’s disclosure of his “last ditch” attempt to persuade Prince Harry not to leave the UK with his wife Meghan.
Johnson’s “manly pep talk” with the Duke of Sussex also tops the Daily Telegraph. The paper reports that Palace officials were said to have believed his intervention – understood to have taken place during a UK-Africa investment summit in 2020 – could convince Harry to change his mind. Despite the ex-PM’s effort, the duke departed for Canada the following day, it adds. Johnson’s verdict on the talks? “Totally hopeless”.
Other papers lead with stories looking ahead to next month’s Budget. “Reeves ready to tone down tax raid on rich non-doms”, is the Financial Times’ headline. Treasury officials fear it may fail to raise the £1bn the government thought it would – or indeed any money at all – should wealthy foreigners look to more favourable tax jurisdictions and decide to leave the UK. One official is quoted as saying the government “won’t press on regardless, but we are not going to abandon this completely”.
The new chancellor has so far given little away on her tax and spending plans ahead of the Budget. Several papers have in recent days reported that Reeves is considering changing the fiscal rules to allow for more flexibility on this front, which she has so far refused to rule out. The i splashes on warnings from economists that any such alteration could keep interest rates and mortgage deals high for longer, “in a blow to struggling home owners”.
According to today’s edition of the Times, plans being drawn up by the Treasury to change the government’s borrowing rules could free up to £50bn to spend on roads, housing and other large-scale projects. Also featured on its front page is Elon Musk saying he does not think “anyone should go to the UK” after he was reportedly denied an invitation to a business investment summit.
The Guardian quotes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying Israel “will not stop” its attacks on Hezbollah targets, despite a call issued by the US, UK and allies for a temporary ceasefire. The paper also reports on the charging of New York City Mayor Eric Adams with five counts of criminal offences, including bribery, wire fraud and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. The mayor has denied any wrongdoing and rejected calls for his resignation.
A fresh report on former Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed leads the Daily Mirror. The paper says police received 19 sex abuse claims against Fayed while he was still alive. It says the accusations date from 2005 to 2023, when he died aged 94.
The Metro reports on the suspension of public wi-fi services at 19 railway stations managed by Network Rail on Wednesday after messages about past terrorism attacks appeared on people’s devices. British Transport Police has since confirmed a man has been arrested on suspicion of computer misuse offences.
The Daily Express leads on the story of an elderly man that has been placed in a care home a 260-mile round trip away from his wife. The headline reads: “It feels like they don’t want him to come back to me”.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, enjoyed a secret trip to the ballet on Wednesday, the Sun reports. The paper also says I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! contestants with a prescription for the weightloss drug Ozempic will be given the jab off camera.
“Attack of the creepy giant baby doll” is the Daily Star’s headline. The paper says Rochdale residents were “creeped out” when the 27ft puppet arrived in their town square. The doll is said to have been installed by the local council to encourage schoolchildren to talk about the environment.
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