Johnsonās āpep talkā with Harry and Treasury rethinks non-dom plan
Making a number of Fridayās front pages is the publication of Boris Johnsonās memoir, Unleashed, which comes out next month. The former prime ministerās new book will be serialised in the Daily Mail, which details on its front page Johnsonās disclosure of his ālast ditchā attempt to persuade Prince Harry not to leave the UK with his wife Meghan.
Johnsonās āmanly pep talkā with the Duke of Sussex also tops the Daily Telegraph. The paper reports that Palace officials were said to have believed his intervention ā understood to have taken place during a UK-Africa investment summit in 2020 ā could convince Harry to change his mind. Despite the ex-PMās effort, the duke departed for Canada the following day, it adds. Johnsonās verdict on the talks? āTotally hopelessā.
Other papers lead with stories looking ahead to next monthās Budget. āReeves ready to tone down tax raid on rich non-domsā, is the Financial Timesā headline. Treasury officials fear it may fail to raise the Ā£1bn the government thought it would ā or indeed any money at all ā should wealthy foreigners look to more favourable tax jurisdictions and decide to leave the UK. One official is quoted as saying the government āwonāt press on regardless, but we are not going to abandon this completelyā.
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, āin a blow to struggling home ownersā.
According to todayās edition of the Times, plans being drawn up by the Treasury to change the governmentās borrowing rules could free up to Ā£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 āanyone should go to the UKā after he was reportedly denied an invitation to a business investment summit.
The Guardian quotes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying Israel āwill not stopā 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 peopleās 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: āIt feels like they donāt want him to come back to meā.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, enjoyed a secret trip to the ballet on Wednesday, the Sun reports. The paper also says Iām A Celebrityā¦Get Me Out Of Here! contestants with a prescription for the weightloss drug Ozempic will be given the jab off camera.
āAttack of the creepy giant baby dollā is the Daily Starās headline. The paper says Rochdale residents were ācreeped outā 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.
Your Trusted Source for Accurate and Timely Updates!
Our commitment to accuracy, impartiality, and delivering breaking news as it happens has earned us the trust of a vast audience. Stay ahead with real-time updates on the latest events, trends.
