'No more tax rises, insists Reeves' and 'PM in jobs push'
BBC
·6-min read
A number of Tuesday's newspapers lead with Chancellor Rachel Reeves defending the Budget and ruling out further tax rises. The Daily Mail says that in a bid to head off a "growing business revolt over her £40 billion 'tax-bomb' Budget", Reeves told the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) conference she was "not going to have to come back for more". The paper quotes CBI chairman Rupert Soames who said business had been treated as a "cash cow" to be "milked". An image of Kate Moss is displayed on the front page, with the paper saying "Race you! Kate's Zara collection hits High St". [BBC]
In similar fashion, the Daily Telegraph reports that business leaders have "turned" on Reeves as a "string of executives warn that Britain is becoming a less attractive place to invest under Labour". Addressing the CBI conference on Monday, Reeves insisted her Budget was "good for jobs and good for growth", the paper adds. The paper also leads on Labour's plan to unveil a "flagship back-to-work plan" that does not include a "crackdown" on sickness benefits, in a "blow to business". [BBC]
Public services face another four years of "tight budgets", warns the Chancellor, as she pledges not to put up taxes again for the duration of this parliament, writes the i newspaper. The paper also shows a photograph of a man covered in muck from Storm Bert, adding that "more flooding" is expected. [BBC]
Sir Keir Starmer says that Britain "simply isn't working" and bosses must "get better at keeping the long-term sick in their jobs", says the Times. The paper writes that the prime minister is promising an "overhaul" of job centres and will send more NHS staff to areas with the highest rates of "worklessness" under plans to deal with unemployment and a "growing sickness crisis". The paper also reports that single women in their thirties are increasingly choosing to "take the future into their own hands" and have a baby alone. It is quoting data from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. [BBC]
The Guardian says that teenagers will get skills training at the Premier League, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Channel Four as part of a government drive to get hundreds of thousands into jobs or education. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall told the paper: "Almost 1 million young people are neither earning nor learning." In other news, the paper reports that Israel's security cabinet is due to meet on Tuesday to decide on a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon after "more than a year of fighting between Israeli forces and the Shia militia Hezbollah". [BBC]
The Metro says the Keir Starmer has pledged to make spiking a specific criminal offence, so more people report it and police "take cases more seriously". The prime minister said venue staff would get training, with a pilot scheme starting before Christmas, followed by a UK roll-out from March, the paper adds. [BBC]
MPs and Lords have said the Financial Conduct Authority is "incompetent at best, dishonest at worst", according to a "scathing report" published on the same day that the regulator fined Barclays £40m over a case relating to the financial crisis 16 years ago, the Financial Times reports. The FCS said it "strongly rejected the characterisation of the organisation". [BBC]
The clear-up from Storm Bert has begun after it left a "trail of heartbreak and destruction", says the Daily Mirror. The paper shows a picture of helper Alayah Mae Axton, 10, at Cross Keys rugby club in South Wales after flooding. [BBC]
Britain will say thank you to the "Greatest Generation" with bonus bank holidays to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, according to the Daily Express. Plans to honour next year's "momentous milestones" are set to include a four-day jamboree, the Daily Express says it understands. A tribute to author Barbara Taylor Bradford is also displayed on the front page, saying she has died aged 91. [BBC]
And the Daily Star reports that the number of pets being "dumped" in the run-up to Christmas has risen by 50%, "as people struggle to make ends meet". [BBC]
The Daily Telegraph carries a warning from business leaders that the chancellor's Budget tax rises are "milking" them.
The paper says Rachel Reeves "has six months" to win business over, with a string of executives warning that Britain is becoming a less attractive place to invest under Labour.
The Daily Mail says the chancellor has ruled out further tax rises in a bid to head off a growing business revolt over what it calls her £40bn "tax-bomb"’ Budget. The paper notes that Reeves was heard "in stony silence by business chiefs", when she addressed the CBI conference on Monday.
The i newspaper says public spending cuts are on the way from 2026, after the chancellor pledged not to put up taxes again during this Parliament.
The paper reports ministers are promising to improve services through reform but goes on to say that schools, prisons and local government may have to make billions in savings between 2026 and the next election, when it says many government departments face real-terms budget cuts.
"Britain isn't working, admits PM in jobs push," is the headline on the front of the Times. It reports on Sir Keir Starmer's plan to "beat long-term sickness", as the paper puts it.
However, it says questions remain about whether the plan will be up to the task of stemming the surging cost of ill health, as reform of the benefits system is put back to next year.
The Guardian, meanwhile, says Labour is pledging to ensure that "no young person is left behind". The paper says the Premier League and the Royal Shakespeare Company will be part of a scheme to get hundreds of thousands of young people into work or education. It says the government wants to "tackle" the one in eight people, aged from 16 to 24, are not currently in education, employment or training.
The Daily Mirror leads on Storm Bert's devastation, with the headline: "Mud, sweat and tears." It pictures a young girl, caked in mud, helping with the clear-up in South Wales.
The paper says people faced "landslide terror" as hour upon hour of heavy rain sent a muddy mess into the former mining village of Cwmtillery. In an editorial, the Mirror urges insurance companies to "PAY fair".
The number of pets being dumped in the run-up to Christmas has risen by 50%, according to the Daily Star. It blames the situation on people struggling to make ends meet. A picture of a glum-faced dog stares out at readers, accompanied by the words: "All I want for Christmas is.. YOU."
Finally, plans to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two will include an extra "Bank Holiday thank you" to the nation's heroes next year, according to the Daily Express.
The paper understands the plans include what it calls a "four-day jamboree" next summer. It says no decision has yet been made on which weekend that could be, but moots the idea of a permanent, extra bank holiday as a "lasting tribute".
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