The key facts
- The Daily Telegraph and the Guardian write about Chancellor Reeves' plans to raise the bank profits surcharge in the 28 October budget; banks estimate the effect at £20bn
- The i Paper predicts a doubling of energy bills in the new year
- Russell Brand denies seven charges; Harry and Meghan made their first public appearance in Nottingham
Bank tax in the budget
A number of Friday's newspapers are devoted to reports of Chancellor John Reeves' plans to raise taxes on the banking sector in the budget, which will be presented on 28 October. The Daily Telegraph writes that Reeves is 'preparing to launch a tax raid on banks', despite having called them part of the 'crown jewels' of the British economy; the chancellor is reportedly considering raising the surcharge on bank profits. The Guardian reports that Reeves may 'extract additional revenues from the financial sector' to compensate for the damage to public finances from the war in the Middle East; one option is reversing the cuts to the bank surcharge introduced by former Conservative chancellor Jeremy Hunt, which would bring in more than £2bn a year. According to the newspapers, the four biggest banks earned about £15bn in the first six months of this year. The banks, according to the Telegraph, said that raising the surcharge would cost the economy £20bn. The Treasury said the chancellor would announce tax decisions himself.
Energy tariffs and household costs
The i Paper, under the headline 'energy bills set for double rise in the new year', writes that the annual price cap is forecast to rise by £276 in January. According to the paper, the chancellor is also unlikely to recommend keeping the VAT exemption on electricity bills after March; Reeves, the paper notes, refused to commit to extending the prime minister's cost-of-living measure.
Russell Brand trial
The Daily Mirror reports that an alleged victim told the court that comedian and actor Russell Brand became 'like a monster' and asked her to photograph him before he, according to the prosecution, raped her. Brand faces seven charges: three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. He denies all charges. The Daily Star comes out with the headline 'Topless Monster', while the Sun features a photograph from the trial showing Brand blowing a kiss to the woman he is alleged to have raped.
Harry and Meghan in Nottingham
Metro leads with the '(not so) royal walkabout' of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex: Meghan, 'radiant in burgundy', made her first public appearance since returning to the UK as the couple walked through Nottingham. The Times writes that 'crowds treat the Sussexes like royalty', the Mirror that Harry was 'happy as HARRY'. The Daily Mail asks 'what can the palace do about this?' and answers: 'very little'.
International and domestic topics
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Donald Trump of 'betrayal' after the American leader agreed to a diesel deal with Russia. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told the Financial Times: 'I will not' resign — amid growing pressure he has 'vowed to fight on', pushing through an unpopular welfare reform. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, according to the Daily Express, is furious over the case of a rejected asylum seeker convicted of attempted rape.
Other front-page topics
The Independent reports that the government plans to extend the public broadcaster's licence fee to online platforms such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon for the sake of the 'struggling BBC'; the new revenues are intended to support journalism and combat disinformation. The Times writes that under new NHS England guidance, transgender people should be placed in single-sex wards according to biological sex rather than gender identity — a reversal of previous policy. The Daily Mail, under the headline 'Dumb & dumber', criticises Education Secretary Lucy Powell's plan to make oral speaking skills in GCSEs as important as reading and writing; Conservative shadow minister Baroness Spielman said that 'children will lose out', while columnist Quentin Letts joked that in her speech on communication clarity Powell was 'as clear as a public lavatory window'. The Financial Times reports that Europe's biggest salmon producers have started feeding fish chicken, breaking a 'long-standing taboo in the search for cheap protein'; consumers consider the practice 'unnatural', but one expert notes that 'the market seems more ready', and producers claim reduced costs and carbon emissions.
A number of Friday's papers focus on reports that Chancellor John Healey plans to tax Britain's banks in his upcoming budget. Healey is "poised to launch a tax raid on banks" despite describing them as part of "the crown jewels" of the UK economy, according to the Daily Telegraph. Ahead of the Budget on 28 October, the chancellor is said to be "considering raising a surcharge on bank profits", the paper says.
Similarly, the Guardian reports Healey could "tap the financial sector for additional revenue" to "help offset the damage inflicted on the public finances by war in the Middle East". One option is to tax banks more heavily, which think tanks and trade unions have been calling for, the paper says. It has been reported the biggest four banks collectively made about £15bn profit in the first six months of this year.
The i Paper focuses on household impacts from the chancellor's proposed Budget under the headline "energy bills set for double rise in new year". The paper says "Healey refuses to commit to extending PM's cost of living measure".
An alleged victim told court the comedian and actor Russel Brand became "monster-like" and asked her to take a picture of him before he allegedly raped her, the Daily Mirror reports. Brand faces seven charges - three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. He denies the charges.
"Topless Monster", the Daily Star says in its coverage of the Russell Brand's rape trial.
Similarly, the Sun headlines on the photo shown at the Brand rape trial where he is seen blowing a kiss to the woman he allegedly raped.
The Metro splashes on Harry and Meghan's "(not) royal walkabout" with a picture of Meghan "beaming in burgundy" as the couple walked through Nottingham. It was Meghan's first public outing since returning to the UK, the paper says. Elsewhere, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Donald Trump of "betrayal" after the US leader agreed to a diesel deal with Russia.
"I will not" step down, Germany's Chancellor Chancellor Friedrich Merz told the Financial Times amid growing pressure for him to resign. Merz has "vowed to fight on" as he pushes through unpopular welfare reform, the paper reports, as well as confront an age of upheaval.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage's "fury" about the case of a failed asylum seeker who was jailed after an attempted rape is the headline of the Daily Express.
The UK government is planning to extend the public broadcaster's licence fee to online platforms such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon to help the "struggling BBC", the Independent reports. Any new revenue will be "used to boost journalism and tackle misinformation", the paper says.
Under a new NHS England (NHSE) guideline, transgender people should be treated on single-sex hospital wards that align with their biological sex rather than their gender identity, the Times reports. The move is a reversal of its previous policy that trans patients "be placed on wards in line with their gender identity", the paper says.
And the Labour government has been criticised for its plans to improve students' "speaking skills", the Daily Mail reports. When Education Secretary Lucy Powell announced measures to improve speaking to be as important as reading and writing, she was told "children will be losers" by Conservative shadow minister for work and pensions Baroness Spielman, the paper says.
