The key facts
- Chancellor John Healey, according to the papers, has abandoned welfare cuts before the election amid a forecast rise in spending of almost 30% — to £431bn by 2032
- Chancellor John Healey, according to the newspapers, has abandoned welfare cuts before the election amid a forecast rise in spending of almost 30% – to £431bn by 2032
- The Daily Express reports that Police Scotland is conducting 'active enquiries' into Jeffrey Epstein's stay at Balmoral with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
- Alphabet lost 15% of its share value, and the Nasdaq index fell 1.5%
- Alphabet lost 15% of its share value, and the Nasdaq index fell by 1.5%
Budget fallout dominates the front pages
BBC News' traditional review of the front pages of British newspapers, published on Friday, shows that the fallout from Chancellor John Healey's Budget continues to dominate coverage. The i paper writes under the headline 'No welfare cuts before election', noting the chancellor's admission amid forecasts that welfare spending will rise by almost 30% — to £431bn by 2032 — and criticism over the delay in addressing spending cuts.
Differing assessments of one budget policy
The papers' reactions differ markedly. The Daily Telegraph carries a warning from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) to 'prepare for decades of pain' and a calculation that a typical family's disposable income will rise by an average of just 2% over the 2020s as a result of the chancellor's measures. The Daily Mail, by contrast, calls the abandonment of welfare changes an 'abrupt U-turn' and a 'humiliation for Healey'. The Times reports plans to move part of defence spending 'off the books' to avoid tax rises or cuts to public services: according to the paper, Healey is in talks with at least three other NATO members about setting up an international bank to finance a 'significant' part of the additional spending, while the Treasury is considering a mechanism to involve private companies in the upfront financing of procurement, such as training aircraft.
Other front-page stories
The Daily Express reports on its front page that Police Scotland is examining the late Jeffrey Epstein's stay at Balmoral with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor; according to the paper, the police have confirmed that 'active enquiries are ongoing'. Mountbatten-Windsor himself has consistently and emphatically denied any wrongdoing. The Guardian leads with the Israeli parliamentary elections: after no major bloc won a majority, Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies, according to the paper, called on the internal security service Shin Bet to look into alleged vote-buying and other violations in the Palestinian communities of Israel; Netanyahu himself, the Guardian writes, is accused of 'smearing Arab voters' in order to hold on to power. The Financial Times reports that Alphabet's shares fell 15% on Thursday due to investor concerns about the returns on AI investments; the fall rippled through the markets — the Nasdaq index dropped 1.5%. Citing a study by the gender equality institute Global 50/50, Metro writes that the 'manosphere' is as harmful 'as smoking', while the Daily Mirror contrasts oil company Shell's profits with the continuing rise in fuel and utility prices against the backdrop of the wars in Iran and Ukraine.
Fallout from Chancellor John Healey's Budget continues to fill many of the front pages. 'No welfare cuts before election' is the i Paper's headline, writing that the chancellor made the admission 'amid predictions it will jump by almost 30% to £431bn by 2032' as he 'faces criticism over Budget delay in tackling spending cuts'.
The Daily Telegraph continues with warnings from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) to 'prepare for decades of pain' after 'Healey accused of unhelpful fiddling after ducking welfare changes in the Budget'. It calculates that 'a typical family's disposable income would rise by an average of 2 per cent over the 2020s in the wake of the Chancellor's measures'.
'Defence to benefit from off-the-book spending' says the Times in its top story, in an effort to 'avoid billions in tax rises or public service cuts next year'. According to the paper, 'Healey is in advanced talks with at least three other Nato members about setting up an international bank that would finance a significant part of the extra spending' while Treasury is also 'looking at a mechanism that would allow private companies to provide the upfront funding for equipment such as fast-jet training aircraft'.
The Daily Mail says the chancellor has been 'forced into screeching U-turn' on what it calls 'the runaway benefits bill' – suggesting that it is a 'humiliation for Healey'.
The Daily Express leads with its exclusive reporting that Police Scotland are looking into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's 'stay at Balmoral' with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. According to the paper, the force 'confirms active enquiries are ongoing.' Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently and strenuously denied any wrongdoing.
The Daily Star also carries the story on the 'cops probe' into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's time at Balmoral, although elsewhere it leads with tributes to Sir Patrick Stewart, who has died aged 86. 'Star Trek's final frontears,' the paper writes next to a photo of the late actor, with tributes remembering him as a 'legend of stage and film'.
The manosphere is 'as bad as smoking', reports the Metro, quoting new research from the gender equality institute Global 50/50. It says online misogyny 'monetises the promotion of violence against women and girls, harms mental health and makes it hard for boys and men to get help'. Comparing the counter-manosphere strategy to smoking, the paper carries the warning: 'Britain must use the same approach to stop harm to boys and young men... and save women's lives'.
The Guardian leads with the latest on the Israeli parliamentary elections, reporting that Benjamin Netanyahu has been 'accused of smearing Arab voters to hold on to power'. After no major bloc secured a majority of seats to win power, 'Netanyahu and his allies called on the internal security service, Shin Bet, to investigate alleged vote buying and other irregularities in Palestinian communities in Israel', according to the paper.
'Alphabet shares battered', writes the Financial Times, saying that Google's parent company 'has burnt through cash' which 'deepens investor fears over AI returns'. Reporting that Alphabet's share value dropped 15 per cent on Thursday, the paper says 'the plunge reverberated across markets, as the tech-heavy Nasdaq slumped 1.5 per cent'.
The Daily Mirror reports on oil giant Shell's profits, contrasting them with household bills and pump prices 'continuing to soar amid the Iran and Ukraine wars'.
Finally, the Sun leads with new details about actor James Acaster's appearance on the Celebrity Traitors. Admitting he was a traitor 'left him so distraught filming was halted' and 'welfare staff checked on the comic before the Round Table vote', the paper says.
