General election coverage continues to dominate the front pages. The Observer leads with claims that Labour’s plan for economic growth is destined for failure without better access to EU markets. The paper reports the warnings have been issued by leading economists and diplomats, as well noting it could “increase pressure” on Labour’s leadership to explain how they intend improve the economy with post-Brexit trade barriers in place.
Volodymyr Zelensky has furiously described Nigel Farage as being infected with the “virus of Putinism”, the Mail on Sunday reports. It writes that the Ukrainian president’s “extraordinary intervention” comes after the Reform UK leader suggested the West was partially responsible for Russia’s full-scale invasion. The Mail also reports that one of Farage’s “most prominent supporters has repeatedly called for closer ties with the Kremlin”. The paper’s front page features a striking picture of megastar Taylor Swift taking a selfie with Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte at her concert in London on Friday.
Sir Keir Starmer has described government benefits as offering people less “dignity” than being in work, the Sunday Telegraph says. The paper reports the Labour leader said redistributing wealth alone is not enough to end the UK’s economic “malaise”, pledging to put wealth creation “front and centre” if the party wins the election. The Telegraph also feature a story on Labour’s shadow energy minister Ed Miliband pledging to scrap the Conservatives’ target to scrap gas boilers by 2035. In an interview with the paper, he said Labour will focus on financial incentives to get people to upgrade their boilers.
The Sunday Mirror leads on an investigation into the finances of Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty. The couple “make nearly £1 million a month more than they did a year ago” from their investments, the paper reports. The Mirror says this demonstrates how “out of touch” the prime minister is during the “worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation”.
Conservative officials have claimed Labour will introduce a “special budget” with £2 billion in tax rises within weeks of an election victory, according to the Sunday Express’s splash. The paper says the money raised from Labour’s planned tax rises, like VAT on school fees, will not be enough to cover the party’s spending plans.
The Sunday People carries the story of a six-year-old girl who survived a “horrific” XL Bully attack. It says Amelia Bird sustained 30 separate injures after being mauled by a “pack” of the dogs, quoting her mum Jade saying: “I thought she was dead. Chunks of her flesh had gone.”
The Daily Star leads on warnings from “cutlery curler Uri Geller” that the “Just Stop Oil Tarquins” who sprayed Stonhenge with orange powder paint could “spark an alien attack”. The magician believes the ancient megalithic monument is home to extra-terrestrials, suggesting E.T or other aliens in the Wiltshire area could be less than pleased at their form of protest.
The controversy around Nigel Farage’s claim that the West provoked Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine leads several papers
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, the Reform UK leader has responded to the backlash generated by his remarks he made, saying he is not and has never been an “apologist or supporter of Putin”. He goes on to write that he has been warning for 10 years that the West has played into President Vladimir Putin’s hands “giving him an excuse to do what he wanted to do anyway”.
The Mail on Sunday front page carries reaction from Ukraine’s government to Mr Farage’s initial comments. It says sources close to President Volodymyr Zelensky have accused him of being infected by the “virus of Putinism”. The paper also names several Reform candidates whom it says have previously “expressed sympathies” for the Russian leader.
The Sunday Express says the Conservatives are warning that Labour would hold a “special budget” within weeks of winning an election, to fill a £2 billion black hole in their spending plans. Labour has dismissed the analysis as “desperate nonsense”.
“Starmer’s growth plan ‘doomed’ without access to EU markets” is the headline on the front page of the Observer. The paper has spoken to economists who say a Labour government would fail to maximise growth, unless it took the UK back into the EU’s single market and customs union. Labour leader Keir Starmer is quoted as saying he would not rejoin either.
The Sunday People’s front page carries a picture of a young girl smiling after recovering from a “horrific mauling by a pack of XL Bullies”. The paper says Amelia Bird was six years old when she was attacked by the dogs while playing in the street. It adds that she needed plastic surgery after suffering 30 injuries.
Several of the front pages feature a backstage picture of Taylor Swift taking a selfie with the Prince of Wales and his two eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
