Reeves’ war on ‘blockers’ and Southport ‘fatal errors’
News Desk
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A number of the papers lead on stories about Chancellor Rachel Reeves and her plans for the British economy. The Sunday Telegraph says she has insisted she will not tolerate “blockers” in her own party who try to stop the construction of homes and infrastructure. It comes ahead of the introduction of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill – intended to cut red tape – in the spring. Reeves tells the paper: “We won’t tolerate blocking for blocking’s sake, be that from small pressure groups who have had an oversized say on the future of our economy or in Parliament”.
The Daily Mirror also leads on comments from Reeves, quoting her vow to “deliver for working people” and telling her critics that “things cannot change overnight”.
The UK’s farmers, however, have put on a “national show of unity” against Reeves’s planned changes to the inheritance tax they pay, the Daily Express reports. Working farms are currently exempt from inheritance tax, but under the plans any inherited properties or land worth more than £1m will be taxed at 20%. The paper says tractors rolled into town centres in protest across the country on Saturday and quotes one farmer saying the change would “decimate” the industry’s future.
The Observer leads on a YouGov poll that it says shows voters want Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to seek closer trading ties with Europe instead of US President Donald Trump. The paper has also spoken to Reeves, who tells it Brexit has harmed the British economy and that she is determined to restore growth by reducing trade friction for small businesses in whatever way possible.
A Home Office review has found that counter-terrorism officers believed Southport attacker Axel Rudakubana had an interest in world affairs but no political beliefs, and so was not “in danger of being radicalised”, according to the Sunday Times. It says the report, which is due to be released, looks at decisions made by the north-west England branch of Prevent, the government’s anti-extremism programme, and “exposes serious failings in the officers’ approach”. Writing for the paper, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper says a review of Prevent’s referral thresholds is under way.
The Mail on Sunday has obtained footage of Wynne Evans – the tenor known for starring in the Go Compare ads – making a demeaning sexual comment about Strictly Come Dancing presenter Janette Manrara while taking part in a photoshoot for the show’s live tour. It says the comment earned Evans a rebuke from BBC bosses, who told him: “We will not tolerate such behaviour”. In a statement to the paper, Evans says: “My language was inappropriate and unacceptable, for which I sincerely apologise.”
The Sun on Sunday leads on the first interview given by TV presenter Holly Willoughby since a man was jailed last year over a plan to kidnap and murder her. Speaking to the Sunday Times, Willoughby says “nothing can prepare you” for that kind of experience, adding: “I had to go on”.
And the Daily Star says experts have claimed that bald men are more attractive to women than “unfortunate blokes with hair”. The headline reads: “It’s official(ish): Slapheads are 100% stud muffins”.
A number of the papers lead on stories about Chancellor Rachel Reeves and her plans for the British economy.
The Sunday Telegraph reports that Reeves is at war with “blockers” in her party. In an interview with the paper – ahead of a speech this week setting out planning reforms – Reeves says she will not tolerate anyone standing in the way of her plans to grow the economy. A Labour source tells the Telegraph her “strongly-worded message” applies to MPs and peers, be they Labour or Conservative. The paper sees her comments as a sign of a “growing rift” between the Treasury and figures, including Climate Secretary Ed Miliband, over whether to prioritise growth or Net Zero targets. Reeves has also spoken to the Sunday Mirror. The paper’s headline reads: “I’ll deliver for working people”.
Many of the front pages carry pictures of the Israeli hostages who were freed in Gaza yesterday. Daniella Gilboa, 20, is shown by the Observer, smiling and giving a thumbs up from a military helicopter. The paper says she was one of seven members of an all-female surveillance unit who were taken hostage. Another – Naama Levy – is on the front of the Telegraph, laughing while being reunited with her family.
The Sunday Times reports that Denmark would have to give first refusal to the UK to buy Greenland if it bows to pressure from the US to sell the territory. Citing a former Danish minister for Greenland, the paper says an agreement dating from 1917 says Britain has the first right to buy Greenland, apparently because of its proximity to Canada, which was then a British dominion. Tom Høyem explains he has seen the original document in a museum and that it includes an acceptance by the United States that Greenland “will always be Danish”.
EPA
Donald Trump Jr visited Greenland following his father’s comments on the territory
The BBC is facing a fresh crisis, according to the Mail on Sunday, after Strictly Come Dancing contestant Wynne Evans, best known as the tenor from the Go Compare adverts, made a sexual comment about a female presenter. The remark was caught on camera – with audio – by a Mail on Sunday reporter at a Strictly live show in Birmingham 10 days ago. A statement from BBC Studios says it has been made clear to Wynne Evans that such behaviour will not be tolerated. The opera singer is quoted apologising and acknowledging his remark was unacceptable.
The Sun on Sunday leads on the first interview given by TV presenter Holly Willoughby since a man was jailed last year over a plan to kidnap and murder her. Speaking to the Sunday Times, Willoughby says “nothing can prepare you” for that kind of experience, adding: “I had to go on”.
The King is pictured in several papers sporting a kilt to mark Burns Night. The Sunday Express says that, posing in his rarely seen library at Balmoral Castle, he cuts “quite a dash”. The Mail on Sunday contrasts the image with one taken in 1966 when the King was 18. The paper says that, while Charles has aged gracefully, the cheeky grin and tartan kilt remain.
