'Airlines sound alarm on costs crisis' and 'King's £1.5m bailout'
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The weekend edition of the Financial Times highlights what it is calling a "mounting crisis" for airlines. It reports that persistently high fuel prices are forcing carriers to cut flights, axe costs and delay payments on leased aircraft. Noting the collapse of both Spirit Airlines and airBaltic earlier in the year, the paper has spoken to industry leaders, analysts and financiers, who said the "spectre of airlines falling over the winter season" was higher than it had been in previous years.
The "King's £1.5m bailout for Andrew" is the main story for the Daily Mirror, which says King Charles III has been "forced to settle" a repairs bill at the former residence of his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Sources told the paper that the Royal Lodge was left in an "absolute state", and the former prince was unable to foot the bill.
Similarly, the front page of the Sun reads: "The king & I.O.U". It says the King has "loaned" Andrew the £1.5m sum, and notes that the former prince formerly surrendered his 75-year lease earlier this week. "It is not know how Andy will repay it," the paper writes.
The Times is one of several considering the upcoming budget, reporting the Prime Minister Andy Burnham has "rejected a plea" from Health Secretary Yvette Cooper for more money to fund a pay deal for NHS staff. The paper says it is a "sign of tension" between ministers before the budget, and notes the "highly unusual move" from the prime minister and Chancellor John Healey to jointly write to Cooper and reject her request.
The chairman of John Lewis has warned that a "tax raid" on department stores and supermarkets would "only harm our high streets", according to the Daily Telegraph. In what the paper describes as an "unusually outspoken attack on the potential Budget", Jason Tarry, who is also the chairman of Waitrose, said that "piling more costs" onto large stores would reveal a "fundamental misunderstanding of how modern high streets work". Burnham has signalled his government could ramp up a tax on warehouses in order to help fund tax cuts for businesses with "social benefit", like pubs and restaurants, the paper says.
Marks & Spencer boss Stuart Machin has written a piece for the Daily Mail, where he urged the chancellor to "reverse 'the mistakes of the last two Budgets' to get Britain growing again". He went on to ask Healey to take the "handcuffs off business" and put money "back in people's pockets". The paper says the "damning assessment" from one of the UK's top chief executives will "set alarm bells ringing in Downing Street".
The Prince of Wales has spoken to the Daily Express for World Mental Health Day, telling the paper that "we do not always know what someone is carrying beneath the surface". Prince William urged people to "check in, listen and show kindness", emphasising the "extraordinary impact" of simply stopping to ask if someone is okay.
The iWeekend considers the future of the Green Party, following the defeat of its leader, Zack Polanski, in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. The paper says Polanski's leadership is "now in doubt", adding that the growth in the party's membership has been overshadowed by accusations that he failed to show leadership on the Zionism row.
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