'Neets crisis is moral failure' and 'Credit crunch'
Prime Minister Andy Burnham writes in the Times that Britain faces an "economic catastrophe and moral failure" if "a generation of young people is being written off to a life on benefits". He writes that one million young people are not in education, employment or training, known as "Neets", partly blaming a welfare system that does not provide "support, skills, or help getting a job".
The Metro leads with a new report highlighting "inequalities for children depending on where they are brought up". Citing what it describes as "damning findings" within the report, the paper says "youngsters in Blackpool, for example, are 27 times more likely to miss school than those in Lambeth". Children's commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza is quoted by the paper as saying: "the postcode lottery is real". Elsewhere, pop stars Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter are pictured hugging at the Academy Museum Gala under the caption "Taylor (heart emoji) Sab".
The Daily Telegraph says Chancellor John Healey has drawn up plans for what it calls a "tax raid on family businesses" ahead of his first budget on 28 October. The paper says he is considering charging income tax when "business owners hand their company down to the next generation, potentially almost doubling the bill". The Treasury told the Telegraph "decisions on tax are a matter for the Chancellor to set out at fiscal events, rather than routinely commenting on rumour." A separate headline reads: "BBC suspends use of embedded Civil Service fact-checkers" who it claims worked on "sensitive topics" such as "small boat crossings and the Covid pandemic". The corporation has released a statement saying "all BBC journalism and editorial decisions are made by BBC journalists and editors, in line with the BBC's editorial guidelines, so the statisticians never make editorial decisions."
Warnings from Lord David Blunkett against the prime minister's "pledge to change UK voting system" tops the i Paper. The former Labour cabinet minister suggests "adopting proportional representation" and ditching first-past-the-post could lead to "Israeli-style politics", the paper writes, with one Labour MP telling the paper that it could mean Andy Burnham could end up being "the last ever Labour prime minister of a majority Labour government".
"Credit crunch" is the Sun's headline, writing the government's plans to ban "supermarket deals on items like bran flakes, porridge and fruit juice" could see the cost of grocery staples "soar". A government spokesperson told the paper: "We will ensure any changes help families make healthier choices while keeping food affordable".
"UK has to rejoin the EU," is the verdict of a new report published by the Institute for Public Policy Research splashed on the front page of the Independent. The paper summarises the think tank's warnings that: "being part of the European Union has now become imperative in the light of Russian aggression and US President Donald Trump's unpredictability". The paper also embeds photos of burnt-out vehicles in the centre of Paris following national protests, writing: "France cleans up after weekend of violence and destruction".
French President Emmanuel Macron condemns "unbridled violence", says the Guardian in its top story. The paper reports there were "2,000 arrests as public buildings burned and hundreds of shops looted", embedding a photo of a burning car at Place de la République in central Paris. Elsewhere, former British Health Secretary Alan Milburn, who has led a review into Neets, is quoting urging the government to "cut welfare spending 'to fund support for young people'," according to the paper.
The Daily Mail says "at least 200,000" people have been given the "right to remain" since the government promised a crackdown, citing official figures. The paper says that 5,000 people per week who have lived in the UK for at least five years "having legally arrived on visas" have earned settlement, known as "indefinite leave to remain".
The Daily Express leads with pleas from numerous farmers for the prime minister to "axe the family farm tax" ahead of next week's budget, urging Burnham to U-turn on the inheritance levy introduced by his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer.
Reports of threats to the US "AI boom" lead the Financial Times, reporting that $10tn (£7.5tn) worth of infrastructure plans, which mostly involves building data centres, faces the combined headwinds of "project delays, a public backlash and shaky investor confidence". It writes that the "ambitious data centre plans are running into reality", reporting that "some 47 big projects have been delayed, blocked or withdrawn this year – at a 'conservative estimate'."
Singer Ellie Goulding features on the front page of the Daily Mirror, which reports that she posed "in pink diamonds from a mine embroiled in a pollution scandal". After spending years campaigning for climate action, the paper describes Goulding's move as "eco hypocrisy", although it quotes the singer who says "I am mortified to have made this error in judgement".
Finally, the Daily Star says Libertines frontman Pete Doherty "did scoff a mega meal", an eating feat that "brought him a new found respect from the British public". The paper's verdict on the 2018 Margate cafe meal: "What a Brekkie Shambles".
