Badenoch's 'Britannia Dome' and 'King tells Andrew 'I won't fund court fight''

4 hours ago

News image — Several papers lead on a Conservative pledge to build what the party is calling a "Britannia Dome" to protect the UK from any potential missile attack. The i writes that the project "would link new radar, command systems and interceptor missiles" into a single network. The pledge is an attempt by party leader Kemi Badenoch to "build credibility" on defence, the paper says, but critics say the £10bn price tag is well below previous cost estimates of at least £80bn

The headline on the front page of the iPaper reads: "Badenoch promises 'Britannia Dome' to protect the UK from missile attack". — Several papers lead on a Conservative pledge to build what the party is calling a "Britannia Dome" to protect the UK from any potential missile attack. The i writes that the project "would link new radar, command systems and interceptor missiles" into a single network. The pledge is an attempt by party leader Kemi Badenoch to "build credibility" on defence, the paper says, but critics say the £10bn price tag is well below previous cost estimates of at least £80bn

The headline on the front page of the Express reads: "Kemi: Britain needs an 'Iron Dome' to keep us safe". — The Daily Express also leads on the Tory plan, quoting party leader Kemi Badenoch in its headline saying: "Britain needs an 'Iron Dome' to keep us safe." The paper says the interceptor system would be funded by "slashing benefits"

The headline on the front page of the Daily Mail reads: "Tories vow to build 'Iron Dome' to stop drones and missiles". — The so-called "Britannia Shield", as the Tories have named the project, would "guard cities, power plants and Army bases from missiles and drones fired by enemies such as Russia and Iran", the Daily Mail writes. Meanwhile, the paper features a large picture of novelist and former politician Jeffrey Archer, who has died aged 86

The headline on the front page of the Daily Star reads: "The Iron Lady". — Also leading on the Conservatives' defence pledge is the Daily Star, which dubs Badenoch "the Iron Lady", after her pledge to build the "Israel-style 'Iron Dome'" defence system

The headline on the front page of the Sun reads: "Iron Dome Lady". — The Sun has a similar headline on Tuesday, calling Badenoch the "Iron Dome Lady". It notes that Badenoch's announcement comes shortly after the US withdrew its bombers from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire

The headline on the front page of the Times reads: "PM looks to push back decision on defence cash". — The Tory's "Britannia Shield" pledge comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham considers delaying a decision on whether to increase defence spending "in the hope that Britain's economy improves", according to the Times. A Whitehall source tells the paper the "working assumption" is that the spending review will be moved to autumn next year

The headline on the front page of the Independent reads: "Tories vow to cut inheritance tax in free-market revival". — The Independent also features a large photograph of Jeffrey Archer on its front page. It says "the prolific storyteller, once jailed for perjury, had only just published his final book". Meanwhile, the paper reports that Badenoch will vow to cut inheritance tax at her party conference, in what it calls a "free-market revival". The announcement comes as the party "languishes behind Labour and Reform" in the polls, the paper writes

The headline on the front page of the Daily Star reads: "King: Don't use my money". — Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been told his brother, the King, "will not foot the bill for his court action against the police", according to the Daily Mirror. The former prince is understood to be challenging the lawfulness of the search warrants related to his arrest in February. But, the paper reports, Charles has said Andrew cannot use the money he gives him for living costs for his legal battle against Thames Valley Police and the Central Criminal Court

The headline on the front page of the Telegraph reads: "King tells Andrew: I won't fund court fight". — The King had "no involvement" in Andrew's application for a judicial review of his arrest, the Daily Telegraph reports. The paper adds that the monarch has "appeared keen to distance himself from his brother's decision to sue the police", which could costs hundreds of thousands of pounds. Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office in the wake of information that emerged from the so-called Epstein files in the United States. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing linked to his association with Epstein

The headline on the front page of the Guardian reads: "Sharp rise in under-50s cancers a ticking timebomb, say experts". — The Guardian leads on a warning from experts that "cases of seven types of cancer have risen sharply among younger people in England". Prostate cancer diagnoses have quadrupled in people under 50 since 2001, while cases of bowel, kidney and uterine cancers have more than doubled, the paper reports. Experts say the data reflects the impact of the "global obesity epidemic, poor diets and insufficient exercise"

The headline on the front page of the Metro reads: "Predators stalking our Unis". — A report highlighted on the front page of Tuesday's Metro "estimates 27,000 women starting university this autumn could be a victim of a sex attack by the end of their degree". The paper cites data analysis from the Office for Students and victim support charity Enough, which it says suggests around 7.7% of the 215,000 women starting university this year could be the victim of rape or sexual assault

The headline on the front page of the reads: "Sainsbury's held talks with Morrisons on forging new industry powerhouse". — Supermarket giants Sainsbury's and Morrisons held talks this year over "forging [a] new industry powerhouse", according to the Financial Times. The paper says the move was an "attempt to challenge Tesco" and would have been a "fresh test of regulators' appetite for consolidation in the fiercely competitive supermarket industry". Sainsbury's walked away from the talks and there are no active negotiations, the paper says, but it adds that sources "did not rule out" talks restarting

Pictures of Jeffrey Archer are on many of the front pages, following his death at the age of 86. The Times says he was "well aware that the sands of time" were running out on his life, which was "even stranger than fiction". Broadcaster Gyles Brandreth is quoted in the Daily Telegraph saying that he'd been with the novelist on Sunday, and he'd been "funny, engaging and self-deprecating". The Daily Star's front page notes that Jeffrey Archer had sued the paper, and then been jailed for perjury. The Daily Mail concluded that he'd had a "colourful life", but was a "great storyteller" until the end.

"Britain needs an iron dome" is the headline in the Daily Express, which leads with the Conservatives' pledge to spend £10bn on a missile defence system. The i questions how realistic that price tag is - given that previous estimates for the project have been at least £80bn. The Sun notes that this announcement came just as the US was pulling its bombers out of RAF Fairford because of safety concerns.

The Daily Mirror headlines on the King's warning to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor: "don't use my money" to pay for a legal fight with police. The Daily Telegraph says this appears to be the monarch's latest effort to "distance" himself from his brother's decision to sue the Thames Valley Police force.

The front page of the Guardian highlights a study showing that seven types of cancer have risen sharply among younger people in England. The paper says a team of scientists from the World Cancer Research Fund believe that's a sign of rising levels of obesity, poor diets and insufficient exercise, as well as better awareness and earlier diagnosis.

Have you had a coffee yet today? The Express picks up on a study which shows that a typical coffee drinker consumes almost 57,000 cups worth in their lifetime - an average of 2-and-a-half a day. And most people have their first between 07:00 and 08:00.

Badenoch's 'Britannia Dome' and 'King tells Andrew 'I won't fund court fight''

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