In anticipation of the upcoming autumn Budget, many front pages splash on reports that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will extend the freeze on income tax bands, introduced by the Conservatives, beyond 2028.
The Daily Telegraph believes the move is “manifesto breaking” because Labour promised during the general election campaign not to raise the taxes of working people. But that criticism is dismissed by a source close to Rachel Reeves in the Financial Times Weekend – who insists only an actual increase in income tax rates was ruled out.
The headline in the Times is: “Reeves plan will pull one million into higher rates of tax”. Readers are reminded that, in opposition, Sir Keir Starmer called the band freeze a “stealth tax”. And it quotes the Institute for Fiscal Studies saying that freezing the thresholds is a “less transparent and more uncertain” way to raise revenue.
“Labour plots a tax raid on your holidays” is the Daily Mail’s headline. It suggests there might be what it calls “inflation-busting hikes” on air passenger duty. The paper’s opinion column is filled with speculation about the budget. “For millions,” it says, “this drip, drip, drip of briefing about how Labour plans to snatch their hard-earned money has felt like Chinese water torture.”
For the Sun, the biggest worry is a potential rise in fuel duty. It argues that Rachel Reeves is “heading down a dangerous road” if such an increase happens. And it states that “slapping 7p on a litre, the staggering sum being considered by the Treasury, would punch working people full in the face.”
The Daily Mirror has visited the hotel where Liam Payne fell to his death. It says that “standing just two dozen yards from where Liam Payne tragically fell to his death, it is impossible not to be struck by the raw grief that hangs heavy in the air”.
the Guardian reports that there’s pressure on ministers to increase the regulation of psychotherapists and counsellors. Lawyers have reported a rise in cases brought by patients, over alleged harm done during therapy. Dan Poulter, a psychiatrist and former health minister, is quoted as saying he has “no doubt the vast majority of people practicing work to a very high standard”. But he suggests it could be hard for people to spot rogue operators.
Finally – the i reports that a group of eighty authors – including Ann Cleeves, Pat Barker and Val McDermid – have written to the government, calling for it to help fund a major new centre for the writing industries in Newcastle. The paper reveals that – with 80% of the literary workforce based in London or south-east England – this is an attempt to redress a perceived north/south divide in the industry.
