Justice cuts would be 'disaster' and 'special needs crisis'

Several of Thursday's papers report on the build-up to Chancellor Rachel Reeves' first Budget next week.

Several of Thursday's papers report on the build-up to the Budget next week.

With the Budget now less than two weeks away, the Times reports that Chancellor Rachel Reeves has gone to the International Monetary Fund in Washington "in an attempt to convince global finance chiefs that she will restore stability".

According to the Guardian, she will announce that she hopes to unlock an extra £50bn by changing the UK's fiscal rules. Sources say energy and transport projects will be a "particular focus" of the new funding, but the paper says the Treasury has hinted that it won't "initially take advantage of the extra scope".

"Fury over Reeves raid on private sector pensions" is the headline in the Daily Mail, which reports that the chancellor could impose national insurance on employers' pension contributions. In its leader column, the Sun describes the plans as "damaging and divisive".

Separately, the i says the Ministry of Justice budget is "feared to be on the chopping block", prompting a warning from two former justice secretaries that such a move would be a disaster for victims of crime.

New proposals to ban disposable vapes from next June are described in the Sun as "nanny state meddling". The paper offers two opposing views on the crackdown, with one writer describing it as "disastrous and short-sighted", while another says it is "good for parents' peace of mind".

A number of the front pages report on what the Daily Star labels the American War of Interference.

In an editorial, the Daily Mirror says Donald Trump's claims that the Labour Party is interfering in the presidential election are "ludicrous". Party officials have been backed by former Conservative justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland, who tells the Guardian they did nothing wrong when they travelled to the US to campaign for Kamala Harris.

In the Daily Telegraph, government insiders say the row is "unhelpful" for the relationship between the UK and US. But the Times quotes a British diplomatic source as saying that "this is what life with Trump will be like", so ministers "better get used to it".

The Daily Express covers Dame Esther Rantzen's response to reports that the health secretary will vote against proposals to change assisted dying laws. Wes Streeting is said to be opposed to the measures because he does not believe the palliative care system can support them. But Dame Esther - who has lung cancer and has long campaigned for a change in the law - writes that she is "deeply distressed" by his position. She asks: "What kind of health minister are you if you have no respect or understanding for the views of terminally ill patients?".

Government officials tell the Financial Times that civil servants have been informed they must spend at least 60% of their working hours in the office. The paper points out that "homeworking hopes" have been dashed for some civil servants, but officials insist the move "is about being pragmatic".

And the Times reports that a study has suggested that the origins of kissing might not be as romantic as previously thought. It says experts believe it was one way our evolutionary ancestors, the great apes, groomed one another - using their lips to remove ticks and lice from fur.

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