'Labour's tax war' and 'banter off the menu'

The Daily Telegraph says Sir Keir Starmer has thrown his party's pledges on tax "into chaos" by failing to repeat a promise not to raise income tax, National Insurance or VAT. The paper says senior figures in government believe there are few remaining options other than to increase the "big three", in light of a forecast shortfall in the public finances. Downing Street sources say the government remains committed to not raising taxes on working people.

The Times reports on an estimate by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) that council tax may have to rise in swathes of England, under plans by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner to re-allocate local authority funding to more deprived areas. The IFS says wealthier councils that have kept bills down will be worst hit, as they seek to maintain services like bin collections and care for the elderly, with reduced budgets.

The Guardian leads on a letter signed by international scholars and writers calling on the government to reverse its ban on Palestine Action. The signatories warn that hundreds of people risk being arrested for supporting the group, during a protest in London planned for Saturday. Several papers report that Sir Keir told a meeting of Labour's National Executive Committee last month that Palestine Action had "targeted Jewish businesses" and he did not want to stifle debate about Gaza.

Civil servants at HRMC had the option yesterday of attending an online seminar on "British guilt", according to the Daily Mail. The paper says opposition leader Kemi Badenoch is leading the backlash, and she says that if Whitehall aides are not proud of being British, they should leave the civil service.

Both the Sun and the Daily Star highlight criticism of the new series of MasterChef. The Star says heavy editing after the presenters were sacked for misconduct has left the show awkward and a "shambles".

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