Tax hike plans and Kate's 'surprise' visit

Catherine, Princess of Wales, visited the Southport Community Centre as her first official trip after completing her chemotherapy

The Daily Telegraph says the government is considering plans that could see the NHS increasingly rely on private hospitals to help to clear waiting lists. It reports that independent healthcare providers have told the chancellor and health secretary that more than £1bn of private sector capacity could be invested in facilities for NHS patients. The paper says the proposals would result in the independent sector funding the biggest expansion in healthcare since the Blair government.

The Guardian says the chancellor is considering raising capital gains tax as high as 39% in the Budget later this month as concern grows within Whitehall about the limited options for tax rises to fund what the paper calls "crumbling" public services. The Daily Mail says Rachel Reeves has been warned against such a move by HMRC, which predicts that a rise of 10 percentage points or more would cut revenue by around £2bn because so many investors would quit the UK. The Times says ministers are also concerned about a rise as they fear the rich would delay selling assets, rather than pay the higher rate.

In other news, according to the Daily Telegraph, moderate Conservatives are threatening to throw away their leadership ballots, after Tory MPs voted for Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick as the final two candidates in the contest to succeed Rishi Sunak. The paper says the elimination of James Cleverly raises the prospect of a damaging split in the party, with those in the centre feeling they have no say over its future direction. The Daily Express says Jenrick has warned that the Tories must get serious about migration to survive.

Meanwhile, The Times says the government's new Employment Rights Bill will make it easier for unions to raise money for Labour as part of reforms that give them a far greater role in the workplace. It says a fifth of the legislation is devoted to extending the power of trade unions, prompting the shadow business secretary, Kevin Hollinrake, to warn that Labour are "changing the law just so they can fill the party coffers". A government source has told the paper that unions "remain free to spend their money as they wish".

Images of Catherine, Princess of Wales, feature on several front pages, after she joined her husband in Southport on her first official public engagement since completing chemotherapy. "Kate dazzles," says the Daily Mail, while the Daily Mirror says: "Smiling, caring, hugging Kate is back." The Sun describes the visit as a "welcome sign of Kate's growing strength" after her cancer diagnosis earlier this year.

Comments by the best-selling author, Ian Rankin, are highlighted by The Times after he told the Cheltenham Literary Festival that crime novels should be no longer than 300 pages. The Inspector Rebus creator argues that some of the best crime stories ever written are under 200 pages - and blames computers and publishers for books becoming longer. He suggests the development of word processors has made it easier to keep writing, and says publishers have told crime authors that books must have at least 300 pages if they want to be taken seriously.

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