Jails 'on brink' and 'stalling' post-Brexit talks with Brussels

A mix of stories lead Thursday's papers, but several focus on new plans to address overcrowding in prisons announced by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood. The government is going "soft on criminals", the Daily Mail writes, after announcing that some inmates who are recalled to prison for breaking the terms of their release will be released early after 28 days. But Mahmood warns of a "total breakdown of the justice system" if the issue remains unaddressed.

Jails are "on brink", leads the Times. It says the early release of sexual offenders will put the public "at risk", according to the government's victims' commissioner. Justice Secretary Mahmood had "no choice" but to take action, the paper also reports, with space in male prisons due to run out in November.

Plans for prisons also feature on the front page of the Guardian. But the paper leads with an exclusive on accusations that Science Secretary Peter Kyle is "too close" to US big tech firms. Kyle led a 70% "surge" in meetings with people in or close to firms like Google, Amazon and Meta, compared to his predecessor, the paper says. A spokesperson for his department told the Guardian: "We make no apologies for regularly engaging with the sector - one that employs nearly 2 million people in the UK."

Fresh criticism of another Labour policy - cutting winter fuel payments for pensioners - leads the Daily Express, after a new poll found more than 81% of over-65s could not afford basics on the state pension. Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately says the government is "punishing pensioners and pushing them to the edge".

Images of US President Donald Trump's milestone meeting with Syrian interim president Ahmed al -Sharaa top the Financial Times. But the paper leads with a "stall" in talks between the UK and EU ahead of a summit next week, after Brussels "demanded further concessions" over fishing rights and youth mobility. As part of a post-Brexit "reset", the EU wants its students to pay the same fees as British students and long-term fishing access to UK waters.

Sealing a deal on food safety standards with the EU could help bring food prices down, the i paper reports, as rising prices "threaten" Labour's pledge to boost living standards. Higher national insurance contributions and levies on packaging are to blame to soaring costs, according to the Food and Drink Federation.

The Daily Telegraph reports the NHS is treating nursery-age children who believe they are transgender, after removing an age limit on access to specialists. The children are not given "powerful drugs such as puberty blockers", according to the paper, but "are offered counselling and therapy". "Fewer than 10" children have been referred to the service, according to a Freedom of Information Act request.

A "family feud" fronts the Sun, which reports on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex "secretly supporting" Brooklyn Beckham and his wife Nicola Peltz. Beckham's absence from his father's 50th birthday celebrations fuelled speculation of a fallout, but according to an unnamed source, Prince Harry offered his "unwavering support as someone who has been through similar".

Metro leads with the jailing for 14 years of Reece Galbraith, a drug dealer whose cannabis sweet factory exploded last year, killing seven-year-old Archie York, and decimating several homes. Katherine Errington, Archie's mother, told the dealer in court: "You killed our beautiful boy... we'll never forgive you".

Photos of a handcuffed 18-year-old Bella May Culley at a court in Georgia lead the Daily Mirror, as details of her "dream hol to jail hell" story continue to emerge. The British teen was arrested on suspician of drug offences. "She's not a drug trafficker... She must be terrified," her grandfather William, 80, tells the paper.

Bare-knuckle boxer Paddy Doherty says Universal Studios will have to "battle" travellers for the site of a new theme park, according to the Daily Star. The My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding star warned Universal that residents of a caravan park near the proposed 476-acre site "won't be moving for anyone".

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