'Benefit cut for 1m' and 'Putin must not play games'
- Published
A mix of stories lead Saturday's papers, with a few focusing on cuts to the UK's benefit spending which are expected to be announced next week. The Times reports that a million people could lose their disability benefit, with changes that mean "only the most severely disabled will qualify". The paper also has a large picture of Inothewayurthinkin, which won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday, ridden by Mark Walsh.
The FT also leads on government spending cuts, looking ahead to planned announcements in Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Spring Statement later this month. It reports on a "tense" cabinet meeting which saw concerns raised by ministers including Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper about the potential impact of cuts on Labour's manifesto pledges.
A couple of Saturday's papers lead on the diplomatic push to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine, and a warning from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer that Vladimir Putin cannot be allowed to "play games". A virtual meeting is set to take place on Saturday between countries which have agreed to play a future peacekeeping role in Ukraine, a group which Starmer has dubbed the "coalition of the willing".
The same lead makes the front of the Telegraph, with the paper reporting Starmer has said Putin is "not serious about peace".
The Daily Express lead on a story about Dame Esther Rantzen, who has applauded the Royal College of GPs for ending their opposition to assisted dying. The paper has been a long-time supporter of the campaign by Dame Esther, who has a terminal lung cancer diagnosis.
The front page of the Daily Mail reports that House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle "was last night embroiled in a new row after recruiting a former lobbyist who gave him several all-expenses-paid junkets". A spokesperson for the Speaker told the paper: "We absolutely refute any suggestion or implication of impropriety."
The Daily Mirror leads on a story about Daniel Bannister, a 50-year-old man who has been jailed for stalking the pop star Cheryl Tweedy.
The Sun reports that new England boss Thomas Tuchel "will sing the national anthem - but only after we win a few games".
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