'Reeves on brink' and 'Chancer of the Exchequer'
- Published
The fallout over the Budget continues to dominate the front pages of Saturday's papers. "Reeves on the brink over tax lies" says the Daily Telegraph, as it reports Chancellor Rachel Reeves is being accused of misleading the public over the state of the country's public finances. The paper says the chancellor is fighting for her job after the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) revealed a forecast of higher wages - which she had not mentioned - would help her meet spending rules.
"'Liar' Reeves must go now" is the Daily Mail's take. The paper quotes calls from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch for the chancellor to be sacked, saying she had "lied to the public to justify record tax hikes". Downing Street has denied the chancellor misled the public about the state of the public finances ahead of the Budget.
The Independent follows with "Reeves 'misled the public' over fake fiscal black hole", focusing on the OBR telling the chancellor that instead of a deficit, she had a surplus of £4.2bn.
The Sun cites the "fury" at Reeves over the revelations, dubbing her "Chancer of the Exchequer".
The i paper shifts its focus to the verdict from voters on the Budget, summing it up as "nice ideas but we will be poorer". The paper says its own polling shows Reeves's Budget is "the least popular since Liz Truss era" but voters do like some measures, including higher gambling taxes and the minimum wage hike.
Daily Express highlights the Budget's impact on pensioners, saying an extra 200,000 are set to lose their winter fuel payments. The paper cites documents published on a government website that reveal 2.2m pensioners are about to be denied the benefit, with experts warning that number "will only go up".
The hospitality industry is also facing a "stealth tax" after the Budget, according to the Times. The paper says a separate government agency revealed a much higher assessment of the value of the buildings used to calculate business rates, which means the levy "will rise significantly next year" for the average high street business.
The new "mansion tax" leads the Financial Times. Wealthy homeowners are rushing to "sidestep" Reeves' council tax surcharge by agreeing to asking prices below the thresholds set out in the Budget, the paper says. Elsewhere, the "crisis in Kyiv" takes the top picture spot, showing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his top aid Andriy Yermark, who resigned yesterday after anti corruption raids.
The chancellor is calling on Britain's wealthy to shoulder the burden of paying to fix the country's "creaky" public services, reports the Guardian. In an interview with the paper, Reeves says her decision to increase taxes by £26bn aims to help improve schools, hospitals, and infrastructure, and that she made "fair and necessary choices".
Meanwhile in entertainment news, the Daily Mirror features an interview with TV host Ruth Langsford opening up about her split from fellow broadcaster Eamonn Holmes.
Finally, the Daily Star splashes their front page with football star Wayne Rooney's strong opinions about TV clown Mr Tumble. According to the paper, Rooney jokes about his "hate" for the character, saying "after four children, he's why I got the snip".
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