'Bumper pay deal' and sweet maker goes salty

Rachel Reeves

A "military masterstroke" is how the Sun's defence editor describes Ukraine's ongoing incursion into Russia.

"Ukraine moves deeper into Russia and targets airbases", is the Guardian's main headline. The bases are reportedly used by warplanes in glide bomb strikes on Ukraine.

The editorial in the Times suggests what is happening is "an embarrassment - if not a humiliation" for President Putin.

But the i warns of the "inherent dangers" for Ukraine, including that their forces will be increasingly exposed as Russia commits more troops to the defence of Kursk.

The Daily Mail leads on what it calls a "bumper pay deal" for train drivers to end the ongoing dispute with operators based in England. The paper says the package will see an average drivers salary for a four-day week "soar" from £60,000 to £69,000.

The Daily Telegraph calls what's being offered "the latest climbdown to the unions since Sir Keir Starmer took power six weeks ago".

The transport secretary, Louise Haigh, is quoted in the Financial Times as saying if accepted, this deal would allow the railways to "move forward" and drive up performance for passengers.

"Don't rush in new laws for workers", is the message from company bosses to the government on the front of the Times.

The deputy prime minister and the business secretary met industry groups yesterday. Labour's plans for workers include a ban on zero hours contracts and sick pay on day one after a probation period. One source has told the paper ministers appear to be "using a sledgehammer to crack a nut".

The Daily Express leads on its campaign urging the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, to reverse her decision to strip nearly 10 million pensioners of their winter fuel payment.

The former Work and Pensions secretary Esther McVey has described the policy as "cruel". The Express says pressure will return to household budgets with energy bills set to rise by £155 annually. A government spokesperson says its "committed to pensioners" but that ministers must take difficult decisions to fix the foundations of the economy.

"They just don't care", is the Daily Mirror's headline, as it leads on a report into harmful content on social media.

Analysis by the Molly Rose Foundation found that between September 2023 and April this year there were 12 million incidents relating to suicide and self harm detected by six major social media sites. Roughly 95% were logged by Pinterest and Tik-Tok. The Mirror says this "raises fears" huge amounts of harmful content is not being dealt with on other sites.

The Daily Telegraph is among the papers to report on the campaigners who targeted a Liz Truss speaking event with a banner joking about the lettuce that outlasted her time in Downing Street. "Shuffling her papers as she looked up at the lettuce", the paper says, Ms Truss declared: "that's not funny", before walking off stage to a smattering of applause.

The Daily Star reports the former PM left the stage for security reasons - but in a nod to the lettuce, the Daily Mirror suggests she should have chosen to romaine.

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