'Chinese stole secrets' and 'Andrew, Epstein and me'

The main headline on the Times reads: "Whitehall data breach gave secrets to Chinese", as it reports that China obtained "vast amounts" of classified government information via a compromised network used to transfer data across Whitehall. Dominic Cummings, who served as senior adviser to Boris Johnson, told the paper that he and the then-prime minister were "informed about the breach" in 2020 but said that there was a "cover-up". The paper says the breach has been confirmed by two other Whitehall sources. The Cabinet Office has said it is "untrue to claim that the systems we use to transfer the most sensitive government information have been compromised".

There is "fresh pressure" on the prime minister following the claims from Cummings, says the Mail, which writes that Sir Keir Starmer was also battling claims that the government played a role in the collapse of the case against two men accused of spying for China. Last month, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) unexpectedly dropped charges against the two men, Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, both of whom deny the allegations.

The Telegraph also leads on the quotes from Cummings, and says it was "unclear" whether the current government was made aware of the breach when they came to power last year. The paper adds that his allegations have raised fresh questions over "why the government has not designated Beijing as a national security threat to the UK in the Chinese spy case". It notes that on Wednesday night the government published statements provided by the government in the case "amid mounting political pressure". A photo of 16-year-old Virginia Giuffre also features on the front page, ahead of the the posthumous publication of Guiffre's book, Nobody's Girl, next week.

The Daily Express picks up on comments from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch at Prime Minister's Questions earlier on Wednesday, when she declared the collapse of the spy trial "stinks of a China cover-up". The Conservatives have claimed the government did not provide sufficient evidence because it does not want to damage relations with Beijing. However, the Labour government has argued that because the alleged offences took place under the Conservatives, the prosecution could only be based on their stance on China at the time. In response to her comments at PMQs, Sir Keir said the government would publish evidence submitted in the now-collapsed case.

The Guardian notes that on Wednesday evening Downing Street released three witness statements from the UK's deputy national security adviser that were submitted in the now-collapsed case. Its main headline is: "Budget will raise taxes on wealthy to fix public finances", after Chancellor Rachel Reeves spoke on Wednesday at the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund. The chancellor told the paper that there "won't be a return to austerity" when "hinting" at tax increases for wealthier Britons, despite previously ruling out imposing a "wealth tax" in her upcoming Budget.

The i Paper is leading with an exclusive on a leaked memo, which they allege reveals plans by Labour to "slash the affordable homes target" in London. The paper says that developers could only be required to to hit a 20% target, instead of the current 35%, which housing experts warn is "a huge blow to social housing" with a "ripple effect across the UK".

Financiers have sounded the alarm on the "erosion of lending standards", according to the Financial Times. The paper said that credit markets have been "shaken" following the collapse of First Brands Group and Tricolour holdings, following years of lenders "searching out riskier borrowers".

The Thursday edition of the Sun marks one year since the death of One Direction star Liam Payne, featuring "haunting" photographs that the paper alleges were taken hours before the singer's death.

"£145m owed... not a penny paid back" alleges the Mirror, amid reports that PPE Medpro failed to meet their Wednesday deadline to repay damages after it was found to have breached a Covid-19 personal protective equipment contact. The paper said that Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting has vowed to go after the company "with everything we've got".

The Metro has led with a story about a 42-year-old Polish woman who has been found "emaciated" in her parent's apartment after vanishing "without a trace" 27 years ago. The paper says that an investigation is ongoing, but no charges have been laid.

The Star reports that media personality and model Katie Price has alleged she was raped by a "well-known British TV star", who she named at a stage show on Tuesday evening.

The government's publication of the advice in the collapsed China spying case came too late for many of the early editions, but the Guardian saw the documents - and says that while the third statement was similar to the language sought by prosecutors, they did not think it was sufficient to allow the case to proceed. The paper says the Director of Public Prosecutions told senior MPs that the statements were "five per cent less than the evidence threshold that was needed." The Times says the documents are likely to intensify questions among MPs about why the prosecution did not go ahead.

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves has told the Guardian that people should take scaremongering about her upcoming budget with a pinch of salt. "Of course we're looking at tax and spending," the Daily Mirror quotes her as saying - in what it calls her "clearest hint yet about her plans." The Times adds that she has vowed to increase taxes on the wealthy, rather than cut public spending. The Daily Mail says she blames Brexit, austerity, Nigel Farage and the Conservatives for the tax hikes; "Is ANY of it your fault, Chancellor?" it asks. The Daily Telegraph notes the International Monetary Fund is projecting that taxes will rise faster in Britain than in any other G7 country over this Parliament.

Many of the papers have been reading the posthumous book by one of Jeffrey Epstein's victims, Virginia Giuffre. The Mail says her memoir - entitled Nobody's Girl - claims Prince Andrew thanked her after an alleged sexual encounter when she was seventeen. The Sun highlights a quote attributed to Epstein's associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who apparently told her "You did well... the Prince had fun." The paper says Giuffre has damned the Duke of York from beyond the grave. Prince Andrew has always strongly denied the claims against him.

The i Paper says a leaked memo has revealed that Labour plans to slash affordable home targets - in a bid to revive flatlining building levels. The paper says such a move would be needed to help the government meet its pledge to build 1.5 million new homes.

"As if by magic," notes the Guardian, potholes were repaired in a village in Devon ahead of the filming of a new TV adaptation of the Harry Potter books there. "Harry Pothole" is the Telegraph's headline.

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