Newspaper headlines: 'No heat to eat' as 'Sunak told: slash more taxes'

A man fills up a petrol can on a station forecourtEPA

Chancellor Rishi Sunak cut fuel duty by 5p but several papers suggest his tax package is not enough

By BBC News
Staff

The chancellor's Spring Statement features on all of Thursday's front pages. The Financial Times says Rishi Sunak has banked most of a £50bn windfall in public finances for a pre-election tax cut. The paper says he has offered some pain relief for households facing crippling costs of living, including a National Insurance cut and 5p reduction in fuel duty.

But the Daily Express says the "forgotten millions" will be asking "What about us?" following the statement after they were left "without a helping hand" from Mr Sunak.

The Guardian says that the chancellor is squeezing the poorest as the cost of living surges. It says Mr Sunak has been condemned for his tax package which fails to help the most vulnerable and instead targets better off workers.

The Daily Mirror says "Thanks for nothing", describing the statement as "Sunak's sickener". It says that there was nothing in it to help energy bills, struggling pensioners or to ease the fall in living standards.

The i's front page is taken up by a striking graphic showing rising inflation. "Biggest hit to living standards since age of rationing" is its headline.

The Times says Mr Sunak attempted to assert his credentials as a tax-cutting chancellor but says he "held back most of a potential £20bn-a-year war chest for pre-election tax cuts". It says Conservative backbenchers have challenged him to bring forward income tax cuts and increase defence spending.

The Daily Mail says "Now slash taxes even further" as it claims Tory MPs fear £15bn of tax cuts will not be enough.

The Metro says the reality behind the mini Budget is "No heat to eat" as it points out inflation is set to hit 8.7% this year. It says there has been the worst fall in living standards on record.

The Daily Telegraph also focuses on the fall in living standards as it says the Office for Budget Responsibility has warned the chancellor's future 1p income tax cut will not offset the cost of living increase. In a commentary piece, Lord David Frost, the government's former Brexit negotiator, says fiscal measures have been thrown overboard to steady the "listing" ship of state.

The Daily Star describes it as the "Up yours mini budget", describing the chancellor as "a rich, insincere, smiling politician with nice teeth" and saying that "we'll be worse off than the 1950s... but all be bloody well thankful!"

The Sun also features the Spring Statement on its front page - but its lead story is on Russia bidding to host the 2028 Euros, rivalling a bid from the UK and Ireland, despite being banned from international sport due to the current invasion of Ukraine. The paper goes for the headline "Putin the boot in".