Newspaper headlines: 'PM holds crunch talks' and 'set to curb benefits'
- Published
The fallout from last week's mini-budget and the turmoil it sparked in the financial markets continue to lead the papers.
"Tories fear wipeout after three weeks of Truss as PM", is the i's main headline, external. The paper leads on an opinion poll from YouGov for the Times which suggests Labour are 33 points ahead of the Conservatives.
The Metro says, external if the figures were replicated at a general election then Labour would finish on 498 seats, with the Tories on 53 - which would hand Sir Keir Starmer a majority of 346. In the Guardian, external, senior Conservative backbencher Sir Charles Walker says if the result did become a reality his party would "cease to exist".
"I'm not for turning", external, is the defiant message from the prime minister in the Mail, despite what the paper calls a "torrent of opposition" to the government's economic plans. The paper also says Liz Truss was forced to defend last Friday's mini budget during a round of what it calls "bruising" local radio interviews, including BBC Radio Stoke.
The Guardian thought, external she would have got "better and better" as the hour wore on, but says she got "worse and worse", offering the same "absurd answers".
The Financial Times reports, external that Conservative MPs - including some Truss supporters - "expressed dismay" at her performance. The paper says she struggled to deliver answers and the interviews were "marked by prolonged silences".
The Telegraph reports, external that benefit payments are to fall in real terms as part of the government's plans to reassure the City that spending is under control. The paper says there's speculation benefits might rise in line with average earnings at a rate of 5.4%.
The Times says, external that not increasing payments in line with inflation will save £5bn. The Express focusses, external on the announcement that the pensions triple lock will be protected, meaning pensioners will get £10,589 next year.
A number of papers cover the publication of Queen Elizabeth's death certificate, which reveals she died of "old age". The Sun says, external the document is "light on details but fascinating in those that it does give", including the time of death - 15:10 - when Prince William, the Duke of York, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex were all on a jet travelling to be by her side. The Mail also picks up, external on the timing. "Why did it take more than three hours to tell Harry", it asks.
Returning to the Prime Minister's local radio round, the Times offers its readers some "historical context". According to the presenter Dan Snow it was "the worst provincial campaign since autumn 1216 when King John, marching about dealing with a rebellion and two invasions, caught dysentery in Norfolk, lost the Crown Jewels in the Wash, and died in Nottinghamshire".