Newspaper headlines: Cabinet 'anger' at Braverman and 'tax rises for all'

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By BBC News
Staff
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Home Secretary Suella Braverman was the focus of most of the paper's front pages

Most papers focus on the pressure piling on Suella Braverman amid a row over the migrant crisis. According to the i, some of Ms Braverman's cabinet colleagues are now privately questioning whether she can stay in her post.

The paper also quotes a former Conservative special adviser, Ryan Hopkins, who says the "level of briefing" against her from within the Home Office suggests her relationship with civil servants has "completely disintegrated".

Meanwhile, The Financial Times questions why the home secretary was so forthright in her denial that she opposed buying up hotel rooms to ease overcrowding at the Manston migrant processing centre. One former minister expects "it will get judicially reviewed" and "at that point, all of the paper trails will come out so we'll see who's right".

Ms Braverman's remarks about an "invasion" of migrants appear on several of the front pages. The Daily Mirror says it was an "irresponsible" thing to say - and questions why the home secretary is still in a job.

Senior Conservative MPs tell the Times that she risks fuelling support for far-right extremists - with one former Home Office minister describing Ms Braverman as "facile, totally uncompassionate and insincere".

The Daily Mail agrees that her comments were "remarkably stark" - but that she came out "fighting" in the Commons after a "week of intense pressure". It also says that her supporters think she's the victim of a "witch hunt" by left-wing opponents.

The Daily Telegraph considers some of the measures the chancellor is weighing up to balance the books in his Autumn Statement. It says that Jeremy Hunt is looking at a 50/50 mix of tax rises and spending cuts to fill a "£50bn fiscal black hole".

One option apparently under consideration is to freeze income tax and National Insurance thresholds for longer.

The Daily Express calls it a "stealth tax raid", as one Treasury source admits "it's going to be rough".

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The Sun leads on claims that producers of Netflix's royal drama, The Crown, have ignored pleas from Prince William not to recreate the controversial interview his mother, Diana, given to the BBC's Panorama programme.

It's expected to feature prominently in two episodes of the new series - with "exaggerated language" and "made up sections of conversation". One royal expert thinks the Prince of Wales will be "furious" - as he never wanted the interview to be shown again. Netflix says it was included because of the "pivotal" role it played in royal life in the 1990s.

And the Guardian says that Taiwan's National Palace Museum has admitted smashing three valuable artefacts in its collection - reportedly worth £66m. The bowl, teacup and plate - dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties - were all damaged over the last 18 months.

But the breakages became public knowledge only last week when a local MP raised the issue. Museum bosses have denied a cover-up but say they don't know who was responsible for two of the smashes, despite trawling through thousands of hours of CCTV footage.

The paper also points out that - rather unfortunately - none of the items were insured.