Newspaper headlines: 'From bad to worse' and 'Tories soak the strivers'

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By BBC News
Staff
Reuters

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt runs with his dog ahead of announcing the Autumn Statement

There are plenty of miserable front pages following Jeremy Hunt's Autumn Statement.

The Times talks of "Years of tax pain ahead". It says 14% of people will be higher-rate taxpayers - up from 6% when the Conservatives came to power 12 years ago.

Polling expert, Sir John Curtice, tells the paper the economic outlook "could hardly be bleaker" for the government and warns that voters will blame the Tories.

The Financial Times carries a similar headline, saying: "Hunt paves the way for years of pain."

The paper also says the main goal of the chancellor's tax rises and spending cuts was to reassure markets after what it describes as "the chaos" that followed Kwasi Kwarteng's mini-Budget in September.

The Independent calls it "a grim few years ahead", saying Jeremy Hunt's plans will leave voters worse off than at the last general election in 2019.

"From bad to worse," is the Guardian's verdict. It says the Autumn Statement has "laid bare the country's economic predicament".

In the Daily Telegraph, the paper thinks the chancellor's statement was the "austerity rhetoric" of George Osborne, but the policies of Gordon Brown - and it says the welfare bill will rise by almost £90bn.

The "Tories soak the strivers" is the headline in the Daily Mail, which calls it "one of the most punishing budgets in modern history".

It also accuses Jeremy Hunt of plundering the middle class to fund benefits and pensions - alongside a picture of him getting a drenching on his morning jog.

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Only the Daily Express can find a good word in its headline. It declares the Autumn Statement a "victory!" and says the chancellor's decision to honour the state pension triple lock will help millions of people cope with the cost-of-living crisis.

However, the Sun thinks Jeremy Hunt's plans are a "tax hell" - and goes on to say: "Thank God for footie!" and the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. It also carries a splash on David Baddiel and Frank Skinner's Christmas revamp of their Three Lions hit.

Meanwhile, back in the Times it reports that Qatar has stunned football's world governing body with a last-minute call for a ban on selling beer at the stadiums where the matches will be played.

Alcohol is restricted in Qatar, while one of Fifa's main sponsors is a major beer brand. The paper says an announcement is expected today.

Finally, England's Phil Foden shares his confidence about the side's chances in Qatar. "Winner, Winner," is the Daily Mirror's headline.

Foden lifted the Under 17's World Cup five years ago as the Daily Express says the midfielder has "a real belief" the Three Lions can also take home the trophy this year.

It's the "Phil-Good Factor", the paper declares.