Newspaper headlines: Putin 'rips up treaty' and fruit and veg rationing

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By BBC News
Staff
Reuters

Tuesday's speeches by President Biden and Vladimir Putin feature prominently in the papers. "Putin signals the return of Cold War nuclear tests", is the Times' headline on the Russian president's state of the nation address. Described by the paper as a "fiery" two hours, Mr Putin used the speech to abandon Russia's arms control treaty with the US.

The Daily Mail opts for President Biden's words: "your lust for land and power will fail". The Financial Times says the speeches "sharpened the contrast" between the two leaders "whose legacies might be defined on the battlefields of Ukraine".

The i newspaper reports the prime minister has "faced down threats of dissent" over his plans to strike a new deal with the EU to govern post-Brexit trade in Northern Ireland. "Resign if you want to", is the message from Rishi Sunak to ministers thinking of quitting. There are rising hopes that a deal could be announced as soon as Thursday. One minister has told the paper talk of resignations was just "veiled threats" from those wanting to keep the PM on his toes.

The Daily Telegraph reports on submissions to independent pay review bodies, which suggest public sector workers should receive 3.5% wage rises next year. The Treasury is understood to believe that exceeding that figure would require deeper spending cuts, while exceeding 5% would fuel inflation.

But according to the Financial Times, the prime minister is exploring offering 5%, because borrowing is likely to be £30bn lower than expected. A Treasury memo seen by the FT also indicates that offering 5% would come with "low risk" of setting a benchmark for protracted high private sector wage growth.

Lancashire Police is under more scrutiny after its handling of the Nicola Bulley missing person case. The Sun reports on the plight of 23-year-old Kiena Dawes, who killed herself last year after suffering alleged domestic abuse. Her brother says she lost hope when her alleged attacker kept getting "constantly bailed". Having found her suicide note, the family accuse the force of not prioritising her case. Lancashire Police say it would be inappropriate to comment while criminal proceedings remain ongoing.

"We're fresh out", declares the Daily Mirror as it covers the rationing of fruit and veg at some supermarkets. The shortages are because of bad weather and transport difficulties in Spain and Morocco. One grocery expert has told the Daily Express that the disruption "is expected to last a few weeks".

Soaring energy costs are also hitting producers. According to the Daily Telegraph, British growers believe there has been a lack of foresight from supermarkets who have been overly reliant on overseas suppliers. The Daily Star is equally unimpressed, calling the crisis the "thin end of the veg".

And finally, "Sorry Kate, that's a flipping disaster!" is the Mail's assessment of the Princess of Wales' attempt to make a pancake at a nursing home. The paper says what she created looked more like scrambled eggs.

The Telegraph is also unenthusiastic: "Princess's pancake performance falls flat". There's sympathy for her efforts in the Express. The home's head chef is quoted as saying Kate was being too hard on herself and the reason why it went wrong was because the batter was too thick.