Newspaper headlines: 'Back to work budget' and 'Russia downs US drone'

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By BBC News
Staff
UK government

Jeremy Hunt is set to deliver his first budget as chancellor

Expectations for the Budget dominate Wednesday's papers.

The Financial Times says the chancellor will announce billions of pounds to boost business investment as part of what he'll call a "budget for growth". A Conservative official tells the paper that Jeremy Hunt's statement will be "deliberately cautious" - and MPs on the right of the party have been warned not to expect big tax cuts.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Mr Hunt will likely trigger a backbench rebellion by going ahead with a planned increase in corporation tax. The Sun's leader column says there's a danger that foreign firms could be driven out of the UK because of a desperation by Number Eleven to balance the books. The Times says Boris Johnson is among those calling for the increase to be scrapped - despite it being announced while he was prime minister.

Jeremy Hunt will use a carrot-and-stick approach, according to the Daily Express, with tough sanctions on benefits claimants who refuse to get a job. For the Daily Mail, it's a "back to work" budget whose boldest offering is a massive extension of free childcare.

The Guardian sees this as an attempt to match a Labour pledge to come up with bold childcare policies before the next election. The Daily Mirror urges the Chancellor to tackle inequality rather than stick to what it calls failed policies that favour the rich.

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Scientists have warned about the increasing number of fossils and dinosaur skeletons falling into private hands

The Guardian also reports on a sharp rise in the number of scientists and post-graduate students who've been barred from working in the UK on national security grounds. More than 1,100 rejections were made by Foreign Office vetting last year, according to data seen by the paper. In 2016, the figure was just 13. The Guardian says it follows a hardening of the government's stance on research collaborations with China. A government spokesperson tells the paper that the rate of refusals remains low, at about 2%.

With the headline "Heartless" the Sun's front page reports that the BBC has been sending TV licence enforcement letters to the York home of Claudia Lawrence, the university chef who's been missing for 14 years. Her mother's told the paper the letters have caused "untold heartache". The TV Licencing Authority tells the Sun that a hold's been put on further deliveries and that it's sorry for any distress caused.

The Times reports on fear among scientists that a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton up for auction next month will become the latest invaluable fossil to be consigned to the private gallery of an ultra-wealthy collector. The skeleton is expected to fetch up to £7.2 million. The paper says that the figure is far beyond the means of any museum. One academic says the sale is the tip of "a very ugly iceberg" where everyone who is interested in the natural world loses.

Finally the Daily Mail reveals that trendy cat cafes might not be the healthiest place for our feline friends. A study's found they have a higher rate of sickness than those in foster care - in part caused by the stress of many different people visiting the cafes at unpredictable times.