Newspaper headlines: 'Mickey Mouse vs Home Office' and 'time to talk up Brexit'

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By BBC News
Staff

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has given an interview to the Financial Times, ruling out pre-election tax cuts this autumn. Speaking before a speech at Mansion House on Monday, he says he will not countenance any move that could make inflation harder to tackle. He also acknowledges that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's pledge to halve the rate of inflation by the end of the year is "going to be more challenging than we thought".

The Times reports a cabinet split about public sector pay, with five members said to be urging Mr Sunak to accept the recommendations of independent pay review bodies - despite fears of stoking inflation. The prime minister has said he is prepared to overrule the bodies, if he believes their proposed salary increases for public sector workers would trigger a "wage price spiral".

The Daily Telegraph reports that former chancellor George Osborne has called the police and begun civil proceedings after what the paper calls a "poison pen" letter was circulated to guests before his wedding this weekend. Friends of Mr Osborne say the letter - which contains a number of allegations about him - was written by someone with no connection to him or his wife-to-be. One is quoted as saying "it is awful".

The Telegraph also has an interview with former BBC chairman Richard Sharp - his first since standing down from the job after failing to disclose helping to facilitate a loan for then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Mr Sharp proposes that the licence fee - which he calls "regressive" - should be replaced by a tax on broadband bills, or a levy based on the value of property. The £159 annual cost of the licence has been frozen for two years, and is expected to begin rising in line with inflation next year.

The Daily Express carries advice for the prime minister from a number of so-called "red wall" Conservative MPs, who won their seats in Labour heartlands in 2019. Brendan Clarke-Smith is quoted as saying "we have to start talking up Brexit again", as a poll for the newspaper shows 34% of 2016 Leave supporters intend to vote Conservative at the next general election.

A photograph of Selena Lau, the eight-year-old girl who died after a car was driven into the grounds of a school in Wimbledon on Thursday, features on many of the front pages. The Express says she was a "shining star".