Newspaper headlines: Tory election plans and 'NHS parking scandal'

The Liberal Democrats have moved to accuse the Tories of failing on a manifesto pledge - something the party denies.

A handful of Wednesday's newspapers examine possible pre-election giveaways on their front pages.

The Times suggests the Conservatives will try to woo first-time buyers by offering schemes such as a government protected 30-year fixed rate mortgage. Other options could include a new help-to-buy scheme or reforming stamp duty, the paper says.

But according to the Financial Times, the numbers joining the property ladder are at a near decade low. Many more than ever are reported to be relying on the "Bank of Mum and Dad" to reach the first rung.

Ministers are reconsidering scrapping inheritance tax - a proposal mooted before the Autumn Statement - according to the Daily Telegraph. The paper also says Downing Street is pondering over increasing the threshold at which income is taxed at 40% or reducing the basic rate from 20%.

Meanwhile the i says the government may fix public spending for three years, in what it calls "an election trap". Should Labour win, they would be tied to the Conservatives' commitments, having already promised not to increase borrowing or raise taxes.

Elsewhere, the Guardian says a former head of the UK's spy agency, GCHQ, has criticised what is described as the "government by Whatsapp", seen during the pandemic. Speaking to a parliamentary inquiry, Sir David Omand suggests future crises be handled with "proper process". He said the complexities and nuances of any decent strategic analysis couldn't be conveyed in a WhatsApp exchange.

A 50% rise in visitor parking charges at NHS hospitals in England in the last financial year is dubbed a "scandal" by the Daily Express. The story, based on figures from the Liberal Democrats, also features on the front of the Daily Mirror. The tabloid cites suggestions from the Lib Dems' health spokeswoman who accuses the Conservatives of "utterly failing" on a manifesto promise to crack down on unfair hospital parking fees. The Tories deny this.

Finally, on its front page, the Daily Mail reveals more than 70 children, aged three and four, have been sent to an NHS transgender clinic in the past decade. Over this period nearly 400 children aged six and under have been referred to the gender identity development service.

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