Newspaper headlines: HS2 'back on track' and Harry's 'get well message'

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The Mail on Sunday says Jeremy Hunt has written a "gung-ho" article for the paper,, external vowing to emulate Nigel Lawson as a tax-cutting chancellor.

It says he pledges to usher in a boom, comparable to that of the 1980s. The paper says Mr Hunt could have £10bn of headroom for his Budget in March, branding the signal about tax cuts "heartening".

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The chancellor has penned an article in the Mail on Sunday ahead of the Budget in March

Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak writes an article in the Sun on Sunday, external about the "grit and passion" of small businesses - and says the choice for voters is "tax cuts with him or tax rises with Sir Keir Starmer".

But much of the comment focuses on the troubles facing Mr Sunak. One backbencher frets to the Observer, external that even if taxes are cut, the public might not give the Conservatives credit, because of "everything else" that's going on.

The Sunday Times says the prime minister's victory on the Rwanda bill failed to end the warfare, external inside his party, and describes the week as "bruising" for the government.

The Mail on Sunday columnist Dan Hodges says "much more of this, and there is nothing, external that will save the party from the verdict of the British people".

The Sunday Mirror reports what it calls a new "outrage" from the Post Office., external It says there is "fury" about a video which has emerged, showing executives enjoying a lavish party in 2017 - at a time when the organisation was fighting cases against wrongly jailed branch managers.

The Daily Star Sunday uses its editorial to criticise Fujitsu,, external the company which created the Horizon computer system. It says it's staggering "that a company which caused so much harm" has continued to profit from government contracts.

The Sunday Telegraph says the government is to crack down on what it calls "political activism" inside the civil service., external It reports the guidance on impartiality is to be refreshed - to make it clear that meetings about issues such as diversity should take place before work, during lunch breaks, or in the evenings. The Cabinet Office minister John Glen tells the paper that people expect civil servants to focus on their "primary job".

According to the Observer, a change in the law six years ago,, external which was designed to tackle tax evasion, has not led to any prosecutions.

It says that figures obtained with a Freedom of Information request show that HMRC has not charged a single company using the Criminal Finances Act. The former chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Dame Margaret Hodge, tells the Observer that shows that the law was a "paper tiger".

The headline on the front of the Sunday Express proclaims that the HS2 high speed rail project is "back on track". , external

It says a cross-party plan has been drawn up to complete the northern stretch using money from the private sector. The paper adds that talks will take place next week involving the West Midlands mayor Andy Street, and his counterpart in Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham. Mr Street's office denied any meeting was planned.

The NHS in England is planning a new drive to increase uptake of the MMR jab, according to the Sunday Times., external

It says parents of children aged between 6 and 11 will receive a letter this week urging them to check whether their child's vaccinations are up to date. Nearly a third of under-16s are vulnerable to measles because they are not fully vaccinated.

The Sunday Express says experts have warned health chiefs to "tread carefully", external so they don't scare parents, or exclude children from school unnecessarily.

The Sunday People says the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have sent get well messages to the King and Princess of Wales., external Amid reports of strained relations with the Sussexes, the People says the couple are supporting King Charles, who is due to go to hospital for treatment on his enlarged prostate, and Kate, who has undergone abdominal surgery.

Image source, PA Media
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Thames House in Westminster - MI5's HQ and the reported venue for the "spy Oscars"

The Sunday Telegraph reveals what it calls "the spy Oscars"., external

It says the King has been holding an annual awards ceremony for over a decade for those who have taken part in secret operations. The event cannot take place in the public glare of Buckingham Palace, so it happens at MI5's headquarters, Thames House.

It is understood that interpreters, archivists and catering staff are also recognised. The paper says a decision has not yet been made on whether Prince William will take over the role, now his father has succeeded to the throne.

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