Newspaper headlines: 'Day of royal tragedy and drama' and '£16 packs of cigs'
- Published
The Daily Telegraph leads, external with the UK's rejection of a proposal by the French President - Emmanuel Macron - to send NATO troops to Ukraine.
Mr Macron - the paper says - was speaking after a meeting of EU leaders, and said that "boots on the ground" should not be ruled out as he urged the West to do "everything needed so Russia cannot win the war". But responding to Mr Macron's suggestion, Downing Street said there were no plans for a British deployment of personnel, warning that it would be a "major escalation" in the war.
The Times reports that the Home Secretary, external - James Cleverly - has told pro-Palestinian protestors to stop their regular demonstrations in London because they are putting huge pressure on policing. In an interview with the paper
Mr Cleverly says organisers should recognise that they had made their point - and that the rallies were "not really saying anything new".
The Guardian leads with claims, external by an alleged victim of sexual assault by a Conservative MP - that the party is more concerned with protecting its reputation than her welfare.
She says it failed to formally investigate her complaint. In response, a party spokesperson tells the paper that it encourages complainants to go to the police if there is possible criminal activity.
Next week's Budget is the focus for a couple of the front pages. "Indefensible" is the headline in the Daily Mail which reports, external that the Chancellor is facing "fury" because - it says - he has no plans to announce an increase in defence spending. This is despite wars raging in Europe and the Middle East.
Former military chiefs and defence ministers have urged Jeremy Hunt to reconsider - the Mail reports - with one describing the decision as 'absolute lunacy'. It also quotes the former Defence Secretary - Ben Wallace - as saying that Britain's 'hollowed-out' military will not be 'match-fit' for the conflicts to come without a committed rise in defence spending...
The Metro reports , externalthat cigarettes will be targeted by the Chancellor in the Budget - revealing that a packet of twenty will go up to sixteen pounds as Mr Hunt steps up, what it describes as his "war on smoking and vaping".
The paper says he's planning to bring in a levy on liquids in e-cigarettes for importers and manufacturers to make the products unaffordable for children. It estimates the tax rise will bring in around half a billion pounds.
The i paper leads , externalwith a YouGov poll which shows - it says - that Labour is yet to convince forty per cent of its target voters to back the party ahead of a general election. It also reports that Tory support among these voters has collapsed, but says that failing to convince "sceptical" voters could prove damaging to Labour's chances of winning a healthy majority.
Forget the Croque Monsieur - France is embracing the humble cheese toastie according to the Times, external after the first international grilled cheese competition was held in Paris yesterday.
The paper says it's being taken as a sign that France is opening up to other cheese-making cultures after considering for decades that it "knew everything there was to know about the subject". The competition was won by a Belgian cheesemonger.
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