Rachel Reeves’ plans for the upcoming Budget is splashed across several front pages this weekend, including the Observer. Here policy editor Mark Savage reports the Chancellor is likely to increase national insurance contributions for employers to the tune of £9bn “to fund extra resources for the NHS”. The paper’s second lead focuses on a smacking ban that the children’s commissioner Rachel de Souza argues is “necessary” to keep children safe.
The Sunday Times also reports on Reeves’ Budget with a second lead on a potential “inheritance tax raid” that would close a “loophole” in current tax law – but the paper splashes on leaked documents revealing “chaos” in the financing of the HS2 rail project. The front page is dominated by an image of cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, who has chosen an interview with the paper to reveal the news that his previously-announced cancer diagnosis is terminal.
The Mail on Sunday also picks up the upcoming Budget on its front page, citing a poll that suggests support for Labour has fallen as voters look ahead to “a welter of tax-raising measures” from Reeves on 30 October. The splash also continues its reporting of Liam Payne’s death with an image of the singer in polo kit.
For the Sunday Mirror, Liam Payne’s death continues to be the main story, this time leading on a “heartbreaking” tribute from the singer’s sister, quoting her with the headline “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you”.
The Sun on Sunday uses exactly the same headline, alongside a picture of the two siblings at Ruth’s wedding in 2016.
The Sunday Express similarly devotes space to Ruth Payne’s tribute to her brother, though the paper splashes on comments from Conservative leadership contender Robert Jenrick, who attacks Labour for cutting winter fuel payments for pensioners. Also pictured are the King and Queen “crown under” on their visit to Sydney.
A full-length version of the same image of the royal couple features on the Sunday Telegraph front paghe, though the paper leads on reports of a plan to give “millions” of people NHS smart watches capable of tracking health indicators like blood pressure and glucose spikes – a policy aimed at securing a “shift from sickness to prevention”. The paper also reports on Robert Jenrick’s pledge to “tear up” the Climate Change Act.
The Daily Star Sunday meanwhile takes a different tack, leading on accusations of cheating at this year’s world conker championships, dubbing the controversy “Conkergate”.
And the Sunday People leads with a story about M25 road-rage killer Kenneth Noye who is pictured on a day out at a farm, five years after his release from prison.
