'Budget for a 'difficult moment' and 'Netanyahu's fate in balance'
Most of the papers focus on the Budget, which will be delivered at lunchtime on Wednesday. The Guardian says it is expected to target the cost of living, and quotes Chancellor John Healey in its headline, after he acknowledged that his first Budget comes as the UK faces a "difficult moment". The paper says this Budget will likely be a "relatively modest affair" as Healey grapples with "stark fiscal realities", adding that he will put off important decisions on tax and spending until next year.
The Times says Healey will announce the scrapping of green levies to cut energy bills "for good", pledging to make Britain more "resilient" in the face of global economic shocks. The paper also carries a photograph of King Charles III inspecting a guard of honour in the Bahamas at the start of his royal visit to the Caribbean.
The same photograph is front and centre of the Daily Telegraph, paired with the headline: "King: Slavery was a 'great suffering'". Addressing the Future Bahamas Youth Rally, the paper says King Charles acknowledged that some of the islands' culture was "born out of darkness". It added that he is expected to say more on the subject in his opening address at next week's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
The impact of this Budget on energy is also considered by the Financial Times, which writes that it has signalled the chancellor's goal of long-term reforms to the market. It reports that Healey will confirm £20.4bn of additional support for the state's business lender and infrastructure bank, which will support renewable energy, defence, AI and other projects. The extra capital will be granted over five years to projects that boost Britain's growth prospects and resilience, the paper adds.
"Burnham to target rising energy bills in high-stakes first Budget" reads the i Paper, adding that lower-income households are expected to get extra help with bills.
The Mirror thinks it will be a "Budget for workers", with the chancellor expected to "promise breathing space for hard-pressed households" and pledge "hope" for businesses.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch warns Labour is "coming for your pay packets" on the front page of the Daily Express. According to the paper, she said the chancellor has "chickened out of tackling out-of-control welfare". The leader has forecast a "stealth raid of wages", as the government "battles increasingly desperate public finances".
Similarly, the Daily Mail writes that Healey will "swerve welfare reform", calling it a "£6bn Budget benefits bonanza". It says the chancellor will not curb "runaway welfare spending", and instead, "increase the tax burden to the highest level on record". Sources told the paper that the chancellor has set aside £5.5bn in order to support a 3.5% increase to the benefits that are paid to approximately 10 million Britons.
Benjamin Netanyahu is pictured at the ballot box on the front page of the Independent, which says his fate "hangs in the balance" after a "historic" election in Israel. The paper notes that it was a record voter turnout, in the first election since the October 7 attacks.
The Sun is calling for Harry Kane to be knighted, following his Ballon d'Or "triumph. Declaring him "officially the greatest England striker of all time", the paper says it is "proud to lead a chorus of football fans" in demanding the "ultimate recognition" for him.
"Wife 'victim of sick fantasy'" reads the headline of the Metro, which reports on an ongoing court case in which a husband has admitted to drugging and raping his wife over 13 years.
The Daily Star reports that a celebrity has asked the High Court to prevent two news groups from publishing his identity and allegations that he abused his status for years to engage, or attempt to engage, in "inappropriate sexual activities with a large number of girls and young women". The unnamed star has denied the allegations, the paper says, adding that he has promised not to return to the public eye.
