'Drill, Andy Drill!' and a Budget for 'bloody-minded entrepreneurs'
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is "facing a storm" for approving drilling at the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea, which the Metro has headlined as "Drill, Andy, Drill!" The move has been praised by US President Donald Trump, the paper says, but not by those concerned about the project's environmental and economic impact.
Energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh could reject a giant Rosebank oil field, sources have told the Guardian, after the approval of the Jackdaw gas field on Wednesday. According to officials, Fahnbulleh is considering "blocking what would be one of the biggest oil fields in the North Sea", the paper says.
"Pathetic" reads the Daily Mail headline about the Foreign Secretary Ed "Miliband's Net Zero madness" on potentially rejecting the Rosebank oil field. The Daily Mail calls Labour's approval of the Jackdaw gas field as a "rare outbreak of common sense".
The upcoming Budget will cut regulations and "back business in Britain making a profit", the chancellor has told the Times, in a move that will be for "bloody-minded entrepreneurs".
The Telegraph has been analysing Russian fishing vessels above critical UK undersea cables and suggests the Kremlin is using the fleet to "spy on Britain". The paper found "more than 500 incidents in which Russian trawlers loitered above vital communications cables".
Headteachers have spoken to the i Paper over fears their schools will have to find money for a national 3.5% teacher pay rise, "despite claims it would be 'fully funded'". The UK government has denied that the education secretary said the pay rise would be fully funded, the paper reports.
The Financial Times leads on the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, as he considers merging his two companies SpaceX and Tesla into a "sprawling conglomerate spanning rockets, satellites, social media, robots and cars". Investors are welcoming the idea, the paper reports, and shares in SpaceX surged on Wednesday.
"Britain must be ready" the Daily Express reports, amid growing threats of war. Senior Conservatives are urging Burnham to increase spending on defence to combat a rise in Russian threats, the paper says.
The Sun splashes on a picture of former Manchester City player Kyle Walker's "4 In A Row" leg tattoo that he said he will have removed if the club are stripped of its titles for breaching financial rules. The club was found guilty by an independent commission of more than 100 charges. City has denied any wrongdoing and has appealed the ruling.
The Prince of Wales faces off the Duke of Sussex on the front page of the Daily Mirror above the headline "Ruled Out". According to a royal insider, Prince William has "no intention" of engaging with Prince Harry, the paper reports, after the younger brother called for a reconciliation.
The Daily Star leads on TV personality and presenter Ryan Clark who said he "carpeted for missing work because of an air traffic strike" at the BBC.
And Donald Trump is the lead image on the Independent after he apparently "lashed out" at reporter Andrew Feinberg. The Independent reporter asked the president about fraud tip-off payments, which reportedly "triggered Trump".
