The Guardian, external leads on the unrest sweeping France, devoting a large chunk of its front page to an image of a burnt-out car in the shadow of a Paris monument. Writing in the Daily Mail, external, Andrew Neil argues the “appalling scenes of carnage and anarchy” make “the victory of the right-wing Marine Le Pen in next Spring’s presidential elections all but inevitable”.
According to the Daily Telegraph, external, Chancellor John Healey has “drawn up plans for a tax raid on family businesses ahead of the Budget.” The paper says the proposal would levy income tax on firms that are handed down from one generation to another. The Treasury says “decisions on tax are for the Chancellor to set out at fiscal events, rather than routinely commenting on rumour.”
The Daily Express, external carries a call from farmers for Healey to use the Budget to scrap inheritance tax on farms. A government spokesperson notes ministers previously responded to concerns by raising the threshold for farms to £2.5m.
The Financial Times, external warns of a “reckoning” for what it calls the “data centre build-out underpinning the US economy”. It says America’s $10tn (£7.5tn) AI boom is being threatened by “investor anxiety” and a “public backlash”. The paper highlights analysis that says only about 35% of data centre plans in the country are credible.
The Sun, external says there is fury over what it calls “nanny state plans to ban supermarket deals on even more foods”. The paper says industry insiders believe restrictions on multi-buy offers, brought in last year on unhealthy products, could be extended to items such as cornflakes and malt loaf. The government says “tackling the cost of living is a priority”, and that it will “ensure any changes help families make healthier choices while keeping food affordable”.
The Daily Mirror, external tells us to “forget the notorious seven-year itch”, as more couples are now divorcing after two decades together. It highlights new figures that show about a quarter of divorces in England and Wales last year were between people who had been married for 20 years or more. The paper’s editorial says perhaps at that point “the children have finally left home, and couples have run out of referees”.