The Daily Telegraph says Joe Biden is “poised” to lift a ban on long-range missiles supplied by the US and UK being fired into Russia by Ukraine. The paper says the US president is considering the policy change after it emerged Iran was arming Russia with ballistic missiles that could reach Ukraine. The move will be discussed at a White House summit this week, says the Telegraph. A photo on the paper’s front page shows a prisoner giving a thumbs-up after being released early from jail under the government’s policy to reduce overcrowding.
The Times also leads on the the suggestion Ukraine could be get the “go-ahead” to use long-range missiles in Russia. It says any change would be a pivotal moment in the war as up to now the US has harboured deep reservations because of fears it could lead to an escalation in the conflict.
The Guardian leads on the Parliamentary vote that saw MPs back the government plan to limit those pensioners entitled to receive winter fuel payments. But it notes dozens of Labour MPs abstained in the vote and says the prime minister is facing growing pressure to help the poorest in next month’s budget.
The front page of the i sums up the developments in the winter fuel payments story in four sub-headlines – saying Labour is now ready to pursue “more contentious spending and tax decisions” after defeating the “rebellion”. It reports sources in the leadership saying they feel able to press ahead with plans “without fear of a major revolt”.
The Daily Express says Labour’s massive majority ensured the winter fuel payment plans “sailed through the Commons”. But it says campaigners and opposition MPs remain united in their fight to keep the payment for all pensioners – picturing a group of them with placards outside Parliament on its front page.
The headline in the Daily Mail reads: “Who voted for all this?”, with its lead story being about both the winter fuel payment vote in Parliament and the early prisoner release scheme. “Keir Starmer mugged pensioners and freed muggers yesterday on a day of shame for Labour,” it reports. The Mail describes pictures of some prisoners being sprayed by sparkling wine by friends and relatives as they were released as “sickening”.
Metro focuses on a coroner’s court ruling that there was no “clear” causal connection between a man’s appearance as a guest on TV’s Jeremy Kyle Show and his suicide. Speaking after case, host Mr Kyle spoke of the “huge toll” on him since the case , which led to the cancellation of the ITV show in 2019, the paper reports.
The Financial Times leads on a European Court of Justice ruling ordering Apple to pay €13bn (£11bn) in taxes, overturning an earlier decision in the the tech giant’s favour. The case brought by the EU competition chief concerns tax paid in Ireland in the past – amounting to a rate of less than 1% – which the court has ruled amounted to “unlawful aid”.
The Daily Mirror’s main story is on the BBC investigation into claims of abusive behaviour made by actress Amanda Abbington against her Strictly dance partner Giovanni Pernice. The paper says staff working on the show were made to hand over their phones so their messages could be examined in case they “shed light” on the allegations. Pernice has denied “any claim of threatening or abusive behaviour”.
And the Daily Star turns its attention to another BBC show – Gavin and Stacey – reporting that Smithy played by James Cordon and Nessa played by Ruth Jones could be getting married in the final episode of the show due to be aired at Christmas.
