Newspaper headlines: 'No tax cuts in 2023' and TikTok facing US ban

By BBC News
Staff
The i leads on there being no major tax cuts planned for 2023 and public spending increases also being off the table as the interest rate is raised to 4.25%. The paper says hundreds of thousands of homeowners who cannot afford to remortgage on to fixed rates now face increases of almost £400 a year - with some set to be charged 8.48%.
A Nigerian politician and his wife facing jail over a "kidney swap plot" dominates Metro’s front page. The pair were found guilty in a trial at the Old Bailey in London in the first case of its kind in the UK. A jury decided Senator Ike Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, and a middleman conspired to smuggle a victim from Lagos to London to harvest their victim’s kidney in order to save the politician’s sick daughter.
TikTok’s chief executive Shou Zi Chew told hostile US politicians that the video app would be kept “free from any manipulation by any government”, the FT’s front page reports. The Chinese-owned app is facing a potential ban in America over data security concerns. The Bank of England raising interest rates to 4.25% also features on the front page where the FT notes it is the 11th consecutive increase from the bank, which started raising rates in December 2021.
The Express takes a more positive approach to interest rates hitting a 14-year high by leading on Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey being “more optimistic” that things may be getting better for the UK’s economy. The front page also celebrates footballer Harry Kane, who has overtaken Wayne Rooney as England’s all-time leading goal scorer following his penalty against Italy on Thursday.
The Daily Mirror says there is a new football scandal as an unnamed footballer who is accused of raping two women and facing a third sex allegation is still playing for a premier league club. The paper goes on to say women’s charities including Women’s Aid have said this risks “minimising” violence against women.
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner makes the front page of the Daily Telegraph after she criticised prime minister Rishi Sunak for paying a lower rate of tax than most working people. The paper reports that she suggested that Labour should focus on raising tax on savings and investments. The party says it has no current plans to raise capital gains tax but has not ruled out a change in the future.
The Daily Mail leads on around 120 top legal professionals being accused of undermining the legal system in the UK by preparing to sign a “Declaration of Conscience” – vowing to refuse their services in prosecuting protesters from eco-groups such as Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion. They will also refuse to act on behalf of clients involved in oil and gas on the grounds that they are destroying the environment, the paper reports.
The Times warns households are facing more financial pain as mortgage bills will rise, cost of living payments will end and the average council tax will exceed £2,000 for the first time. The paper also mentions the BBC’s decision to stop filming the current series of Top Gear following presenter Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff’s crash in December.
The Daily Star front page asks: “Have killer machines taken over the world?” – alongside a graphic of a scary looking robot skeleton with red eyes. The paper explains the mastermind behind the famous Terminator franchise now fears clever AI may have secretly taken over the world without us realising.

"Here's Hoping!" declares the Daily Express - after the Bank of England's governor, Andrew Bailey, said he was "more optimistic" about the UK economy.

Despite another interest rate rise to tackle inflation, the paper asks "are we finally over the worst?" - and suggests that although there will be still be tough times ahead, the Bank's assessment of the economy gives "good reason to hope" that better ones are "fast approaching".

The FT says the "acceleration of inflation" sealed the rate rise. It reports that the Bank of England left its options open on whether to increase rates any further, saying this would depend on the emerging evidence.

According to the i, there'll be no tax cuts and public spending increases this year, as the interest rate climbs to a 14-year high. It also warns of "mortgage prisoners" facing rates of more than 8%.

The Times warns of more financial pain for households. It says that, for the first time, the average council tax bill will top £2,000 next year - a rise of more than 5%, or £99. Councils have defended the increase, and say it's still not enough to cover rising costs and growing demand, even with more government funding.

The Daily Telegraph claims that Labour is "plotting" a tax raid on savings and investment if it wins the next general election. The paper understands that a "large rise" in capital gains tax is on the table. A Labour spokesman is quoted saying that the party currently has no plans to increase it, but could not rule out a change in the future.

An investigation by the Guardian has found that councils spent £480 million of taxpayers' money in the past four years on beds for people in what it calls "the worst care homes in England". It says some of the cash helped drive "profits for private investors while residents suffer unsafe treatment". The Department of Health and Social Care tells the paper that nobody should receive sub-standard care and it expected local authorities and the Care Quality Commission "to hold failing providers to account".

The Daily Mail claims there's fury at what it calls "woke barristers" who are apparently refusing to prosecute climate activists. It says that about 120 leading lawyers are set to sign a "Declaration of Conscience". One lawyer tells the Mail that signing such a declaration doesn't mean he'd refuse to act for any client who instructed him.