Newspaper headlines: Energy bills to 'tumble' and Hunt 'negative talk' warning

By BBC News
Staff
The i is among several papers to focus on the expectation that data next week will show that UK inflation is starting to fall - and the news that typical household energy bills will potentially being reduced by hundreds of pounds a year, because of lower wholesale prices.
The Daily Mail suggests that the "worst of the cost of living squeeze is nearing an end". The paper writes wholesale gas prices are continuing to drop - calling it a "major blow to Vladimir Putin's objective to weaponise energy supplies". Gas prices rose after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
"Energy bills to tumble", says the headline in the Daily Express. Suppliers will soon be competing for business again driving prices down further, adds the paper.
The Daily Telegraph leads on a warning from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to the "left and right" about the dangers of talking the UK economy down. He uses an article in the paper to say that insidious and corrosive negative language could turn into a "self-fulfilling prophecy" that results in economic decline.
Banks are raising alarms that consumers are moving towards unregulated credit and taking out risky loans, reports the Financial Times. Dubbing it "shadow credit", the paper says unregulated lending has risen during the cost of living crisis and may mean the financial system is less stable than it appears.
The Daily Star focuses on the news that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has dropped down the Sunday Times Rich list. The paper says that the Tory party leader's family wealth now sits at £529m.
The Guardian reports patients are paying up to £550 an hour to see private GPs amid frustration at the delays many face getting an appointment with an NHS doctor. Clinics are attracting people by offering short notice appointments involving face-to-face consultations, the paper writes.
Artificial Intelligence's potential threat to education is the focus for the Times. The paper reports head teachers' concern with the emerging technology and belief that the government is responding too slowly to dangers posed by it. Cheating, impacts on children's mental health and the future of the teaching profession are all areas of concern, says the article.
The Daily Mirror leads with a story about convicted serial killer, Rose West. The paper writes that he former solicitor has pleaded with West, now aged 69, to admit her crimes and reveal if there are any other victims.

The Daily Mail leads with the hope that the worst of the cost of living squeeze is "nearing an end". Experts tell the paper that the energy price cap is likely to fall by £450 in the coming weeks.

The Daily Express says bills could be driven down even further as suppliers have to start competing for business again which the Daily Telegraph hails as marking the failure of President Putin's "energy war".

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A group of school leaders have written to the Times, warning that artificial intelligence poses a "clear and present danger to education". They have told the paper they have no confidence that large digital companies will be capable of regulating themselves. Instead, the group say they will create a body to advise schools on how to deal with the risks of AI.

The Financial Times carries a warning from bank bosses who say more and more consumers are relying on what's called "shadow credit" to deal with the rising cost of living. The head of NatWest tells the paper that increasing numbers of risky loans and "buy now, pay later" schemes could mean the financial system is less stable than it appears.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has told the Telegraph that the UK is "talking itself into economic decline". He says critics on both the left and right are creating an "insidious and "corrosive" negativity which risks creating a "self-fulfilling prophecy".

The i says Rishi Sunak is coming under pressure from some Conservative backbench MPs to rework the UK's deal with the European Union on post-Brexit trading arrangements. One former cabinet minister tells the paper the current arrangement leaves the UK in "the worst of all worlds".

In an interview with the daily Express, Lord Frost, who led the Brexit negotiations under Boris Johnson, says the government has been "fearful" of using the powers it gained by leaving the EU.

Soldiers are being trained to check passports at airports as part of plans to mitigate strikes by Border Force officers according to the Daily Telegraph. Sources have told the paper that members of the armed forces could also perform other roles like searching for harmful goods and safeguarding vulnerable individuals.

Labour's shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, has told The Times that his party is willing to use "the heavy hand" of state regulation to force food companies to make their offerings healthier. He tells the paper that if his party wins the next election it could extend the sugar tax on soft drinks to other products.

The Sun has a warning for parents about how they should speak to them about eating healthily. Under the headline "weight waffle no-no", the paper explains that experts recommend using positive language around food and exercise to encourage children into good habits.

Finally, the Daily Mirror is one of a number of papers to report on Sir Salman Rushdie's return to public life at an awards evening in New York. He suffered serious injuries after being stabbed while on stage at an event in the city last year.

The Guardian says that in a speech to the Pen America Gala, Sir Salman said he was "pretty glad the dice rolled this way". "It was nice to be back" he added "as opposed to not being back" which had also been "an option"