Saturday’s papers lead on a variety of stories with the Financial Times focusing layoffs at Twitter after Elon Musk took the helm at the social media company. An image of the billionaire appears in a montage among the names of advertisers who have withdrawn from Twitter for now, including Carlsberg and Volkswagen. The FT reports that Mr Musk is warning of a “massive drop in revenue” at the company since his buyout – leading him to begin slashing Twitter’s 7,500 strong workforce.
Liz Truss’s successor in Downing Street is pictured on the front of The Times, with Rishi Sunak granting the paper his first major interview since becoming prime minister. Mr Sunak is quoted as warning people that the state “cannot fix everyone’s problems” amid economic turmoil. He also admits that trust in the Conservative Party has been damaged by Truss’s “sugar-rush budget”, adding that he hopes to restore economic credibility with his 17 November autumn budget.
“Pensions targeted in stealth tax raid” is the headline from The Daily Telegraph, which also splashes with a story on Rishi Sunak. It reports the PM and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt “plan to reveal a stealth tax raid on pensions” later this month. Alongside a photo of Sunak laughing with King Charles, the paper says it has learnt that the pension lifetime allowance “is set to be frozen for two more years from 2025 to 2027”.
Pensions and the ongoing concern that the triple lock guarantee will not be maintained as planned is the main story for the Daily Express. It comes as No 10 said last week that Rishi Sunak will not commit to raising the state pension in line with inflation ahead of a statement by his chancellor in a fortnight’s time. According to the Express, the prime minister “faces a voter’s rebellion” from Tory supporters if he drops the promise to protect the triple lock.
The Daily Mirror leads with an exclusive about Matt Hancock, the former health secretary who is appearing in this year’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! The MP, who is also set to appear on our screens in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins next year, reportedly skipped last month’s Tory party conference to film the survival show. A source told the paper that Mr Hancock. who has had the Tory whip suspended, “wanted to show off his ‘mental strength and physical fitness'”.
Meanwhile, the i leads with the headline: “Cyber attack hits patient care as NHS records are left in ‘chaos'”. According to the paper’s exclusive, doctors are warning that a cyber attack which “wiped out NHS systems three months ago is undermining treatment in mental health trusts and affecting people who need to be cared for at home”. The paper says it has been told patients’ records are missing, safety has been compromised, and medication doses are at risk of being missed.
Fresh information on the disappearance of Lord Lucan, who went missing in 1974 after the murder of his children’s nanny, makes the “world exclusive” lead for the Daily Mail. Lord Lucan’s blood-soaked car was later found abandoned in East Sussex after Sandra Rivett was found dead at his home in London that year. According to the paper, “cryptic new clues” in connection with the case – and made public for the first time – have emerged in the form of Cluedo cards found by police in his car almost 50 years ago.
A fresh climate change warning from the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is the main story for the Guardian. The UN chief is quoted as saying that unless rich countries sign an agreement with poor countries on the climate, “we will be doomed”. The warning comes as world leaders begin gathering for the UN’s COP27 climate summit in Egypt on Sunday.
And the Sun reports its own showbiz exclusive, writing that TV star Patsy Kensit has landed a role in the long-running soap EastEnders. The former model will play the mum of Lola Pierce in scenes due to air around Christmas, the paper says. It adds that the Emmerdale and Holby City actress “has always dreamed of a role in Albert Square”.
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