Buckingham Palace sources told The Times that the Duke of York has been urged to “do the good thing” and stay out of public view over Christmas. It comes as controversy continues over the Duke’s links to a Chinese “spy”, who has now been expelled from Britain but remains unnamed. Separately, former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says Sir Keir Starmer is not providing leadership and has adopted a policy of “following the Americans” regarding the war in Ukraine.
The Sun is pushing the same story about the Duke of York, who, according to sources the newspaper has spoken to, is “under pressure” to “not invite himself” from a Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace.
The Daily Telegraph reports, citing analysis by CBI Economics, that economists said the Chancellor’s policy on inheritance tax would “fail” and cost the Treasury “up to £1 billion more than it earns”. It came as Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch later gave a speech in which she would warn that “no one is safe” from Labour’s tax policy. An exclusive story about a suspected Chinese spy’s brokering of a top British private school’s expansion into China and water companies avoiding fines for illegal sewage overflows also made the front page.
Sir Keir Starmer has been warned by the EU that if he wants a new deal on trade and security, he will have to include a new fishing deal and make migration easier for under-30s. EU negotiation documents leaked over the weekend show that “Brussels is preparing to drive a hard bargain”, according to the report.
The Conservatives have warned that up to 750,000 pensioners could be “left out in the cold” as the winter fuel payment deadline approaches, the Daily Express writes. The newspaper has spoken to Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whateley, who said the Government’s deadline is like a door that is “about to close”, leaving pensioners without warm homes this winter.
Metro leads the way with warnings from A&E doctors in a newly published guide on how to treat patients in corridors due to busy hospitals – which is “normalising the dangerous”. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine said “redundant” advice published by NHS England was “out of touch” and could prove harmful, the paper reports.
The Guardian reports that MPs are threatening to reveal the name of an alleged Chinese spy who was close to Prince Andrew, as the allegations lead to “calls for caution” in Britain re-establishing relations with China. Is. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philip and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage have said the spy should be named. A photo of smiling schoolchildren appears as schools reopen in Damascus, following a week of instability following the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad.
In financial news, the FT has announced that the London Stock Exchange is on track to have its “worst year” for departures since the financial crisis, as 88 companies delisted or relocated to New York. Also on the front is a large graphic of Assad shaking hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with an exclusive account of how Assad’s central bank funneled some $250 million in cash to Moscow between 2018 and 2019.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has spoken to the Daily Mirror and backed its “Ban Cosmetic Cowboys” campaign to end dishonest cosmetic surgery procedures. He says, “If a proposition sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” The campaign follows the death of Alice Webb, who died following complications arising from a liquid Brazilian butt lift.
And finally the Daily Star put a meteorological spin on a favorite Christmas poem for its headline, as Storm Iovine is forecast to “ruin” the festive fun with rain and 70mph winds. Revelers and shoppers beware – it’s cold outside.
