A variety of stories lead Thursday’s papers. The i says analysis indicates that pledges made so far by Labour would cost £20bn and require the equivalent of a 3p rise in income tax. It quotes Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, saying the fund-raising measures the party has proposed – such as charging VAT on private school fees and ending the non-dom status – would be “drops in the ocean”. Labour tells the paper it faces “tough choices” but says it will explain how it will fund its plans.
The Daily Telegraph leads with the launch of its campaign to abolish inheritance tax. It says the tax is “profoundly unfair as it penalises people who have saved money throughout their lives” and is “punishing middle-class families who want to help children or grandchildren to own homes”. It quotes former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi describing the tax as “morally wrong” and says it also has the backing of more than 50 Conservative MPs. A Treasury spokesperson tells the paper that 93% of estates aren’t expected to pay the tax in the coming years and it raises £7bn a year to fund public services.
Britain will look to work with Bulgaria and Turkey as part of efforts to stop the flow of small boats across the English Channel, according to the Times. The paper says Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to announce a new partnership that will boost intelligence-sharing between the National Crime Agency and the Bulgarian police about crime groups smuggling boat equipment and people. It adds the agency has also been tasked with “building closer links” with Turkish authorities, though says a formal deal is not expected imminently.
The Guardian has spoken to a group of university vice-chancellors who say the funding model for high education in the UK is “broken”. The group warns that, amid rising costs caused by inflation and new limits for overseas students announced last week, universities could be “squeezed between the plummeting value of domestic tuition fees and declining overseas recruitment”.
Animal rights protesters plan to sabotage this weekend’s Epsom Derby with an invasion of the racecourse, according to the Daily Express. The paper says activists “aim to mingle with the crowd before swarming over the barriers” and onto the track. It adds that the Jockey Club, which owns Epsom and 14 other courses, has won a court injunction which threatens jail for anyone interfering with the race.
The Metro leads with a threat aimed at British politicians by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev over the UK’s support for Ukraine. It comes after Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Ukraine’s right to defend itself should include the right to launch strikes “beyond its borders” if such strikes undermined “Russia’s ability to project force into Ukraine itself”. Medvedev – now deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council – called Britain “our eternal enemy” and said public officials “who facilitate the war can be considered as a legitimate target”.
ITV has ordered an external barrister-led review into Philip Schofield’s behaviour over his affair with a colleague on This Morning, according to the Daily Mirror. The paper quotes Carolyn McCall, the channel’s chief executive, saying bosses feel “badly let down” by Schofield’s denial of the relationship.
The Mail says the announcement of the investigation comes after a “crisis staff meeting” and that it casts more doubt on the future of This Morning. It adds that senior figures at ITV remain “under pressure to admit what they knew and when” about the affair.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are to stop making “royal-bashing” documentaries and will now work with Netflix only behind the cameras, the Sun reports. The paper quotes a source saying: “That period of their life is over – as there is nothing left to say.”
The Financial Times reports that the world’s largest producer of soda-ash, an ingredient used in the making of glass, is planning to list on the London Stock Exchange, and is targeting a valuation of $7.5bn – enough to enter the FTSE 100. The paper quotes Alasdair Warren, chief executive of WE Soda, saying that, “in London, we can be a big fish in a relatively modest-sized pond”. It comes after British chip designer Arm switched its listing to New York and CRH, the world’s largest building materials group, announced plans to do the same.
And the Star’s front page says Henry VIII “wasn’t such a wrong ‘un”. The paper says a Tudor historian has claimed that, aside from “marrying his brother’s missus, bankrupting the country, being mean to the Pope and executing two wives”, the monarch was a “well-mannered fella”.
