'No money for new weapons' and 'Cost of pint hits £10'

2 hours ago

News image — There's a mix of stories on Monday's front pages. The Daily Telegraph leads with data that shows more than 600,000 households received more in welfare payments than the average worker's salary. The paper says the analysis done by the Conservative Party will provoke calls for overhauling the benefits budget as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faces pressure to cut welfare spending to boost the defence budget. Alongside, the Telegraph's picture spot features bank holiday revellers raising a pint as the paper reports a surge in the cost of a round of beers and even non-alcoholic drinks. "Cost of pint hits £10 in London for first time," the headline says.

The headline on the front page of the Daily Telegraph reads: "Welfare pays more than work for 600k households." — There's a mix of stories on Monday's front pages. The Daily Telegraph leads with data that shows more than 600,000 households received more in welfare payments than the average worker's salary. The paper says the analysis done by the Conservative Party will provoke calls for overhauling the benefits budget as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faces pressure to cut welfare spending to boost the defence budget. Alongside, the Telegraph's picture spot features bank holiday revellers raising a pint as the paper reports a surge in the cost of a round of beers and even non-alcoholic drinks. "Cost of pint hits £10 in London for first time," the headline says.

The headline on the front page of the Times reads: "Britain told to pay £1bn a year to EU after 'reset'." — The Times says the EU has told the UK to make annual payments of £1bn for access to the bloc's single market. European negotiators want Sir Keir to make the concession as part of the "reset" with the EU. Elsewhere, the paper reports a lack of defence funding has left the UK military "no money to buy new weapons until 2030", citing a former military chief.

The headline on the front page of the i Paper reads: "State pension triple lock under threat if UK goes to war with Putin." — The state pension guarantee could be scrapped should the UK go to war with Russia, the i Paper reports. According to "government insiders" quoted by the paper, high-profile spending such as triple lock, net zero policies and benefits would need to be scaled back if the two countries fought each other.

The headline on the front page of the Guardian reads: "Alarm over 'toothless' oversight of AI facial recognition systems." — The Guardian shifts its focus to AI facial recognition systems. The UK's biometrics watchdogs are warning that national oversight of AI-powered face scanning is lagging "far behind" the technology's growth. The paper quotes an expert who says the cameras are "nowhere near as effective as the police claim it is", with members of the public wrongly identified as suspected criminals saying there was "no accountability or recourse to complain".

The headline on the front page of the Daily Express reads: "Cheers to you." — "Cheers to you" toasts the Daily Express as it pictures a group of World War Two veterans raising a glass before embarking on a pilgrimage to honour their fallen friends.

The headline on the front page of the Independent reads: "Two dead in 'suspicious' explosion in Bristol." — The Independent features forensics teams on scene after an explosion in Bristol killed two people and injured three others. Police say the blast was "suspicious" but is not being treated as a terrorist incident.

The headline on the front page of the Daily Mail reads: "Labour's plan to double parking fine fee." — In another potential rise in costs, parking fines could "double" under new proposals being considered by Labour, according to the Daily Mail. Ministers are reportedly looking into findings of a trial in which a council hiked parking tickets to £160, when tickets issued outside London are currently capped at £70, the paper reports.

The headline on the front page of the Daily Express reads: "Reform in new race row." — "Reform in new race row" says the Daily Mirror. One of the party's Welsh candidates has called out a social media post by fellow member Arron Banks as "abhorrent racism", the paper reports. Banks' post was in response to a Plaid Cymru video which was fronted by a black community organiser. Banks hasn't responded to a request for comment but said previously that it was a "joke" and Plaid Cymru had "lost their sense of humour".

The headline on the front page of the Financial Times reads: "Banks in danger of 'choking' on data centre financing seek to offload risk." — Banks are in looking for new ways to offload risks tied to financing AI data centres, according to the Financial Times. The paper says the efforts come amid an "unprecedented scale of borrowing" and the pressure it is putting on lenders.

The headline on the front page of the Daily Star leads: "Fergie ambo drama." — The Daily Star offers a health update on former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, who was taken to hospital by ambulance after feeling unwell at the game against Liverpool at Old Trafford. Sir Alex is understood to be recovering, the paper adds.

The headline on the front page of the Sun reads: "What a World Cup stitch-up." — In more football news, the Sun reports the forthcoming World Cup footballs costing up to £130 each are being made by workers earning as little as £26 a week. "What a World Cup stitch-up" says the papers headline.

The Guardian carries warnings about facial recognition technology, widely used by many police forces and a growing number of retailers. The biometrics commissioner for Scotland tells the paper that the technology is "nowhere near as effective as the police claim it is". Along with his counterpart in England and Wales, he is calling for new laws to govern how and when the technology is used and a new regulator to clamp down on misuse.

The co-author of the strategic defence review, Gen Sir Richard Barrons, tells the Times that the armed forces will have no money for new weapons until 2030. He says there is "just about" enough funding for tanks and helicopters but not enough for unmanned or AI-assisted weaponry. However an army source disputes the claim, telling the paper money is already pouring into rapid procurement programmes.

The Sun says an investigation has revealed that workers in Pakistan making the official Adidas football for this summer's World Cup are making as little as £26 a week. The priciest version of the ball sells for £130. "The Beautiful Shame" is the paper's headline. Adidas tells the Sun all its products are manufactured under fair and safe working conditions.

Several papers report on the new injectable form of a cancer drug being rolled out across the NHS. A senior doctor tells the Daily Telegraph the jab will offer a "lifeline" to thousands of patients, giving them the freedom to live their lives instead of spending hours in a hospital. "This shows what happens when innovation meets determination," The Mirror's editorial says.

The vast cost of financing the construction of the data centres required for artificial intelligence makes the front page of the Financial Times. The paper says that banks are being stretched to their financial limits and are looking at ways to spread and offload the risk. The paper describes the scale of borrowing to build AI labs as "unprecedented".

And the Daily Mail says the UK's first "artificial nose" has been created by scientists at Newcastle University. The device is fitted inside fridges to detect environmental changes in food and let people know when it is about to go off. As the paper puts it, it is a development "not to be sniffed at".

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'No money for new weapons' and 'Cost of pint hits £10'

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