Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has pledged his commitment to the UK’s nuclear deterrent and vowed to increase military spending to 2.5% of the GDP if he becomes Prime Minister. In an interview with the i, he also said defence would be the “number one issue” for his government. Meanwhile, in the Daily Mail, Sir Keir promised a “triple lock” on the UK’s nuclear weapons, which includes building four new submarines at Barrow-in-Furness shipyard. The paper states that this is a significant shift from the stance of his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn.
However, the Guardian reported that Labour was at risk of losing some of its target seats due to previous loyal voters, particularly progressive voters, turning away from the party. It was said that Muslims were angered by the party’s position on Gaza, while young voters were dissatisfied with Labour’s approach on climate change. Although polls currently show that Labour is on course for a significant win, some experts believe that losing portions of its core vote could be the difference between a hung parliament and an outright majority.
The Financial Times reported that traders have reduced their expectations for interest rate cuts this year. This follows the US’ higher-than-anticipated inflation, which dealt a blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plans to lower taxes and mortgage costs ahead of the election. The paper suggests this may impact the government’s election strategy.
The Daily Express focused on what it described as a “triple lock pension injustice for millions”. Fewer than one-third of pensioners received the full 8.5% increase that was due this week, with men over 73 and women over 71 on the old basic state pension receiving smaller raises, leaving them up to £200 worse off a year.
The Daily Telegraph revealed that Royal Mail has blamed the Border Force for the increasing number of counterfeit stamps entering the UK from China, with up to one million counterfeit stamps being delivered for as little as 4p each. Royal Mail executive David Gold stated that it was Border Force’s responsibility to stop the influx of fake stamps.
Finally, the Daily Mirror and The Sun reported on the death of OJ Simpson at the age of 76. In 1994, Simpson was controversially cleared of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman
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