Labour’s plan to nationalise the railways if it wins power features in many of the papers today. The i newspaper reports the party promises to “immediately” begin the process of bringing the rail system back into public ownership. Plans include a “best-price ticket guarantee” and digital season tickets, however, passengers may have to wait years before an end to “rip-off ticketing.” The Metro describes the policy as an “end of the line for failing train firms” and the Daily Mirror calls it the biggest overhaul of the train industry in a generation.
The Guardian reports that the planned reforms would be one of the party’s “first major acts” if it wins power. The paper says Labour insiders hailed the plan as the moment the party “would begin to champion its more radical proposals” in the run-up to the general election, likely to be held later this year. The Daily Telegraph, meanwhile, reports on leader Keir Starmer “refusing to match PM’s defence budget”. The paper says shadow ministers declined to promise that 2.5% of GDP would be spent on defence by 2030 as Rishi Sunak pledged on Tuesday.
The Times leads on a study suggesting England is the “worst in the world” for underage drinking. A third of 11-year-olds and half of 13-year-olds in England have drunk alcohol, which is the highest rate of childhood drinking out of 44 countries looked at by the World Health Organization, the paper reports. The Financial Times reports that the EU has instigated a “dawn raid” on the offices of a Chinese security-equipment supplier. Anti-foreign subsidy powers were deployed in the action at offices in Warsaw and Rotterdam, the FT says.
The Daily Mail leads on the arrest of a teenage girl on suspicion of attempted murder after three people were injured in a school stabbing in Carmarthenshire. The paper features a photo of military horses running loose through central London after being spooked by noise from a building site. The Daily Express also describes this incident as “horror in the playground.” Finally, the Sun reports on the death of a former boyfriend of Princess Beatrice, in a “suspected drug overdose.
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