The Papers: 'Budget for a difficult moment' and Netanyahu's 'fate in balance'
Most of the papers focus on the Budget, ahead of its delivery at lunchtime on Wednesday.
By BBC News
Newspapers focus on Budget ahead of Wednesday announcement
Most of Wednesday’s newspapers lead on Chancellor John Healey’s first Budget, which is due to be delivered at lunchtime.
The Guardian describes the measures as being for a “difficult moment” as the Government addresses the cost of living and what it calls stark pressures on the public finances.
The paper expects the Budget to be relatively modest, with major decisions on tax and spending potentially delayed until next year.
The Times reports that green levies could be scrapped in an effort to reduce energy bills. It says the Chancellor is also expected to announce £20.4bn in additional support for the state’s business lender and infrastructure bank.
The funding would be used for projects including renewable energy, defence and artificial intelligence.
The Daily Mail focuses on welfare spending. It reports that the Chancellor is not expected to introduce wider welfare reform and could instead set aside £5.5bn to support a 3.5% rise in benefits paid to about 10 million people.
The paper says the measures would be accompanied by a higher tax burden.
International coverage also features prominently, with the Independent leading on Israel’s election and Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future.
The newspaper says the Prime Minister’s “fate hangs in the balance” after exit polls suggested he had lost support in the country’s first election since the 7 October attacks and the war in Gaza.
No clear majority is expected for either Netanyahu’s bloc or the main opposition alliance, leaving smaller parties with a potentially decisive role in determining who forms the next government.