The Papers: 'Don't cap food prices' and '20ft from WW3'

The Financial Times reports that a backlash from supermarkets has led Chancellor Rachel Reeves to back away from the idea of a cap on the price of essential goods. Treasury officials tell the paper that talks with the industry are continuing, and they insist there was never a plan for a formal policy announcement today.

The Times and the Daily Telegraph highlight a warning from Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey to MPs yesterday, that the idea is “not a sustainable thing in the long run”.

Under the headline ‘Labour’s Happy Shoppers’, the Daily Mirror reports on what Reeves will do on the cost of living, saying shoppers could save on staples like baked beans, crisps and margarine. Writing in the Mirror, and the Times as well, Sir Keir Starmer says the government is “tearing down” the status quo to help working people.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is backing changes to the immigration system being introduced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, according to the Guardian. The paper says it’s a “blow” to some in the party who want a softer approach. Allies of former Health Secretary Wes Streeting tell the Times he’s likely to abandon his tilt at the leadership if Burnham becomes an MP.

The Daily Mail leads on the close encounter between an RAF spy plane and two Russian jets. The paper says lives could have been lost in what it calls a “crazy Ivan stunt” over the Black Sea. The Sun’s headline is “20ft from WW3”. Both papers carry a front page image of one of the Russian warplanes, the pilot clearly visible, taken from the British aircraft.

Scientists at Cranfield University tell the Daily Telegraph about a novel approach to saving lives in a bomb blast: The humble lavender. The researchers have exhibited their project, called the Blast Ecoshield, at the Chelsea flower show. They say lavender is so effective at shock absorption it could replace the concrete and metal barriers that guard some government buildings, providing more of a sense of calm.

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