'Compulsory lentils' and 'Boris flees Vlad drone blitz'
"No ice cream and compulsory lentils in school meal shake-up" says the Daily Telegraph, writing that the government will announce rules that "will force schools to put pulses on the menu at least once a week" in England. Elsewhere, the paper leads with a plea from 800 pub, restaurant and hotel leaders urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham to "cut VAT" from 20 to 10%. "The appeal comes days after Mr Burnham blindsided the industry by handing local authorities the power to impose unlimited tourist taxes," the paper adds.
The Daily Express reports that "Labour tourist tax will hammer seaside B&Bs", with the Conservative Party warning that "family businesses and staycation parents pay cost of benefits bill". Céline Dion's "triumphant return to concert stage" also features on the front page.
The Sun leads with "scare in Ukraine" after reports emerged that the train line used by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been "blitzed by a Russian drone". The paper's take is "Boris flees Vlad drone blitz". It explains that Johnson's "night service to Poland had departed earlier than scheduled due to the threat of attacks" following a conference in Kyiv.
"Did [Russian President Vladimir] Putin drone target Boris and top security officials?" asks the Daily Mail, embedding a photo of the former prime minister wearing a thick protective helmet earlier this year. The paper quotes experts who describe the explosion as a "Mafia style message straight from the Kremlin", while Johnson tells the paper: "In these train attacks, we see the bared teeth of a cornered rat."
"Reform's £72m crypto bonanza sparks Labour donations row" is the i Paper's top story. It goes on: "Ministers are facing pressure to impose a cap on political donations after two billionaires gave Nigel Farage's party £36m." However, it adds, the government "risks wrath of Labour MPs after rejecting calls for stricter limits on funds from a single source earlier this month".
The Metro continues with "Labour threat to Reform's £72m windfall", noting that the "record-breaking sums may fall foul" of the government's amended bill proposal "as its rules on overseas cash would be backdated".
The Daily Mirror also previews a House of Lords debate on the government's donations bill "stopping mega gifts to all parties", carrying a warning from Unite union boss Sharon Graham who says: "We must ensure Britain's democracy is not for sale."
"Reform's £72m in donations 'may be caught by new bill'," the Guardian writes. Elsewhere, the paper reports on new research revealing "the true scale of Britain's involvement in the slave trade", a system that included "monarchs, MPs and ordinary people", according to the paper. The three-year project led by specialist historians compiles "The Register of British Slave Traders", a list that details as many as "10,500 investors" in "Britain's near-250 year transatlantic slave trade" in African people.
"Reform hits out at bid to stop record donations," says the Times. The paper also carries remarks from the Joint Committee on Human Rights accusing UK ministers of "abandoning plans for an overarching artificial-intelligence (AI) law at the same time as tech companies warned that the systems were racing beyond human control".
The Financial Times leads with US President Donald Trump who, it says, "rejects industry calls for brake on AI over fears of losing race to China". Democrats and tech bosses "urged tighter regulation" because of "mounting fears that the technology poses an existential threat" – in what the paper describes as a "rare show of unity" among bosses like Open AI's Sam Altman and Tesla's Elon Musk.
Ex-Liverpool Graeme Souness "hardman" believes "today's Prem[ier League] stars are softies" is the Daily Star's top story.
