The UK economy leads most front pages after the Bank of England halved its growth forecast for this year.
The Times says the assessment is a “setback” for Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who has pledged that economic growth is her number one priority.
The Financial Times says the Bank’s “gloomy outlook” delivers a “sobering message” to the chancellor.
The Daily Express believes the assessment should serve as a “wake up call” for the government while the front page of the the Daily Mail suggests the UK is in a “new era of stagflation”, which is when there is flat growth and rising inflation.
But the Mail does go on to say that there was “some relief for households” as interest rates were cut to 4.5%.
The Guardian quotes the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, saying the government was never going to be able to turn the economy around in six or seven months and that the growth outlook would spur him on.
On its front page the Daily Telegraph says the “bloated state” is harming the economy. The paper highlights comments made on Thursday by the Bank of England’s Governor, Andrew Bailey, that an increase of half a million workers in the public sector since lockdown has not been matched by a rise in productivity.
EPAThe Times reports that many commuters are unhappy with Network Rail testing a new system which sees train listings removed from departure boards at stations three minutes before services are scheduled to leave. The idea is to stop people rushing on platforms. There has been a trial at London King’s Cross. According to the paper some passengers have labelled the idea “patronising” – with one regular commuter quoted as saying whether he ran for the train or not was his decision.
Some of the papers feature comments from the chef Heston Blumenthal, who says his imagination has been suppressed by medication he takes following a mental health breakdown in 2023. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after being sectioned. The Times notes that he is known for his “outlandish creations” such as snail porridge, and bacon and egg ice cream. The chef says that while he hopes to regain some of that flair he does not regret that his character has changed and that he is much more calm.
And finally, most of the papers have picked up on a study from Italian scientists claiming to have “cracked” the perfect boiled egg. But it will take you 32 minutes. The method involves transferring an egg back and forth between a saucepan of boiling water and a bowl of tepid water. Trying out the new technique, the Guardian’s correspondent Linda Geddes says the “science won out” as she was impressed with the end result. The Telegraph’s food writer Silvana Franco also tested the method and writes that she thought the “yolk was pretty special”. The Express wonders at taking that length of time to boil an egg. “You’re cracking us up,” it says.
