UK papers: Youth benefits 'crack down' and Gatwick 'Fly and dry'

Published 1 minute ago Image caption, Prime Minister Andy Burnham's latest policy plans lead several front pages. "PM to crack down on youth benefits" is the Daily Telegraph's headline, reporting that "payments may be stopped unless training or voluntary work is done" as part of the new administration's efforts to "reduce the country's £333bn welfare bill" and "find billions of pounds for spending on social care and defence". "We will always support those who genuinely need it", said a spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions. Image caption, "Young people who take up part-time work on minimum wage earn £100 less than those claiming sickness benefits", is the Times' top story. Using its own analysis, the paper says more than 87,000 16 and 17-year-olds are claiming personal independence benefit (Pip). The government told the paper: "Pip, as designed in 2013, is no longer fit for purpose". Image caption, The i Paper tops with its own reporting that the new government is "actively considering options to replace council tax and stamp duty", writing that more than 100 Labour MPs support "two alternatives – a proportional property tax and a land value tax". Burnham "rules out general early election", the paper adds, quoting the new leader: "I don't think people want it". Image caption, The Guardian headlines on the new foreign secretary Ed Miliband vowing "to give UK 'global leadership' role on climate crisis" by "taking up the country's seat on the board at the World Bank". The position is usually delegated to a junior minister, the paper explains. Image caption, Another reshuffled cabinet minister, Wes Streeting, unveils his promise to "quit if defence plan falls short" as he takes on the post of defence secretary, the Daily Mail writes. Streeting, who held the health portfolio before stepping down in May, made the conditional promise as Burnham "refuses to commit to 3% funding increase by 2030", according to the paper. Image caption, The Financial Times leads with defence companies' "push" towards tech start-ups in order to "adapt to the rapidly evolving face of modern warfare", citing new venture capital rounds launched by Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems. The companies have "long-standing ties to western governments and militaries", the paper explains. Image caption, "No go at Gatwick for thousands after water outage with loos blocked up and taps all off," reads the Metro's lead story, under the headline "Fly and dry". Expanding on the "grim start" to travelling families, it writes, "drinking fountains were out of action", "there were queues for toilets, which could not be flushed" and "crowds were forced to sit on the floor". Image caption, "Police 'waste' millions on diversity schemes", says the Daily Express. It reports on new findings from a conservative think tank, which says £631m was spent on diversity, equality and inclusion activities since 2020 across police forces. Such funds "could instead have been used to fight crime" or