Papers weigh £100 energy payment against criticism of Healey’s Budget

Newspaper coverage of Chancellor John Healey’s first Budget focuses on a £100 energy payment for millions of households, alongside criticism that the measures offer too little relief and delay difficult decisions.

The Metro asks whether the payment is a “trick or treat”, reporting that rising prices could swallow up the discount. The i says households in council tax bands A to D will receive it. The BBC’s review does not specify when the payment will be made.

The Times describes the Budget as “deliberately modest”, saying Healey has postponed major decisions on welfare and defence spending until next autumn. The Daily Express quotes Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch calling the plans “not bold enough”.

Other papers focus on tax rises. The Financial Times says taxes on banks, savers and property owners will help fund a cost-of-living package, while the Daily Telegraph reports a £4.3bn tax increase affecting savers and landlords. Healey said the measures were based on tight fiscal discipline, the FT reports; critics said the Budget lacked tough decisions.

The Daily Mirror presents the Budget as support for families, reporting that a tax increase on banks will fund “breathing space” measures. The Guardian says Healey blamed continuing cost-of-living pressures on “global economic storms”, including the war in Iran.

The Daily Mail’s Quentin Letts describes the Budget as lacking dramatic bite, while the Daily Star makes light of Healey’s slip of the tongue when he referred to Aldershot as “Aldersh*t”.