Published6 hours ago
A number of the papers preview a speech from Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Tuesday, where the Times says he will pledge to have an "honest conversation" with voters over "difficult issues" that have been ignored for "far too long by Westminster". Ahead of the speech, the paper highlights ongoing questions around reforming the triple lock, under which pensions rise each year by the highest of inflation, average earnings or 2.5%. It writes that the issue has "exposed deep splits" among senior Labour figures.
"Burnham signals end of triple lock" declares the Daily Telegraph, which says the prime minister will address ending the triple lock in Tuesday's speech. The paper reports Burnham will "tell Labour that the triple lock does not work in its current form" and suggest it be reviewed in the party's next manifesto, but "stop short of a pledge to scrap it all together". It adds that the prime minister is "under pressure" to scrap the policy in order to fund his "multi-billion-pound" social care plans.
A union source tells the i Paper that the triple lock in its current form is "completely unsustainable" in the long term, reiterating that scrapping it could fund social care. The paper takes a similar view to the Telegraph, writing that the chances of the triple lock being dropped from the next manifesto have increased as "trade unions soften their position".
The Daily Express warns Burnham he will face "voter revolt" if he scraps the triple lock, with activists suggesting that "such a betrayal" would see him "kicked out of office".
Though the Daily Mail also previews Burnham's speech on Tuesday, it focuses on the prime minister's intention to set out plans for greater state control of water, energy and housing. The paper says it will be "the most left-wing speech delivered by a modern British prime minister", adding that he is also expected to make a "renewed push" to move the UK back into the orbit of the European Union.
The Mirror also considers what it calls the "PM's energy prices pledge", and says Tuesday will see Burnham promise to fix Britain's "broken" energy market and bring bills down. In his speech, the prime minister will announce the Great British Grid, the paper reports, which it says will "reverse decades of decline since Tory privitisation".
The speech will be Burnham's first to his party conference since becoming the Labour leader in July, the Financial Times notes. It says the prime minister will say he had planned to deliver a "tub-thumping speech" but instead decided to use the address to show he is ready to "take on tough problems" and break with "politics as usual".
The release on police bail of five men arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences near RAF Fairford is the main story for the Sun, which asks: "Plot's going on, PM?" It points to an "emergency Cobra meeting" chaired by Burnham on Monday afternoon, and adds Donald Trump has said he is "surprised" by the release.
Similarly, the front page of the Daily Star reads "Trump 'surprise' at release of RAF plot suspects". It notes that the five men released on bail are all UK nationals from London. The Iranian embassy in London has said it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns" "unfounded and malicious speculations" linking Iran to the incident, adding that these would "serve no purpose other than to fuel Iranophobia propaganda in the UK".
The details of the "alleged plot to bomb an RAF base" lead the Metro, which summarises the incident in its headline "Something very odd is going on".
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