Monday 27 July 2009

Monday's papers


None of the papers can agree on a main story this morning.

The Independent leads with the story that the number of business leaders detecting the green shoots of an economic recovery has fallen for the first time since April, raising fears that the country is heading for a "double-dip" recession.

The renewed gloom in industry – revealed in a survey of senior business people – comes after months of cautious optimism that Britain could soon be past the worst of the downturn.


The Telegraph reports that motorists would have to pay tolls to drive on newly-built roads under plans being drawn up by the Conservatives to cut public spending. The paper claims

The road tolls are among a range of new taxes which David Cameron is now being forced to consider as public borrowing is forecast to rise to more than £1 trillion.


The Mail follows the same theme under the headline £1bn tax raid on middle classes it reports the Tory leader said

tax credits for households on £50,000 a year or more could no longer be justified.
Cutting them back at that level would mean 130,000 families losing an average £500 a year. But the Institute for Fiscal Studies has suggested that going further, tapering the benefit to exclude all middle-income families, could save £1billion a year.

The Express reports that

snooping residents are being offered rewards of up to £500 to spy on their neighbours.
Taxpayers’ money is being used to pay “covert human intelligence sources” who report bad conduct to authorities.


According to the Times,the head of the Government’s fertility watchdog has said,

A longstanding ban on selling sperm and eggs should be reconsidered to address a national shortage of donors
adding that

Payments to donors could cut the number of childless couples travelling abroad for treatment,


Finally the Guardian reveals that

A businessman who was held and mistreated in the United Arab Emirates following the London bombings believes he has evidence that British consular officials asked permission from the UK's own security services to visit him while he was detained.

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