The Papers: 'No money for new weapons' and 'Cost of pint hits £10'

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. 'No money for new weapons' and 'Cost of pint hits £10' 14 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google There's a mix of stories on Monday's front pages. The Daily Telegraph leads with data that shows more than 600,000 households received more in welfare payments than the average worker's salary. The paper says the analysis done by the Conservative Party will provoke calls for overhauling the benefits budget as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faces pressure to cut welfare spending to boost the defence budget.

Alongside, the Telegraph's picture spot features bank holiday revellers raising a pint as the paper reports a surge in the cost of a round of beers and even non-alcoholic drinks. "Cost of pint hits £10 in London for first time," the headline says. The Times says the EU has told the UK to make annual payments of £1bn for access to the bloc's single market.

The Details

European negotiators want Sir Keir to make the concession as part of the "reset" with the EU. Elsewhere, the paper reports a lack of defence funding has left the UK military "no money to buy new weapons until 2030", citing a former military chief. The state pension guarantee could be scrapped should the UK go to war with Russia, the i Paper reports.

According to "government insiders" quoted by the paper, high-profile spending such as triple lock, net zero policies and benefits would need to be scaled back if the two countries fought each other. The Guardian shifts its focus to AI facial recognition systems. The UK's biometrics watchdogs are warning that national oversight of AI-powered face scanning is lagging "far behind" the technology's growth.

The paper quotes an expert who says the cameras are "nowhere near as effective as the police claim it is", with members of the public wrongly identified as suspected criminals saying there was "no accountability or recourse to complain". "Cheers to you" toasts the Daily Express as it pictures a group of World War Two veterans raising a glass before embarking on a pilgrimage to honour their fallen friends. The Independent features forensics teams on scene after an explosion in Bristol killed two people and injured three others.

What Experts Say

Police say the blast was "suspicious" but is not being treated as a terrorist incident. In another potential rise in costs, parking fines could "double" under new proposals being considered by Labour, according to the Daily Mail. Ministers are reportedly looking into findings of a trial in which a council hiked parking tickets to £160, when tickets issued outside London are currently capped at £70, the paper reports.

"Reform in new race row" says the Daily Mirror. One of the party's Welsh candidates has called out a social media post by fellow member Arron Banks as "abhorrent racism", the paper reports. Banks' post was in response to a Plaid Cymru video which was fronted by a black community organiser.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.