Several of Friday's paper report that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is preparing to announce measures that prioritise the interests of car owners.
The Guardian says he is planning to put "car drivers first" in a "new election battle line" by limiting the number of 20mph speed restrictions. The Daily Telegraph says the changes will be unveiled at next week's Conservative Party Conference as part of what it refers to as a "plan for motorists". The paper says Mr Sunak is set to scale back schemes that limit vehicle usage on residential streets – known as Low Traffic Neighbourhoods – and make it easier for motorists to challenge parking fines.
Analysis by the Institute of Fiscal Studies about the rising tax burden features in several of the papers. The Times says the shift to higher taxes under the Conservatives "may never be reversed". Former prime minister Liz Truss tells the Telegraph that the "unprecedentedly high tax burden is one of the reasons that the British economy is stagnating". The Daily Mail's leader column says Rishi Sunak "insists he is at heart a tax-cutting Thatcherite," but then asks: "When might we expect him to prove it?"
The i reports that private schools are planning to use a loophole to get round Labour's plan to charge 20% VAT on school fees if it wins the next election. The paper says headteachers are urging parents to pay their fees years in advance to escape the tax. It says critics warn the workaround would "benefit the wealthiest families".
Many of the front pages carry pictures of Elianne Andam, the 15-year-old girl who was stabbed to death on her way to school in Croydon, south London, on Wednesday morning. The Sun says she had hoped to become a lawyer, and quotes her family as saying: "All those dreams have now been shattered." The Daily Mirror says police officers "fought back tears" while attending a family tribute at the scene of the stabbing on Thursday night.
The felling of a 300-year-old tree that stood in the Sycamore Gap in Hadrian's Wall is described as "mindless vandalism" on the front page of the Daily Mail. The paper notes that the tree featured in 1991 blockbuster Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and describes it as among the most photographed trees in the world. The Guardian quotes the police and crime commissioner for Northumberland as saying the felling of the tree was like "stealing joy".
The Financial Times reports that the makers of AI tool ChatGPT are in talks with former Apple designer Sir Jony Ive to build the "iPhone of Artificial Intelligence". The paper, which has spoken to three people familiar with the plan, says the venture is being fuelled by more than £1bn of funding from Japanese investment firm SoftBank. There's no comment from any of the firms said to be involved.
And the Times reports on research that's matched viewing habits with personality types, concluding that people who binge-watch television are more likely to be empathetic. The study, by the Radio Times, questioned more than 20,000 people and found that those who preferred traditional television schedules over streaming were more "conformist and obedient". And radio lovers had more overall life satisfaction.
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