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12 hours ago
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The papers continue their focus on the Iran war and its economic fallout. The Guardian leads with an update on Donald Trump's deadline extension to re-open the Strait of Hormuz from five to 10 days as he claims Iran talks are "going very well". The paper reports that Trump's "threat" to attack a power plant in Iran is being pushed back to 6 April, after oil prices rose because of Tehran's blockade of the vital waterway.
The Times adds that Donald Trump said the extension was "requested by Iran", which he earlier thanked for allowing "10 Pakistani-flagged oil tankers to leave the Persian Gulf unharmed".
"Donald Trump has insulted the UK's aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, saying they are 'toys' compared to US ships," the Metro reports in its top story. The US president also "lashed out at Nato for doing what he called 'absolutely nothing' to assist in the Middle East conflict".
The Financial Times leads with a warning from the OECD that the UK faces the "biggest hit to growth" from the Middle East war of all G20 economies. The paper says that the global economic alliance downgraded its 2026 UK growth forecast to 0.7%, from 1.2%.
The i writes that "UK faces triple shock of inflation, weak growth and energy crunch" as a result of the war in the Middle East. The inflation forecast rises to 4%, which it says is double the Bank of England's target.
Continuing with the latest OECD outlook, "Britain's economy is the worst hit by Trump's Iran war" is the Independent's takeaway.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail leads with accusations Chancellor Rachel Reeves is "profiteering from rising fuel prices", citing the Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch and "Britain's top business chiefs" who say she is "raking in soaring tax receipts".
The Daily Mirror leads on new official guidance recommending one hour of screen a day for under-fives. "Parents of under-5s told to cut back on TV & tech to aid development" is the way its headline sums up the story.
The Sun also leads with the new screen time recommendation, quoting Sir Keir Starmer on the front page who says he hopes the expert advice "would help parents in the 'battle' over the use of devices". The prime minister "is still deciding on a total social media ban for under-16s", it adds.
The boss of National Savings and Investments has been forced out of his job "amid growing fears of a cover-up," the Daily Telegraph says in its headline story. According to the paper's investigation, it found approximately £476m belonging to 37,500 dead savers had been withheld from their families. The BBC understand that NS&I's focus is likely to be on reuniting bereaved families with money it holds.
The headline in the Daily Express is "Labour's 'bad choices' causing lost jobs". The paper reports an assessment that official figures show 33,005 hospitality businesses have closed since Rachel Reeves's "tax-raising budget". In response, the paper quotes the chancellor who says: "The decisions we have taken have put us in a better position to protect the country's finances and family finances from global instability."
Finally, the Daily Star says "fake World Cup kits could make you ill". The caution from experts "comes amid fears fans will turn to replicas with dangerous chemicals over pricey official strips".
