Newspaper headlines: 'Burnham's 'blast at Blair' and 'Labour plans welfare shake-up'
BBC News·2026-05-29·via BBC News
BBC
"Burnham backs state control in blast at Blair" reads the front page headline of the Times. It summarises the Greater Manchester mayor's statement saying "neoliberalism has failed Britain" and quotes Burnham as saying economic success was achieved in Manchester "through a very interventionist" approach.
The i Paper also runs the story of Burnham, who it says "hits back at Blair and Starmer" in its lead spot. It says he accused the former Prime Minister Sir Tony of "failing to understand the cost of living crisis". Burnham is also quoted as saying that the "London set" has "run Labour for too long".
The Guardian reports on Labour's plans for a "welfare shake-up". This has been prompted by the "scale of youth jobs crisis revealed" in former Health Secretary Alan Milburn's recent report. Also on the front page, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "tells army to take 70% of Gaza".
The Independent higlights the "shame of Britain's broken promise to lost generation". It follows Milburn's report that it says described an "'anxious generation' trapped in their bedrooms".
The Daily Telegraph also leads with the decision on prostate cancer screening, saying the former Prime Minister Lord David Cameron "attacks plans" after he revealed last year he had been treated for the cancer. Also on its front page, a photo of Dame Helen Mirren who the paper says experienced an "anti-Semitic street attack", which the police are treating as a hate crime.
The Daily Mail highlights a "decision that will 'condemn thousands to death'," on its front page. It reports that health advisers have rejected calls for a mass prostate cancer screening programme. Elsewhere, "police treated innocent victim Henry as a racist, then handcuffed him as he lay dying".
On the same theme, the Daily Express leads with "Jewish people don't feel safe on British streets." The story comes after the British Museum postponed a Jewish history lecture when it learned of planned pro-Palestine protests and the paper says it has been accused of "running scared". On new snaps of singer Susan Boyle with blonde hair, it asks "Sue's that girl?"
The Financial Times carries further reporting on the ousting of BP's chair Albert Manifold. It says he "clashed" with the company secretary Ben Matthews before being removed. The FT is also splashed with a photo of a fireball in Tyre, southern Lebanon as it says "Israel steps up Lebanon blitz".
"It's all kicking off" writes the Sun as Fifa's ticket hikes are "probed". It says three US states are pursuing legal action against the World Cup organisers after claims it has "pushed up" ticket prices "by limiting supplies and switching categories."
Metro leads with the news of a "cocaine kingpin" and his associates who are now "behind spas!" It reports that members of Paddy Nolan's drug gang "splashed illicit cash on wellness treatments and luxury".
After "pub death horror," the Daily Mirror says "flags group 'founder' charged with murder". Billy Allison, who it says was a founder of the Raise the Colours group, faced court after a man died following reports of two people being punched in a pub.
From the Daily Star, "top boff's World Cup Ebola alert" is the top story. England's Kansas City base received the alert, it says.
The Guardian says Labour is "poised for a fresh attempt at welfare reform", after Alan Milburn published his interim report on youth inactivity. The Financial Times says he's insisted that there's "appetite" within government for changing the benefits system. But the paper also highlights concerns from the Labour chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, Debbie Abrahams. She warns that any changes could "potentially undermine youth employability by driving up child poverty or exacerbating underlying health conditions".
The Times leads on what it calls Andy Burnham's "riposte" to Sir Tony Blair - who has warned Labour against moving further to the left. The mayor of Greater Manchester, who is expected to challenge Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer if he wins the Makerfield by-election, says "the fall in the living standards of millions" is a "gaping omission" in Sir Tony's analysis. A full list of the parties who have so far announced their candidates for the by-election can be found on the BBC News website.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron has criticised proposals to limit prostate cancer screening to only a few thousand men, according to the Daily Telegraph. Lord Cameron, who revealed last year he had been treated for the disease, has described the plan as a "a real step backwards". Another prostate cancer patient, the Soho House founder Nick Jones, tells the Daily Mail that the decision "feels mind-boggling". In the Daily Mirror, the executive director of Cancer Research UK acknowledges the move will upset many, but says the blood tests used to detect the disease are "not effective enough to support wider screening".
The Sun says Fifa is facing legal action from at least three US states over claims it has pushed up World Cup ticket prices by limiting supplies and switching categories. An investigation by the paper has also revealed some venues have sold fewer than half their seats, less than two weeks before the competition kicks off. The Sun says it approached Fifa for comment.