The majority of the papers on Saturday focus on Reform UK following the party’s annual conference this week, with the Mirror’s headline reading: “Reform in chaos”. The paper says the conference “descended into a shambles” after a Channel 4 report reignited questions about party funding, and the keynote speech from leader Nigel Farage was hit by “delays and hecklers”.
The Times says Farage has “turned on two of his closest allies”, suspending senior aide Dan Jukes and Reform’s head of policy James Orr amid the “widening” police probe into “potential illegal foreign funding”. Undercover filming of Jukes suggesting a way to get around electoral law to secure a foreign donation of £500,000 was aired by Channel 4 on Thursday. Jukes denies wrongdoing and Orr says he will co-operate with the party’s internal investigation.
The weekend edition of the i Paper suggests “Reform insiders fear inquiry into donations”, reporting on anger inside the party after the donation allegations. It notes Farage is adamant Reform UK has not broken the law, but has admitted a level of “human error”. According to the paper, insiders have urged the Reform UK leader to find a “seasoned political professional” to advise him.
A photograph of Farage moments before his keynote speech is front and centre of the Guardian, which says the politician is attempting to “shore up his damaged leadership” by trying to distance himself from two of his most senior officials. The paper says the donations scandal “engulfed” the party’s annual conference, as the Metropolitan Police assess whether Farage, Orr and Jukes broke political funding laws. Sources told the Guardian it is “highly likely” that a full investigation will be launched. All three men deny wrongdoing, the paper adds.
Farage is quoted in the headline of the Daily Express, which reads: “Yes we absolutely must do better”. The paper says the Reform UK leader has admitted his party needs to “professionalise” after “loose pub talk”.
Chancellor John Healey has warned of a “tough first Budget” in an interview with the Financial Times. The newly appointed chancellor told the paper he would ensure the UK has a solid “buffer against uncertainty” amid the “dangerous” economic environment that has seen the UK and its allies suffer fiscal damage.
The Daily Telegraph leads on a “Dementia drug for healthy over-55s”. It reports middle-aged people with no memory problems are to be prescribed an Alzheimer’s drug in a trial aiming to prevent dementia, with the first participants expected to be screened from Monday.
The Daily Mail has accused Prime Minister Andy Burnham of being “too weak” to stand up to Argentina over its latest threat to “recover” the Falklands. The paper says Burnham “failed to respond” after Buenos Aires “escalated tensions to their highest level since 1982”.
The Sun says Oasis will perform another “massive UK tour” in 2027, citing a leaked schedule revealing 23 gigs across the UK.
The front page of the Daily Star is dedicated to a confession from Declan Donnelly, who said he once forgot to pay for an egg and bacon sandwich from Marks & Spencer.
The papers won’t be what Nigel Farage would have been hoping for after his speech to the Reform UK conference. The Times says it was overshadowed by an exposé about political donations, external, broadcast by Channel Four, while the Guardian talks about pressure on the leader, saying the party became engulfed by scandal., external Noting that Farage has admitted Reform needs to professionalise, the Daily Express quotes him as saying: “Yes, we absolutely must do better., external” For the Daily Mirror, Reform is “in chaos.”, external The headline in the Sun is more upbeat for Reform, saying Farage “hit back” with the message, “they’re scared of us”., external He described the undercover filming as “a prolongued exercise in entrapment”.
The Guardian says the Chancellor John Healey is acutely conscious of factors beyond his control that are severely limiting his room for manoeuvre in October’s budget. In an interview with the weekend edition of the Financial Times, Healey acknowledges that households are feeling cost of living pressures, just as firms are feeling the cost of business pressures., external The paper says he’s politically exposed after resigning as Defence Secretary, because his predecessor as chancellor, Rachel Reeves, would not commit to allocating three per cent of GDP to defence by 2030. An ally of Reeves texted the paper with the message “Lol”, the paper notes.
Writing in the Daily Mail, the former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson says Andy Burnham must “get a grip” and send reinforcements to the Falklands, external – after Argentina’s latest claim to the British-owned islands off its coast. The Daily Telegraph says it would take about four weeks to sail UK aircraft carriers the 8,000 miles, external to the South Pacific. The Sun says that for now, the only reason Argentina has confined itself to sabre-rattling is that its own army is so small.
The Daily Express pays tribute to the late sitcom actor Richard O’Sullivan as “the star who brought warmth and wit to millions.” The Mirror says the “Man About the House” star had effortless charm.
The Times reassures critics of the Bayeux Tapestry’s loan to the British Museum, external that two damaged threads could have been broken as long ago as when it was removed from its home in France last September, rather than during the move to the UK, this July. As if offering advice on how to fix it, the paper’s headline about the damage reads, “Darn it…”
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