London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 24, 2026

Newspaper headlines: Putin 'rips up treaty' and fruit and veg rationing

Newspaper headlines: Putin 'rips up treaty' and fruit and veg rationing

Wednesday's papers focus on the latest in the Ukraine conflict as well as UK supermarket shortages.


Several of Wednesday's front pages focus on the continuing conflict in Ukraine. The Times reports Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, has suspended its participation in the New Start treaty - the last treaty signed with the US with the purpose of limiting the number and deployment of long-range nuclear missiles, warheads and launch platforms by both nations. Mr Putin used his state of the nation address in Moscow to accuse the West of starting the war in Ukraine as a provocation against Russia, the paper says.



The Daily Mail turns its attention to comments instead made by US President Joe Biden during his visit to Poland. Mr Biden said Russia's invasion was an existential threat to freedom and democracy everywhere, the Mail reports. "President Putin's craven lust for land and power will fail and the Ukrainian people's love for their country will prevail," Mr Biden told a crowd of thousands in the Polish capital Warsaw, one day after his first trip to Ukraine as president.


The Mirror's front page takes a look from the frontline, ahead of the one-year anniversary of the conflict. "We are courageous, and we are right," student Nastasia tells the Mirror in Kyiv.


Away from Ukraine, many papers carry stories on some of the food shortages facing supermarkets across the UK. Asda and Morrisons have introduced rationing on some fresh fruit and vegetables, including tomatoes and peppers. Shortages are being blamed on adverse weather and transport difficulties in Spain and north Africa, where a significant proportion of food at this time of year hails from. The Express reports that rationing of some goods could last for weeks.


The Star reports that farmers are also warning of a shortage of potatoes and lettuce. 'Thin end of the veg' is its front page headline.


The Financial Times reports that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is exploring a 5% pay rise offer for public sector workers to end an escalating wave of strikes after the Treasury was given an unexpected £30bn windfall. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) called off next week's 48-hour strike in England to restart "intensive" negotiations with Health Secretary Steve Barclay, the paper reports.


Also focusing on public sector pay disputes is the Daily Telegraph. The paper is reporting that ministers believe public sector workers should receive a pay rise of 3.5% - an offer condemned by some unions as "pitiful".


More on the suspension of the nurses' strike from the Guardian, which describes the negotiations between the government and unions as unexpected. Both sides have made it clear that the first detailed pay negotiations since nurses began striking in December offer a real prospect that the growing campaign of industrial action by the RCN, and the disruption it is bringing for NHS services, could soon be at an end, the paper says.


The i newspaper reports that sources close to the prime minister have dismissed resignation threats from some junior ministers over his Brexit deal. Downing Street believes they will not follow through on those threats, the paper says.


The Sun reports that the family of a mum who went missing and took her own life is claiming she was failed by Lancashire Police - the same force in charge of the Nicola Bulley investigation.


And the Metro reports on the misconduct hearing of eight former and serving Met Police officers over offensive remarks shared in a WhatsApp group. Three former officers have admitted gross misconduct after being part of the group which shared sexist, racist and homophobic messages. The Metro reports that one of the officers, Sgt Luke Thomas, repeatedly mocked Harvey Price, the disabled son of Katie Price.

Tuesday's speeches by President Biden and Vladimir Putin feature prominently in the papers. "Putin signals the return of Cold War nuclear tests", is the Times' headline on the Russian president's state of the nation address. Described by the paper as a "fiery" two hours, Mr Putin used the speech to abandon Russia's arms control treaty with the US.

The Daily Mail opts for President Biden's words: "your lust for land and power will fail". The Financial Times says the speeches "sharpened the contrast" between the two leaders "whose legacies might be defined on the battlefields of Ukraine".

The i newspaper reports the prime minister has "faced down threats of dissent" over his plans to strike a new deal with the EU to govern post-Brexit trade in Northern Ireland. "Resign if you want to", is the message from Rishi Sunak to ministers thinking of quitting. There are rising hopes that a deal could be announced as soon as Thursday. One minister has told the paper talk of resignations was just "veiled threats" from those wanting to keep the PM on his toes.

The Daily Telegraph reports on submissions to independent pay review bodies, which suggest public sector workers should receive 3.5% wage rises next year. The Treasury is understood to believe that exceeding that figure would require deeper spending cuts, while exceeding 5% would fuel inflation.

But according to the Financial Times, the prime minister is exploring offering 5%, because borrowing is likely to be £30bn lower than expected. A Treasury memo seen by the FT also indicates that offering 5% would come with "low risk" of setting a benchmark for protracted high private sector wage growth.


Lancashire Police is under more scrutiny after its handling of the Nicola Bulley missing person case. The Sun reports on the plight of 23-year-old Kiena Dawes, who killed herself last year after suffering alleged domestic abuse. Her brother says she lost hope when her alleged attacker kept getting "constantly bailed". Having found her suicide note, the family accuse the force of not prioritising her case. Lancashire Police say it would be inappropriate to comment while criminal proceedings remain ongoing.

"We're fresh out", declares the Daily Mirror as it covers the rationing of fruit and veg at some supermarkets. The shortages are because of bad weather and transport difficulties in Spain and Morocco. One grocery expert has told the Daily Express that the disruption "is expected to last a few weeks".

Soaring energy costs are also hitting producers. According to the Daily Telegraph, British growers believe there has been a lack of foresight from supermarkets who have been overly reliant on overseas suppliers. The Daily Star is equally unimpressed, calling the crisis the "thin end of the veg".

And finally, "Sorry Kate, that's a flipping disaster!" is the Mail's assessment of the Princess of Wales' attempt to make a pancake at a nursing home. The paper says what she created looked more like scrambled eggs.

The Telegraph is also unenthusiastic: "Princess's pancake performance falls flat". There's sympathy for her efforts in the Express. The home's head chef is quoted as saying Kate was being too hard on herself and the reason why it went wrong was because the batter was too thick.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Tour de France Organizers Confirm Historic Grand Depart Featuring Edinburgh and Yorkshire Stages
National Cyber Security Centre Issues Urgent Alerts Following Global Security Vulnerability in Core Programming Software
Independent Energy Analysts Warn Great Britain Faces Highest Winter Power Tariffs in Europe
Major British Defense Contractors Commit to Delivering Forty Thousand New Apprenticeships and Training Placements
New Bradford Railway Station Infrastructure Project Approved to Transform Regional Transit Connectivity Across Northern England
Welsh Infrastructure Stakeholders Press Government for Accelerated Local Sourcing in Military and Uniform Manufacturing
Scottish Council Governance Crisis Triggers High-Court Legal Challenge Over Leadership Ouster Bid
High Street Bakery Chain Greggs Announces Major Factory Closures and Seven Hundred Job Cuts
Automotive Manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover Advances Advanced Defense Technology Partnership with European Allies
Treasury and Bank of England Officials Signal Persistent Concern Over Inflation-Driven Interest Rate Path
International Monetary Fund Upgrades United Kingdom Growth Forecast While Issuing Inflation Warnings
National Health Service Leaders Warn of Severe Capacity Pressures as Early Winter Respiratory Infections Surge
Government Issues Emergency Resilience Guidance Advising All British Citizens to Stockpile Essential Supplies
United Kingdom Private Sector Growth Beats Expectations in October Driven by Resilient Services and Manufacturing
Barclays to Cut Five Thousand Jobs in Major Artificial Intelligence Adoption and Cost-Cutting Overhaul
Piper Tomahawk Aircraft Crash Near Drymen in Stirling Claims Two Lives as Investigators Deploy
North Sea Transition Authority Approves Jackdaw Gas Field Production After Ministerial Authorization
Government Injects One Hundred and Forty Million Pounds to Expand Urgent Care Ahead of Winter Crisis
Department of Health Warns Further Pay Rises Will Derail National Health Service Waiting List Targets
Major Environmental Emergency Declared in South Wales Following Aerospace Kerosene Spill
Tank Barrel Production Returns to Britain as Defence Contractors Accelerate Domestic Rearmament
Government Approves Controversial Jackdaw Gasfield Development in the North Sea
National Health Service Maternity Safety Review Condemned Over Flawed Artificial Intelligence Integration
Dozens of United Kingdom Government Services Taken Offline Amid Critical Software Vulnerability
Barclays Announces Five Thousand Job Cuts Citing Artificial Intelligence Productivity Gains
Treasury Relaxes Post-Financial Crisis Accountability Rules for City of London Executives
United Kingdom Government Issues Unprecedented Guidance Urging Citizens to Stockpile Essential Supplies
United Kingdom Consumer Inflation Accelerates to Eleven-Month High Driven by Transport Costs
United Kingdom Public Sector Net Debt Breaches Three Trillion Pounds Ahead of Autumn Budget
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Commits Fifty Million Pounds to Establish Regional Artificial Intelligence Innovation Clusters
Ofgem Directs Major Energy Suppliers to Expand Vulnerable Household Support Funds Ahead of Winter Heating Season
Home Office and National Police Chiefs Council Unveil New Intelligence-Led Strategy to Tackle Organised Immigration Crime Networks
First Minister John Swinney Secures Scottish Parliament Approval for Comprehensive Climate and Green Energy Infrastructure Strategy
National Health Service England and Trades Union Congress Finalize Agreement on Emergency Winter Staffing and Pay Frameworks
HM Treasury and Department for Business and Trade Announce Multi-Billion-Pound Sovereign Investment Pact to Spur Regional Advanced Manufacturing
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey Signals Potential for Faster Interest Rate Cuts as Domestic Inflation Pressures Ease Below Forecasts
Parliamentary Inquiry Highlights Urgent Need to Address Housing Shortage as Scottish Completions Hit Eleven-Year Low
United Kingdom and Singapore Sign Comprehensive Financial Agreement to Deepen Digital and Sustainable Market Ties
Greggs Announces Plan to Close Four Manufacturing Facilities and Cut Seven Hundred and Forty Jobs
International Monetary Fund Raises United Kingdom Economic Growth Forecast While Warning of Inflationary Pressures
Energy Security and Net Zero Committee Urges Government to Shift Policy Costs Onto Gas to Lower Household Bills
Housebuilding Across Scotland Plummets to Eleven-Year Low Despite Government Pledges to Tackle National Housing Emergency
Greggs Announces Factory Closures Across Northern England and Scotland Affecting Seven Hundred Forty Jobs
United Kingdom and Singapore Conclude Eleventh Financial Dialogue in Singapore to Deepen Cooperation on Digital Finance and Capital Markets
Energy Security and Net Zero Committee Urges Government to Shift Policy Costs to Gas Bills and Tap Windfall Profits to Lower Consumer Prices
British Broadcasting Corporation Announces Major Cost-Cutting Overhaul to Close Linear Broadcast Services for Television Channels BBC Three and BBC Scotland Alongside Digital Radio Station BBC Radio Four Extra
London Capital Markets Face Renewed Scrutiny After High-Profile Offerings Underperform Post-Listing
Green Party Wins Historic First Westminster Parliamentary By-Election in Gorton and Denton
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds Unveils Sweeping Regulatory Overhaul for English Water Industry
United Kingdom Health Security Agency Confirms Thirty-Four Cases in Kent Meningitis Outbreak
×