Brexit blowback and council cash crises are among the stories making the headlines in Thursday’s papers.
The Times leads with lingering problems with funding local authorities, saying that the richest county council – Surrey – is facing a £100 million gap between the money it expects to receive in the next financial year and the money it expects to spend.
George Soros leads the Daily Telegraph, with a story about how the billionaire is backing a campaign to “overturn Brexit”.
The Guardian reports on “secret economic analysis” about Brexit, suggesting that leave-voting areas in the West Midlands and north east would be worst affected as leaving the bloc causes an £80 billion hole in public finances.
The Financial Times carries the latest on the stock market, saying that London is the worst-performing major market in the world this year.
Research on the increasing availability of lower strength alcohol leads the Metro, with the study warning products may simply increase the amount of alcohol people consume.
The i leads on a report about young migrants who hope to cross the Channel into the United Kingdom.
And the Independent carries a leaked report which allegedly says one in five people working in Parliament have experienced sexual harassment in the last year.
Jon Venables’s prison sentence for indecent images of children leads the Sun and the Daily Mirror, with the former reporting James Bulger’s mother’s fury at the sentence.
The Mirror reports on James Bulger’s father, who has urged the authorities to remove the lifetime anonymity given to Venables.
The Daily Mail reports the average council tax bill is set to increase by £100, calling the rises “punishing”.
The Daily Express runs with a similar story, saying that 19 out of 20 local authorities will put their bills up.
And the Daily Star reports that February 14 will be a chilly day – and Champions League football may lead women being given the cold shoulder by their partners.