'Burnham's triple shock' and 'City face expulsion'
Every front page on Wednesday is dominated by Prime Minister Andy Burnham's speech at the Labour Party conference. The Daily Mail describes it as "the most Left-wing speech by a PM since 1970s", after Burnham vowed to axe the state pensions triple lock by 2030 as part of his plan to help fund a new national care service. "Burnham's triple shock" declares the paper.
"Triple lock scrapped by 2030" reads the headline of the Daily Telegraph, which reports Burnham's pensions plan would replace the triple lock with a double lock. This means the state pension would increase by either inflation or a minimum of 2.5% - the link with wage growth will be scrapped. The front page also includes a story about Manchester City football club, which has been found guilty of charges related to breaches of the Premier League's financial rules."City face expulsion over £1bn cheating scandal," it says.
The Times says Burnham is staking his future on "free care for all", adding that in his speech, the prime minister admitted there would be a "political price" to pay but "someone has to go through the pain barrier and rip the plaster off". Describing the 70-minute speech as a "high-stakes gamble to win Labour a second term in power", the paper adds that it also saw Burnham pledge to reopen the Brexit deal with Europe and reform the voting system.
Burnham's own words lead the Daily Mirror, which reads: "I will build a Britain my dad would be proud of." The paper says that the "emotional PM's rousing message" was a "moment of hope" for Britons.
The Metro calls it "Andy's rallying cry", pointing to a moment during the speech which saw Burnham shed a tear as he vowed to make Britain "unstoppable". It came as the prime minister paid tribute to his father, Roy, whom he lost to Alzheimer's earlier this month.
The Express has taken a more skeptical view of Burnham's address to the Labour Party conference, launching a "crusade" to save the triple lock. The paper says he is betraying pensioners by getting rid of it, and betraying Brexit by seeking closer ties with the EU. "It's a crying shame for our nation," it writes.
Similarly, the Sun deems the prime minister's speech a "Locky horror show".
The i Paper includes the key details from Burnham's "extraordinary" speech, which it says saw cabinet ministers in tears. It adds that "billions are expected to be saved" by adjusting the way pensions are calculated.
"Burnham picks the lock" says the Daily Star, with the front page also dedicated to the prime minister's "plan for a 'new Britain'".
Burnham is pictured against a backdrop that reads "Hope again" on the front page of the Financial Times, which says the most unexpected part of Burnham's speech was when he suggested that Labour's three "red lines" on Europe could be "up for grabs" at the next general election. It says that the prime minister wanted to start a national debate about "options" for the UK's future relations with Europe - although the paper notes that it is "far from clear what outcome he favours".
