Iran-Russia fears and 'pensioners £1,000 worse off'
The UK and US response to the Ukraine invasion is the focus of the Observer and the Sunday Times, following talks between Sir Keir Starmer and Joe Biden in Washington on Friday. It leads on fears raised by both nations that Russia has shared nuclear secrets with Iran in exchange for ballistic missiles intended to strike Ukraine. The Sunday Times splashes on five former Tory defence secretaries urging the PM to allow Kyiv to use long-range weapons inside Russia without US backing. Also featured is a claim that Starmer may have breached parliamentary rules by failing to declare that a party donor bought clothes for his wife, Victoria. No 10 said it had "declared further items" following "further interrogation". Ministers are considering scrapping the 25% council tax discount for single person households in next month’s Budget, reports the Sunday Express. It cites campaigners as saying this could leave pensioners “£1,000 worse off”. A Treasury spokesperson did not rule out the cut, saying decisions on how to "fix the foundations of our economy" would be "taken at the Budget in the round". A debate and vote on legalising assisted dying could be held within weeks, the Mail on Sunday reports. Keir Starmer is “privately paving the way” for a vote before Christmas after Dame Esther Rantzen appealed to him directly to push for a vote, the paper understands. The Sunday Telegraph accuses the government of planning to row back on its plan to restore the ban on sales of new petrol vehicles by 2030. Ministers plan to instead allow 20% of new car sales to be hybrids until 2035, the paper reports. A Department for Transport spokesperson called the report "untrue", adding that "the original phase out date included the provision for some hybrid vehicle sales between 2030-35". Extracts from Strictly Come Dancing 2024 contestant Pete Wicks's memoir top the Sunday Mirror. In it, Wicks recalls saving his mother's life aged 12, after she attempted to kill herself. The paper quotes Wicks as calling his mother the "strongest woman" he knows. TV Leigh: My bog was haunted by a ghost, is the headline on the Daily Star. Leigh Francis, the comic behind character Keith Lemon, says the the ghost resided in the downstairs loo of his former home. "That's enough to get you running for the toilet roll," the paper says. Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved.  The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.
It comes as the UN warns Iranian women still face violent punishment for not wearing the hijab.
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