Sunday newspaper round-up: Help to Buy, British Airways, Iran, Brontanax jet, UK constitution, UKGI, Ceuta, FIFA.


Andy Burnham has received a sizeable lift to the public finances after new figures showed the Treasury has made almost £2bn from George Osborne's Help to Buy scheme, The Times reported. Homes England's annual report revealed the exchequer has booked £1.24bn in profit from repaid equity loans, alongside £500m in interest payments. The combined £1.74bn windfall would be enough to fund a year‑long extension of the prime minister's temporary VAT suspension on energy bills. The disclosure comes as housing minister Matthew Pennycook is "actively reviewing" a potential Labour revival of Help to Buy.

Source: Sharecast

British Airways has spent a month without business‑class meals on flights to and from London City airport after a new catering contract misfired, The Times reported. BA has been handing out £20 prepaid cards to affected passengers to buy food before departure, while confirming its Cityflyer unit suspended onboard meals throughout July. The airline apologised and said catering would return "in the coming days". Economy passengers were unaffected, with dry snacks and drinks still available.

Donald Trump said he has held back from launching what he described as the heaviest US strikes of the conflict after Iran requested a pause to allow a potential peace agreement, The Telegraph reported. Trump wrote on social media that "the perimeters of a deal" had been agreed, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending Iran's nuclear threat. Trump said he accepted the proposal "for the future benefit of the world", but warned Tehran the US remained "locked and loaded".

BAE Systems' new Brontanax autonomous fighter jet will use an American engine after a pricing dispute with Rolls‑Royce, The Telegraph reported. The drone, unveiled last week as an "all‑British" contender for the RAF's loyal wingman programme, is being developed with support from more than 70 UK firms. Rolls‑Royce, traditionally central to domestic fighter programmes, was excluded following disagreements over costs, according to the report.

Andy Burnham said his government's sweeping devolution programme bolsters the argument for a written constitution, The Guardian reported. The prime minister said Britain's "antiquated" political system needed reform to ensure equal opportunity nationwide, and that decentralisation - including giving regional leaders greater control over finances - made a codified settlement more compelling. Burnham said the UK must devise a model that works for Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and English regions.

UK Government Investments has been urged to tighten security after a data breach left "high‑level management information" and personal details of 51 officials publicly accessible for nearly 40 hours, The Guardian reported. UKGI said an internal file was exposed after a staff member failed to follow security protocols. The incident, disclosed in its annual report, was escalated to the board and the Information Commissioner's Office. UKGI manages state holdings in companies including Channel 4 and the Post Office.

Spain criticised what it called a "selfish" reaction from EU partners after more than 60,000 people crossed into the enclave of Ceuta from Morocco, The Independent reported. More than 60 deaths have been recorded since Thursday's breach. Italy has temporarily suspended Schengen travel with Spain, backed by Finland and Denmark, prompting Madrid and 22 other EU states to call for an emergency ministerial meeting on Tuesday. Prime minister Pedro Sánchez warned the EU "cannot afford" polarising responses.

Fifa has abandoned its proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup and other tournaments to private investors following fierce opposition and boycott threats, The Independent reported. Uefa said its member nations would refuse to participate if the plan went ahead, with the Asian Football Confederation and Concacaf offering support. Despite Fifa insisting "nobody is selling football", the governing body backed down. Some association heads have since said president Gianni Infantino should step aside.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com

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