The Daily Mail reports Chancellor Rishi Sunak will use his Budget next week to create a “post-lockdown boom” with the stamp duty holiday extended, VAT slashed for hospitality and the 5p fuel duty hike axed.
Schools could see widespread grade inflation this year as teachers will be allowed to reward results following last year’s exams fiasco, according to The Times.
A group of senior Tory MPs are urging the chancellor not to hike taxes when he reveals his Budget next week, cautioning that families and firms should not be burdened as they try to bounce back from the pandemic, according to the Daily Express.
GCSE and A-level exam results will be brought forward this year in a bid to avoid another year of exams chaos, writes The Independent.
The i reports that a rise in COVID rule-breaking has prompted officials to launch a new campaign encouraging people to “stay at home” as lockdown fatigue kicks in.
Teachers will have extended powers to decide exam results in England this year and will be not required to use previous results as a guide under new government plans, The Guardian says.
The Daily Mirror reports that some children may not be back in the classroom on 8 March due to the “huge logistical challenge” of setting up COVID-19 testing.
Finally, something to look forward to… Reading and Leeds festivals will be going ahead this year with some acts signed up already, says Metro. More on this story here.
India’s prime minister Narendra Modi has renamed the world’s largest cricket stadium after himself – a move branded by critics as the “height of narcissism” – according to The Financial Times.
