Newspaper headlines: 'April Cruel Day' as prices rise on 'Bleak Friday'
BBC NewsStaff
For 1 April, the Daily Mirror carries the headline "April Cruel Day". The energy price cap - the maximum that suppliers can charge households - is being raised and National Insurance, council tax and other bills will also increase this month, says the paper. The Mirror urges the chancellor to "act now".
The Guardian calls it "Bleak Friday" and reports that millions of customers attempted to provider meter readings ahead of price hikes, causing websites of big energy suppliers to crash. It says "as the clock struck midnight", average annual energy bills for households rose to £1,971.
Similarly, the i leads on the cost of living crisis - reporting that that Conservatives are accusing Chancellor Rishi Sunak of being "politically naive". It says an ex-cabinet member is predicting "Sunak's leadership chances are over" as 2.5 million people will fall into "fuel stress".
The Metro also focuses on the energy company website outages. One firm attempted to blame consumer champion Martin Lewis, who encouraged customers to register readings, it says.
"Pain in the gas," says the Sun, as energy bills soar by an average of £700. It says "blackmailing" Russian President Vladimir Putin threatens to send energy prices even higher by "turning off Russian gas supplies".
The lead story in the Financial Times reports on the decision by US President Joe Biden to release record quantities of oil from emergency stockpiles in a bid to cool crude prices. Some 180 million reserve barrels have been deployed, says the paper.
The Daily Mail reports the Duke of York has been named in a High Court case after a Turkish millionairess was allegedly tricked by a businessman into giving the prince £750,000. The paper says Prince Andrew has since repaid the cash.
The Daily Telegraph leads on the same court case. The paper quotes a spokesman for the Duchess of York, who is also reported to have received money linked to the businessman, saying that she was completely unaware of the allegations that have since emerged.
The Times says the UK is concerned the United States, France and Germany will push Ukraine to "settle" and make significant concessions in peace talks with Russia. "Don't back down, Ukraine urged," reads its headline.
The Daily Express reports figures suggesting that average UK house prices have surged by £33,000 in a year. Values rose at their fastest rate in 18 years and the boom is set to continue, says the paper, adding that the rise was more than the average UK salary.
The Daily Star carries the headline: "Eggpocalypse Now!" Rises in production costs threaten to put hundreds of egg farmers out of business and spark egg shortages, says the paper.
