Newspaper headlines: School's prayer ban win and 'cig-free generation'

A variety of stories lead Wednesday's papers.

The Times reports that Greater Manchester Police is examining several allegations related to whether deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner submitted false information about her main residence to the electoral register. Ms Rayner was registered as living at a former council house until she sold the property in 2015, but appears to have given her husband's address when she re-registered the births of two of her children in 2010. Tax experts have suggested she may owe up to £3,500 in Capital Gains Tax - although she may owe nothing at all.

A source tells the Times that the investigation is "very well resourced" and not limited to a single issue. "There is a volume of material and a clear public interest to fully investigate," they say. Ms Rayner denies any wrongdoing and has said she will step down if she is found to have broken the law.

The main story for the Daily Telegraph is the parliamentary vote on the smoking ban and the fact that nearly half of Conservative MPs failed to support the measure. The paper notes that MPs were given a free vote on the Tobacco and Vapes bill, so the 59 who actually voted against it weren't officially classed as rebels. But it says the number of them will be seen as an indicator of dissatisfaction with the government's plans. The Guardian, too, says the vote exposed deep divisions within the Tory Party and that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has "suffered a blow to his authority".

"Cig-Free Generation", is the headline in the Daily Mirror. It says Britain now faces a smoke-free future after MPs voted for what is, in effect, a ban on smoking for today's youngsters. Inside, it argues that the move "could be the most significant health initiative in our era".

A number of papers lead with the news that a Muslim pupil has lost a High Court challenge brought against her school, north London's Michaela Community School, over a ban on prayer rituals. The Metro says the girl claimed the ban was discriminatory but that the school - known as Britain's strictest - argued that allowing prayer risked undermining inclusion.

The Daily Mail calls the decision a landmark court ruling, while the Daily Express says it is a victory for secular education. No one, the paper argues, should be able to demand their religion is treated exceptionally in a secular school.

The front page of the Daily Telegraph features a picture of Nigel Farage in Brussels, where on Tuesday police tried to shut down the National Conservatism Conference while he was speaking. The paper says the mayor of the city signed a court order demanding the event be shut down on the grounds that the speakers could cause public disorder. Writing in the paper, Mr Farage describes what he calls the "monstrous reaction" to the event as an updated form of Soviet Communism, allowing no other view. The paper itself says shutting down meetings taking an opposing view is straight out of Putin's playbook.

The Financial Times carries a warning from the chair of the US Federal Reserve, Jay Powell, that inflation could take longer to bring down in America than previously thought - and delay possible interest rate cuts. Data last week showed inflation in the 12 months to March was 3.5%, up from 3.2% in February. Powell said he wanted greater confidence that inflation was "moving sustainably" towards the bank's 2% target before cutting rates.

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