'Police could get power to ban protests' and 'PM must come clean over China'

The lead story on Monday's Times front page is Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood saying that police could be given the power to ban protests outright, external. The proposal comes after the organisers of pro-Palestinian rallies refused to postpone demonstrations against the Israel-Gaza war after an attack on a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday, the Times reports.

The Guardian also leads on the proposal for police to have greater "anti-protest powers". Its story focuses on the alarm the proposal has set off among civil liberty groups, external, with two Labour MPs expressing concern. The paper carries an exclusive report that China "threatened to retaliate against the UK government if ministers targeted parts of its security apparatus under foreign influence rules".

Many of the papers look ahead to the Gaza ceasefire talks in Egypt. "Waiting game" is the headline in The Express. "Crunch talks" says The Financial Times, external. The Guardian says optimism about a potential ceasefire has grown across the world, with Western and Arab leaders urging both Israel and Hamas to come to a deal. A group representing the families of the hostages still held in Gaza, is quoted in the i Paper as saying "we are in decisive days".

The Daily Telegraph says the Conservatives believe Labour have "serious questions to answer", external about the collapse of a Chinese spying case last month. The paper says the Tories are calling for an explanation after claims emerged that Sir Keir Starmer's national security advisor, Jonathan Powell, told senior officials that Beijing would not be deemed an "enemy" of Britain at the trial. The same story is also on the front page of The Daily Mail, which says Mr Powell might have to answer questions from MPs about the case, external. Downing Street says the decision to drop the charges is solely a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service.

The Financial Times reports that Reform UK is poised to raise council tax in Kent, external, one of the 10 councils it took control of in the local elections in May, as the party "struggles to find big savings" under an Elon Musk-inspired cost cutting drive. Reform's cabinet member for adult social care on Kent County Council, Diane Morton, told the paper that services were "already down to the bare bone". The paper also reports that "gold-plated fomo", external - fear of missing out - felt by investors has stoked a record-breaking surge in the price of gold bullion.

Ahead of the Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is looking into raising taxes on bank profits to raise two billion pounds, external, the i Paper reports. The government has refused "to confirm or deny that the tax will be implemented", the story notes.

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