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Many of the papers continue to focus on developments in the general election campaign. The Guardian reports that Labour is to unveil a “rescue plan” for the NHS in England, with a pledge to spend an extra £26bn. The paper says the proposal puts pressure on Boris Johnson to increase the money the Conservatives are committing to the NHS.
The Daily Mirror describes Labour’s proposals as a “10-point plan to save the NHS”. The paper previews a speech from shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth, in which he is expected to say that the NHS is “crying out for a financial rescue plan”.
The i also features the same story on its front page, adding that a “spending arms race” has begun between Labour and the Tories as they try to “outgun” each other.
In other election news, the Tories are celebrating a 14-point lead in the polls following Nigel Farage’s announcement that the Brexit Party will not stand candidates in the 317 seats won by the Tories at the last general election, reports the Daily Express. It comes as Boris Johnson prepares to give his first keynote speech of the election.
The Times leads on the same YouGov poll. The paper notes it is the first time Mr Johnson’s party has been on more than 40% in the pollster’s standard national polling since February.
The death of Lord Bramall, the former chief of the Armed Forces, who was falsely accused in 2014 of child sexual abuse by the paedophile and fantasist Carl Beech, is the Daily Mail’s front-page story. The paper says the “war hero” was “hounded” by police over the false claims and died without a single officer being held to account.
A photo of Lord Bramall also appears on the front of the Daily Telegraph, but the paper leads on another story – a pledge by the prime minister that a “clean energy revolution” would be one of the “prizes” of Brexit. The paper says the pledge will be made in Boris Johnson’s first policy-driven speech.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, will not join the Queen for Christmas, the Sun reports. The paper quotes a royal source as saying they “needed time away”.
The six largest accounting firms have been challenged by the government on their ability to survive a financial shock ahead of a possible industry break-up, according to the Financial Times. The letter was sent as the government considers whether to implement sweeping proposals by the competition regulator to improve choice and quality in the audit market, the paper adds.
The Metro leads on the jailing of an incestuous couple who murdered their two teenage sons and plotted to kill their other four children. Sarah Barrass and her half-brother, Brandon Machin, came up with a plan to poison the boys after fearing the authorities might find out they were in a relationship and take the children into care.
And finally, the Daily Star says Dame Emma Thompson and others are demanding people rent Christmas trees, scrap tinsel and wrap presents in scarves. “Dreaming of a woke Christmas” is the paper’s front-page headline.
The Guardian, the Daily Mirror and the i all lead with Labour’s plans for the NHS in England.
“Labour vows to outspend Tories with £26bn rescue plan” is the Guardian’s headline.
It says the election pledge would amount to a 4.3% annual rise in funding and would be paid for by higher taxes on companies and high earners.
The paper reports that the plans have been welcomed by health think tanks and organisations representing NHS staff, with the chief executive of the Nuffield Trust telling the paper it would mean the NHS could “breathe a sigh of relief”.
The i says the two parties are engaged in a “Battle for the NHS”, calling both parties’ plans a “spending arms race”.
Under the headline “Labour’s 10-point plan to save the NHS”, the Mirror says the proposals would mean new hospitals and surgeries, more staff and better equipment, and would – in the paper’s words – “repair the damage of a decade of Tory austerity”.
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A number of the papers lead on Labour’s plans for the NHS in England
The Telegraph leads on Boris Johnson’s promise that “Brexit will start a green revolution”, previewing what the paper says will be his first “policy-driven speech” of the election campaign later today.
It says he will steer the conversation back to Brexit by emphasising its benefits and positioning the Conservatives as “spearheading the drive to tackle climate change”.
The paper suggests emphasising the party’s green credentials is an attempt to appeal to Lib Dem supporters who might consider “lending their support to the Tories to keep out Jeremy Corbyn”.
The latest poll by YouGov is the main story in both the Times and the Daily Express.
The Times says the “Tories lead by 14 points after Farage climbdown”. The poll, it says, suggests the majority of Brexit Party supporters in Conservative-held seats will switch allegiance to Boris Johnson.
The Daily Mail explains that the poll only gave respondents the option of supporting the Brexit Party if it’s still running a candidate in their constituency. The new methodology shows the party’s share of the vote “plunging to just 4%”, it adds.
‘Whitewash’
In other news, the Daily Mail says an official independent review of the HS2 High Speed Rail project has been disowned by one of its co-authors.
The report, which was leaked by the Times yesterday, recommended that ministers commit to the project despite ballooning costs.
But Labour peer Lord Berkeley tells the Mail the report is a “whitewash” and has demanded his name be taken off it.
The Times says Lord Berkeley is a critic of the project who was included “to demonstrate balance”.
The same paper also reports on concerns from astronomers that their work is being threatened by the number of satellites being sent into space.
The Times says there’s particular concern about Elon Musk’s plans to launch more than 40,000 into orbit to provide internet services.
The fear is that light pollution from their reflective surfaces will obscure astronomers’ view of space.
The Times’ Thunderer column calls for the laws that govern space to be updated and tightened up, noting that “the night sky is the birthright of all humans”.
And finally, a number of papers carry the story of a rather unassuming five inch tall Chinese teapot with a broken lid that had spent years sitting on a shelf in a family home in Dorset.
Recently identified as having been made for an 18th Century Chinese emperor, it sold at auction for £1m.
The Mirror says the “spoutrageous” price caused something of a “brew ha ha”…
The Times reports that the seller was “in a state of sheer disbelief” at what the Sun calls their “nice little urner”.
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