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Many of the front pages report on the Duke of Edinburgh’s admission to hospital. The Daily Mail describes it as a “helicopter dash” from Sandringham to London, adding that the duke has been battling a “flu-like condition” in recent weeks.
Prince Philip may spend Christmas in hospital and miss the Royal Family’s celebrations, the Daily Mirror reports. But the paper says the Queen went to Sandringham to begin the Christmas break, “calming fears on his health”.
“Lonely this Xmas” is the Sun’s headline, alongside a picture of the Queen arriving at King’s Lynn by train on her way to Sandringham. The paper says she faces Christmas without her husband, after the duke suffered what its sources describe as a bad fall.
The Daily Express’s front page is dominated by a headline celebrating what it calls the “historic moment Brexit finally begins”. The paper says the prime minister’s majority for his Brexit bill was a “spectacular victory”.
The vote was a “first step towards Brexit”, according to the Guardian’s headline. The paper quotes Boris Johnson saying that the country should abandon “the old labels of Leave and Remain”, which have dominated politics since the 2016 EU referendum.
The “first shots” have been fired in trade talks between the UK and the EU, says the Daily Telegraph, as Mr Johnson insists he will “abandon all EU rules” after the Brexit transition period. The paper quotes Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar saying this approach will mean a “harder Brexit”.
“We believed. We have done it.” These words from the family of Harry Dunne, who died in a hit-and-run collision, give the i newspaper its headline. Their reaction came after the decision to charge the wife of a US intelligence officer, who fled the UK, with death by dangerous driving.
The main story in the Times is an investigation into the national shortage of GPs, which the paper says has left some surgeries with one doctor for 11,000 patients. The paper says the worst affected areas have patients waiting nine weeks for an appointment.
Allegations that traders have misused a high-speed audio feed of Bank of England press conferences to gain an unfair advantage over rivals lead the Financial Times. The paper says the central bank’s inquiries are focusing on an obscure news provider with a registered address next to a fish and chip shop in east London.
And the Daily Star tugs at the heartstrings with an appeal to save a rescue puppy whose “wonky face” has left her struggling to find a permanent home. “Save our Wonky,” the paper pleads.
There’s much speculation on the front pages about why the Duke of Edinburgh was admitted to hospital yesterday.
The Daily Mail reports that he was flown from Sandringham to London by a helicopter, after battling “a flu-like condition” for several weeks.
The Sun says it’s been told the duke has suffered “a month of ill health” – including a “nasty fall”.
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Reuters
A police officer stands guard at the entrace to the hospital where Prince Philip is being treated
But the Daily Mirror says the Queen’s decision to continue with her Christmas plans, as scheduled, has “calmed” concerns about her husband’s health. Buckingham Palace has said he’s being treated for a pre-existing condition and that his admission to hospital is precautionary.
The paper’s royal editor, Russell Myers, says a senior palace aide told him a few weeks ago, that the duke was “extremely chipper” and “sharp as a pin”.
Boris Johnson’s Commons victory yesterday – which saw MPs back his Brexit deal – is covered by all the papers.
For the Daily Express it was “historic”, “spectacular” and “monumental” – offering final proof that Mr Johnson’s election gamble had paid off.
The Guardian’s sketch writer John Crace was less impressed. To him, Mr Johnson resembled a “Supreme leader” surrounded by “sycophants” – an “autocrat, disguised as a man of the people”.
The Daily Telegraph says Mr Johnson has “set up a showdown with Brussels” over a future trade deal, by saying the UK would not follow any EU rules after Brexit.
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Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament
Boris Johnson smiled on the Parliamentary benches as his Brexit deal was backed by MPs
The paper notes alignment is regarded as a “must” by the EU. A senior source in Brussels tells the paper that instead of his favoured “Canada-plus” style trade deal, Mr Johnson may end up with nothing more than “WTO-plus”.
Writing for the Daily Telegraph, the billionaire founder of Phones4You – John Caudwell – reveals that he donated £500,000 to the Conservatives, the day after clashing with the shadow chancellor John McDonnell on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
The paper recounts that Mr Caudwell told Mr McDonnell that nearly every wealthy person he knew was thinking of leaving the UK if Labour won the election.
The businessman says that Mr McDonnell said nothing to change his mind, leaving him with the impression the shadow chancellor was “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” who relied on “flawed and weak” arguments.
The Times reveals the findings of an investigation into the scale and impact of GP shortages. It says the worst-hit surgeries have more than six times the average number of patients per doctor.
It cites one of the most severely-affected areas as Maidstone in Kent, where one surgery reported having just one permanent family doctor for 11,000 patients.
Another practice, in Walsall in the West Midlands, had no permanent GP, with its 10,000 patients cared for by three locums. Health Secretary Matt Hancock tells the paper the government is “working hard to recruit and retain more doctors.”
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The Economist considers the appointment of Andrew Bailey as the new governor of the Bank of England.
It admits that although his predecessor, Mark Carney, was regarded by some as a “rock-star” central banker, Mr Bailey comes “without stardust”.
But it suggests this “solid, if unspectacular, technocrat with extensive management experience” may be exactly what the Bank needs.
The Financial Times agrees, saying investors can expect “stability and continuity” despite the “turmoil and disruption elsewhere – particularly around Brexit”.
And finally, BuzzFeed reports that Channel Four has banned its non-political journalists from tweeting about politics after a series of clashes with Boris Johnson in recent weeks.
The website says Mr Johnson’s aides have described the broadcaster as a “campaigner” and questioned its impartiality. A source at Channel Four says it is engaged in a “period of deep self reflection”.
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