PMâs âpledgesâ and NHS faces âquad-demicâ
The prime ministerâs âplan for changeâ speech setting out key benchmarks to judge the government on leads several front pages. But the Daily Telegraph says Sir Keir Starmer has âwatered downâ two of his election pledges amid âsigns the economy is struggling in the wake of his tax rising budgetâ. The paper notes the PM promised to get 95% of energy needs from low-carbon sources by 2030, down from 100% previously. It adds a vow to secure the highest economic growth in the G7 has become an âaimâ.
The prime ministerâs plans to increase housebuilding and reform Britainâs âruinousâ planning system are leading the Times. Writing in the paper, the PM has vowed to prevent homes and infrastructure being âheld to ransomâ and attacked âblockers and bureaucratsâ who have âchoked offâ economic growth. The paper says Starmer has told ministers to draft plans to streamline environmental rules that can add millions in costs to development projects.
The i highlights Sir Keir telling the public to judge his government on whether living standards rise quickly, describing the PM as âgambling the next election on making voters feel better offâ. A source in Downing Street has told the paper âwe want people to judge us on deliveryâ and called for Labour to be given a chance to lead a âdecade of national renewalâ.
The Daily Mailâs political sketch writer did not take to Starmerâs speech, describing it as a âbingo hall parade of buzzwords and political nerdspeakâ. In his column featured on paperâs front page, Quentin Letts notes there âseven pillarsâ, âsix milestonesâ and âfive missionsâ and âthree foundationsâ in the remarks, but notes the absence of âone firm target to cut migrationâ.
The NHS is facing what heath chiefs are describing âquad-demicâ of emergencies this winter, with Englandâs hospitals âbusier than everâ for the time of the year. The paper reports that the number of people with flu in hospital has quadrupled compared to last year, while cases of Covid, norovirus and respiratory synctial virus are also rising.
The four major viruses threatening the health service also leads the Daily Mirror, which reports that hospitals are âbraced for a flood of patientsâ. Experts have urged those eligible for them to get seasonal vaccines, especially with Covid and RSV on the rise.
Metroâs front page is dedicated to the fatal shooting of a healthcare executive in New York. Under the headline âSmiling Assassinâ the paper features two CCTV images, one of the shooter and another released by police of a man in similar-looking clothing officers say is a person of interest. Metro reports the âgrinning gunmanâ left âa cryptic three word messageâ by writing deny, deny and defend on the bullet casings used in the shooting, which it says echoes the âtitle of a book exposing tactics used by firms to beat claimsâ.
A plan for a French firm to lead a break-up of Thames Water assets before the company is publicly listed on the stock market is the lead story in the Financial Times. The paper says a bid by UK infrastructure firm Covalis capital could see water firm Suez water company appointed to manage the struggling utility, which is âsaddled with ÂŁ19bn in debtâ and at risk of ârunning out of cashâ next year.
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