Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Monday’s front pages report on developments at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt and the possibility of a massive nurses’ strike in the UK.
Politics and entertainment also make several front pages – particularly the appearance of Matt Hancock in the ITV show I’m A Celebrity.
Floods and the upcoming US midterm elections also find themselves in today’s top news stories.
COP27 climate summit
Britain has opened the door to climate reparations with UK negotiators backing a late agreement to discuss “loss and damage” payments for countries affected by climate-related disasters, according to the Telegraph.
According to the Daily Mail, Ed Miliband has “sparked outrage” after he called on the UK to acknowledge its “historical responsibility” and send cash to countries hit by climate change.
The Guardian reports that the UK, US, Canada and Australia have fallen billions of dollars short of their “fair share” of climate funding for developing countries. In an editorial, the FT says the world needs to see is coordinated government action – especially by China and the US – at Cop27.
The Times says the government is to spend almost half of its foreign aid budget in Britain as migrants cross the channel and the Ukraine war is adding pressure. The paper says under Treasury rules, as much as £3.5 bn for refugees and migrants in the UK will be considered part of Britain’s contribution to international development.
The Daily Express leads with politics at home, suggesting that keeping the pensions triple lock is a matter of “Tory principle.” It quotes three former Tory ministers demanding that pensions are put at “the top of the list of priorities.” – amid fears that the party will lose the grey vote.
Strike by nurses
A possible strike by nurses also dominates today’s papers. The Telegraph says if there are strikes it would reduce the NHS to running a “bank holiday service” with patients facing cancellations – including chemotherapy and surgery. The paper’s editorial calls trade union, the Royal College of Nursing, the government and the opposition to come together to work out a viable future for the NHS before it collapses.
The i newspaper says the industrial action will hit A&E patients hard and it will test the resolve of the PM and chancellor on pay restraint.
Matt Hancock on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!
Away from politics, the Metro’s front page reports on what it calls a “bonfire night of mayhem” after a teen died in Halifax. The paper describes battles between police and teenagers in towns across Britain – turning bonfire night into a “war zone.”
The Daily Mirror leads with a blurred photo of an Australian pensioner – who they say is an exact match for Lord Lucan. He disappeared in 1974 and is suspected of murdering a nanny. The paper quotes a facial recognition expert saying that the algorithm making the connection is “never wrong.”
The prime minister has told the Sun newspaper that he is “very disappointed” with Matt Hancock for joining the hit UK reality TV show. PM Rishi Sunak says MPs should be “working hard for their constituents.”
