Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Thursday’s front pages are dominated by news that nurses have voted to strike for the first time in the 106-year history of the Royal College of Nursing.
Nurses strike over pay, conditions and staffing
The Times reports on the nurse’s strike – the action over pay and staffing levels – and warns that it could start “within weeks” and the NHS faces a “historic scale” of disruption. The paper claims that cancer treatment and children’s care could be affected by walkouts and that the action could last until spring.
The Daily Telegraph says the action is expected to impact around half of all hospitals and could result in thousands of operations being cancelled. The paper says No 10 has hit out at what it calls an “unreasonable” demand for a 17.6 per cent pay rise, adding that Labour has also declined to back the strikes.
The i newspaper claims No 10 is on course for a “bitter confrontation” with nurses over what it says could be up to six months of disruption. It also reports that the military could be drafted in to help keep services running. The paper adds that emergency services will remain staffed.
The left-wing papers take a more sympathetic view of the planned mass walkouts.
The Daily Mirror reports that nurses are being “forced to survive on patients’ leftovers” and highlights the story of one nurse who says she can’t afford hospital food. “This is why they’re striking,” the paper says.
The Daily Star refers to the applause for the work of nurses and other frontline staff early in the pandemic, saying “hard-up hospital heroes” have decided that “a jolly good clap won’t pay their bills during the cost of living crisis”.
US midterms 2022 & Matt Hancock enters the jungle
The Guardian reports on the US midterms for its lead story, saying the Democrats “defied expectations” and President Joe Biden looks set to get the best mid-term performance by an incumbent president’s party in 20 years.
The Financial Times says Americans have been unwilling to give a strong political mandate to either Democrats or Republicans. It adds, though, that the outcome will be a “comfort” to President Biden and has “dealt a blow” to Donald Trump’s ambitions of re-election in 2024.
Former health secretary Matt Hancock has officially entered the Aussie jungle – as part of the lineup for I’m A Celebrity. A lot of papers feature images of Hancock covered in muck after his first Bushtucker trial. “Slime a Tory celeb,” says the Daily Mirror. Both the Metro and the Sun brand the MP “Han-cockroach”.
