Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Tuesday’s front pages are dominated by several news stories. Many of the papers carry stories about the upcoming wave of strikes and the action being taken to reduce their impact. The death of the three boys – who died after falling into freezing cold water on a lake in Solihull also dominates the papers.
Solihull tragedy – ‘Rest in peace boys’
“Tragedy beyond words,” is the Daily Express’s headline. The Daily Mirror says “rest in peace boys” and along with several other papers, the front page leads with a photo of one of the young boys who died. The Sun says Jack, 10 died whilst trying to save the three other children.
Government plans to limit impact of upcoming strikes
The Daily Telegraph leads on government plans to block book taxis to use during ambulance strikes later this month. The cabs would be used for category three and four cases – such as an elderly person falling. The i newspaper reports the taxis would be paid for in advance by the NHS or the government. But the paper notes the use of taxis are likely to “heighten tensions” with unions, as taxi drivers would be crossing the picket line to drop off non-urgent patients.
Tory ‘decade of neglect’ to blame for NHS
The Guardian leads on a government report that blames a “decade of neglect” by successive Conservative governments for weakening the NHS to the point where it will not be able to tackle the waiting list for care in England. The report comes via the think tank The King’s Fund and says the NHS has too few staff, too little equipment and too many outdated buildings. The paper says the findings are embarrassing for the government because it was commissioned by the Department of Health last year.
Snow and ice grinds Britain to a halt
“Frozen Britain grinds to a halt” is the Daily Mail headline as it leads on the wintry weather. The paper says motorists are asking “where are the gritters,” after facing delays of up to eight hours in the snow. The Guardian quotes National Highways as saying it spread 960 tonnes of salt. The i newspaper suggests the lack of gritters could last for some time because of staffing shortages in the HGV sector.
