Editorial 30 August 2024.

Friday’s leads report on the latest from Downing Street with many papers assessing what the government’s plans to ban outdoor smoking in pubs will do to trading. Pub landlords have not welcomed the news and the traditional right-leaning publications dramatically claim it’s ‘the end of British pubs!’

The plans have put the Labour government on a collision course with the hospitality industry – which is already struggling. But the news has been welcomed by health experts. 

Working hours, the NHS and health studies also make Friday’s front pages along with a dose of showbiz and royal gossip. 

The back pages report on the latest Premier League gossip, the England National football team and Joe Root’s 33rd Test Century for England. 

‘Bonkers ban on outdoor smoking’

The Metro reports pubs have labelled the government’s idea to curb outdoor smoking as ‘bonkers’. The paper reports on the reaction from the hospitality industry, claiming some are angry with the plans. The paper has an interview with Tom Bott, the founder of London-based beer brewer Signature Brew, who says the plans will ‘further destabilise’ the industry, which is already under pressure. 

The Daily Express asks “Has Sir Keir sounded the death knell of our pubs?” The paper quotes Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick who questions why the prime minister is focusing on a smoking ban when the “country faces huge challenges”. 

The paper once again reports on Nigel Farage and his reaction to the latest from Downing Street. Farage says the proposals showed Labour tended towards state interference and said he “would not go to the pub ever again if these restrictions are imposed”.

The prime minister is now on a “collision course” with the hospitality sector, writes the Guardian. The head of the JW Lees Brewery, William Lees-Jones, is quoted as saying the idea was a “bolt from the blue” and has not been discussed with the industry. But the paper also goes on to say health experts and the public back the measure.

The Independent says the plans have left pubs and clubs ‘fuming’ but picks up on the prime minister’s argument that he needs to take action due to the ‘huge burden’ smokers put on the NHS. 

The Telegraph reports that workers are set to get the right to demand a four-day week. The paper says that under the plans the balance of power will be shifted with companies legally obliged to offer flexible working, except where it is not feasible. The paper quotes a Labour source as saying it could help productivity. Tories tell the paper businesses will be left “petrified.”

The Mail leads on another political story reporting the prime minister has removed a portrait of the late Tory PM Maggie Thatcher from a study inside No 10. The paper says the prime minister finds the portrait “unsettling.” The Tories have reacted with anger calling the PM “petty.” 

The Times leads on an NHS story saying the plan for the NHS to go into offices and workplaces in England to weigh and measure people as part of a drive to improve the nation’s health. The checks will be for the over forties and there will be a focus on getting men to come forward – as they are more likely to avoid going to the doctor. 

The Daily Mirror dubs the scheme as the “middle-age MoT.”

‘Extra sleep lowers risk’ 

Several of Friday’s papers report on the research which says people who catch up on lost sleep at the weekends may potentially lower their risk of heart disease by up to 20%. 

The Telegraph says the report demonstrates the importance of getting at least seven hours of sleep a night. 

The Mail says the research ends the argument of whether extra sleep is good or bad for you. 

Away from domestic politics, a handful of papers lead on showbiz news. 

The Sun leads with a report Prince William and Prince Harry attended their uncle’s funeral. The paper says Harry flew in and out of Britain in a ‘secret dash’. The paper quotes sources which say the princes sat at the back of the Church and did not interact. 

The Daily Mirror leads on the Taylor Swift attempted terrorist attack. CIA’s deputy director David Cohen said the terrorists planned to kill thousands- the news led to three of her shows being cancelled. Cohen described the plans as advanced. “They were ­plotting to kill a huge number, tens of ­thousands of people, at this concert, including I am sure many ­Americans, and were quite advanced in this. The Austrians were able to make those arrests because the agency and our partners in the intelligence community provided them with information about what this IS-connected group was planning to do.”