Sunday papers – Brexit blow as trade slumps & 12-hour A&E wait

There’s a variety of stories featured on the front pages. Some of the big stories include the Brexit blow as trade slumps and the NHS A&E waiting times. There are stories on the PM’s plans to show he’s tougher on key issues than the public thinks, and the upcoming strikes, amid research that shows Labour is trusted in almost all areas of policy. 

‘Setback for Brexiteers’ 

The news that since Britain signed its post-Brexit trade deal with Japan, exports to the country have fallen is featured on the front page of the Observer. The paper calls it a “significant setback” for Brexit supporters. The Department for International Trade said Covid-19 had had a significant impact and the agreement could still increase trade by nearly £16bn.

The Mail on Sunday reports on a pledge by the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer not to cross what he calls the “red line” of bringing back freedom of movement for EU citizens.

He tells the Mail that “ripping up the Brexit deal would lead to years more wrangling”.

He suggests that Rishi Sunak wants to renegotiate the agreement.

More than 4,000 patients a day are spending more than 12 hours waiting in A&E departments, according to the Sunday Telegraph. 

Dr Adrian Boyle, head of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said he is “very worried” about the numbers dying, with hospitals overcrowded and unable to cope with the volume of people seeking help.

‘Conservative brand is in a bad state’ 

The former deputy chairman of the Tory party, Lord Ashcroft, suggests that he has never seen the “conservative brand” in such a bad state. He writes in the Mail, that his research suggested Labour is trusted in nearly all policy issues. 

PM Sunak is planning a series of announcements to show the public he’s tougher than they think, according to the Times, he will start by asking police to crack down on protesters like the Just Stop Oil group.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Transport Secretary Mark Harper calls for what he describes as “grown-up” negotiations to try to avoid the Christmas rail strikes.

He says he will work to “improve communication between the negotiating parties”.

The Telegraph likens his approach to that of the Labour Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, tackling the industrial disputes of the seventies with what it calls a “beer and sandwiches charm offensive”.