Editorial 18 August 2024.
The Sunday newspaper front pages cover mostly domestic news including the latest from Westminster and the return of the Premier League. There’s a light peppering of showbiz and royal stories, several reports on the NHS and other domestic topics.
‘How many OAPs will freeze this winter?’
The Sunday newspaper front pages cover mostly domestic news including the latest from Westminster and the return of the Premier League. There’s a light peppering of showbiz and royal stories, several reports on the NHS and other domestic topics.
The Observer leads on domestic politics. Liz Kendall, work and pensions secretary, calls for a drastic overhaul to fix a “broken” back-to-work system. She told the paper the task was “one of the biggest challenges the country faces.” A near-record of 2.8 million people are out of work due to long-term sickness.
The Sunday Telegraph leads on comments from the health ombudsman that clapping the NHS during the pandemic may have been dangerous because it put the organisation “beyond criticism”. Rebecca Hilsenrath calls on the public to not treat the NHS as a “national religion” and calls on its leaders to change the culture and listen to those whom it fails. Her office has sent evidence to an investigation of the NHS – set up by health secretary Wes Streeting. It will be published next month.
The Independent has an exclusive on its Sunday front page. The paper says the NHS has issued a warning over nine key medications for mental illnesses while medics have been told to avoid prescribing ADHD medication to new patients.
The Mail on Sunday is politics-focused too. The paper says the Labour government’s decision to settle public sector wage disputes will leave Britain with a £14bn bill. The paper says it has seen analysis that the cost of pay deals for GPs, teachers and other workers will be far more than the £10bn set aside by the chancellor.
The Sunday Express claims the chancellor has “buried” a report which reveals the impact of axing winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners. The headline reads: “How many OAPs will freeze this winter?” The paper claims that the chancellor has ordered the assessment of how making the payment means-tested would hit vulnerable people but is refusing to make it public.
The Sun on Sunday leads on royal news saying King Charles is axing Prince Andrew’s 10-strong private security team from his Royal Lodge in Windsor.
England and Man City footballer Kyle Walker is the lead for the Sunday Mirror. The paper says he is speaking with lawyers regarding social media posts by Lauryn Goodman, the mother of two of his children.
The Sunday Times is one of a few papers leading with international news. The paper has spoken to Russian troops captured by Ukrainians during Kyiv’s incursion across the border. “Don’t shoot we’re conscripts” is the headline. One of the captured, a 22-year-old architecture student reveals that he had never expected to find himself in battle, having been told only that his compulsory military service would be spent training.
