Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Friday’s front page covers a variety of stories including tensions over the post-Brexit trade deal for Northern Ireland, the prime minister’s plan to drastically cut civil service jobs and an employment tribunal ruling that insulting a man for being bald is sexual harassment.
The Daily Mail’s lead is the PM’s plan to cut 91,000 civil service jobs to free up cash to tackle the cost of living crisis. The PM tells the paper the civil service is “swollen” after growing during the pandemic and says the cost of government must be cut. The paper says slashing the number of jobs by a fifth would save about £3.5bn a year, freeing up resources for measures including tax cuts.
Lord Frost’s call for the PM to do the “right thing” in tearing up the Northern Ireland Protocol on post-Brexit trading arrangement, is the lead for the Daily Telegraph.
For the i , the paper reports that peers are ready to obstruct the legislation needed to scrap parts of the protocol, possibly delaying its implementation by up to a year.
Spiralling tensions over the future of Northern Ireland have prompted the White House to despatch a team of congressmen for meetings in London, Dublin, Brussels and Belfast, reports the Guardian.
Partygate fines are the lead for the Daily Mirror’s front page as the paper reports on yesterday’s fresh round of Westminster fines. The paper says Downing Street is now the home of the UK’s worst Covid law-breakers.
The paper says junior staff are not happy that they have to carry the load for Partygate and are preparing to reveal all about the PM’s handling of the pandemic to the public inquiry next year.
Several papers report on the ruling that insulting a man for being bald is sexual harassment.
After hearing a case between an electrician and the firm that dismissed him, three male judges are said to have noted their own lack of hair, as they concluded that insults about hair loss are also discriminatory because baldness is more prevalent in men.
“She’s Dame Debs” is the headline for the Sun, as it highlights the damehood being given to Deborah James, days after she revealed she’s receiving end-of-life care for bowel cancer.
The paper says her heart-wrenching honesty inspired the nation – in particular, Prince William – who the Sun says has been working hard behind the scenes to make sure she was given the honour. Deborah James tells the paper she’s blown away and that words can’t describe what it means for her family.