Editorial 14.03.2025
Most of Friday’s front pages reports PM scraps NHS England and will bring the health service back under government control over the next two years. Many papers report on the amount of job losses the changes could see and how much cash that could free up.
On the international front, there’s room on almost all the front pages to reports that Russian President Vladamir Putin has agreed in principle to a ceasefire in Ukraine but has set out strong terms. He has also rejected having a direct phone call with Donald Trump, who has imposed more sanctions on Russia in a bid to get Putin to accept the US-proposed ceasefire deal.
The UK back pages report Manchester United’s Europa League match last night, which saw the Red Devils bounce back after going down 1-0 early on.
PM scraps NHS England
‘Thousands to lose jobs and upheaval could distract from true goals,’ says The Times.
The Times says thousands of workers are set to lose their jobs after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announces the government will abolish NHS England over the next two years. The paper picks up on comments from health leaders who have warned the upheaval could distract from goals like cutting wait times.
‘PM pledges to take health system back to democratic control with support from Tories,’ says The FT.
The Financial Times reports the prime minister has pledged to take the heath system “back to democratic control” with support from the Conservatives. The paper argues that abolishing NHS England leaves a lot of unanswered questions about how the health service will be run once ministers take direct control.
‘High stakes push to improve care after disastrous 2012 Conservative reorganisation,’ says The Guardian.
The Guardian calls it a “high-stakes” push to improve care saying the health secretary Wes Streeting is quoted as saying the move is the “final nail in the coffin of the disastrous 2012 reorganisation.”
‘Not the grand health reform and the savings will be modest,’ says the editorial.
In its editorial, the paper says the measure is not quite the grand health reform you’d want from a Labour government and instead more a “strategic positioning exercise” and the savings made will be “modest.”
‘Shock move from prime minister who called the NHS England flabby,’ says the Metro.
The Metro calls the announcement a “shock”, saying the prime minister took aim at what he called the “flabby, unfocused” quangos.
‘NHS revolution means hundreds of millions of pounds will be freed up,’ reports the i.
The i calls it the “NHS revolution”, saying the “takeover means buck stops” with health secretary Wes Streeting, as the government says the move will free up “hundreds of millions of pounds” for frontline services.
‘Patients to be put before NHS bureaucrats,’ reports the Mail.
The Daily Mail welcomes the news with open arms, saying “patients to be put before NHS bureaucrats” in the planned shake-up to ditch the “world’s largest quango” as the government aims to slash red tape and improve care.
In its editorial, it adds the government’s rhetoric “will have gladdened the heart of any meritocratic small-state Conservative”.
Putin accepts ceasefire in principle
‘Putin knocks back idea from Americans, has questions for Trump before truce,’ says the Telegraph.
The Daily Telegraph reports on Russian president Vladimir Putin’s response to the proposed 30-day ceasefire in the Ukraine war. The paper says Putin “knocked back” the idea from the Americans and quotes he has “serious questions” that he needs to discuss with Trump.
‘Putin wants peace on his terms only,’ says the Express.
The Daily Express frames it as Putin wanting peace “but only on my terms” with the Russian leader saying “there are nuances” in response to a proposed temporary ceasefire. “I will agree truce but only on my terms,” reads the paper’s headline.
The former Conservative defence minister and British Army officer, Tobias Ellwood, has taken to the Express to say we are “no closer to a workable ceasefire than when President Trump assumed office”.
‘Putin dealt a blow to hopes of an immediate pause,’ reports The Times.
The Times says Putin’s response “dealt a blow” to any hopes that an immediate pause in the fighting would happen after he said he wouldn’t back a deal that allows Kyiv to rearm and regroup.