Editorial 06.12.24
Keir Starmer dominates Friday’s front pages after the prime minister pledges change for Britain. The papers suggest the PM is attempting to ‘reboot’ his premiership after a rocky start to life in No 10.
NHS warnings ahead of the winter bite with cases of flu and COVID already on the rise. NHS chiefs are calling on the public to take up their flu and Covid jabs to avoid the already busy hospitals becoming overwhelmed.
NYPD have released images of the man they are looking for in connection with the shooting death of a healthcare CEO in Manhattan. The newly released images make several of the paper leads.
There’s a dash of showbiz stories on the front and the back pages have a mix of football and F1 gossip.
‘Starmer pledges’
‘Starmer watered down two of his pledges as economy struggles,’ says the Telegraph.
The Daily Telegraph reports Starmer has “watered down” two of his pledges amid “signs the economy is struggling in the wake of his tax rising budget.” The first pledge to have changed concerns the PM’s vow to get 100% of energy needs from low-carbon sources by 2030. His revised pledge is 95%.
And his vow to secure the highest economic growth in the G7 is now simply an “aim.”
‘Starmer pledges to increase housebuilding,’ highlights The Times.
The Times reports Starmer’s pledges to increase housebuilding and reform Britain’s “ruinous” planning system. The prime minister writes in the paper that he will prevent homes and infrastructure being “held to ransom” and attacked “blockers and bureaucrats” who have “choked off” economic growth. The prime minister has told ministers to draft plans to streamline environmental rules that can add millions in costs to development projects, the paper adds.
‘PM plans to raise living standards quickly,’ notes the i.
The i newspaper says the prime minister told the public to judge his government on whether living standards rise quickly. The paper says the PM is “gambling the next election on making voters feel better off”. A No 10 source tells the paper “we want people to judge us on delivery” and called for Labour to be given a chance to lead a “decade of national renewal”.
‘Starmer pledges are just buzzwords and political nerdspeak,’ says the Mail.
The Daily Mail calls Starmer’s pledges a “bingo hall parade of buzzwords and political nerdspeak.” The paper’s political writer notes the “seven pillars”, “six milestones” and “five missions” and “three foundations” in the speech, but notes the absence of “one firm target to cut migration”.
‘PM ignores the UK’s biggest problem… immigration,’ says the Express.
The Express also highlights the lack of plans for tackling immigration. It says campaigners have accused the PM of “ignoring” the “biggest problem” facing the UK.
‘NHS warning as winter bites’
‘Four major viruses threatening the NHS this winter,’ says the Mirror.
Daily Mirror says “We’re four it now” using its headline to highlight the massive rise in flu cases so far. The paper says there are four major viruses threatening the NHS this winter and hospitals are bracing for a “flood of patients.” Experts have called on the public to get their seasonal vaccines, especially with Covid and RSV on the rise.
‘England’s hospitals busier than ever this winter,’ reports The Guardian.
The Guardian quotes health officials who say the NHS is facing a “quad-demic” of emergencies this winter, with England’s hospitals “busier than ever”. The number of people with flu in hospital has quadrupled compared to last year, while Covid, norovirus and respiratory syncytial virus are also rising, the paper adds.