Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Many of Tuesday’s front pages report on Tuesday’s four-day doctors’ strike in England that could see thousands of doctors strike and many patients having operations cancelled. Joe Biden is pictured on several of the newspapers this morning as he heads to the island of Ireland to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Several of the tabloids lead with reports that the late Queen wanted both Prince William and Prince Harry to go to Afghanistan, but it was later ruled too dangerous for the future king.
The Daily Telegraph reports that PM Rishi Sunak is planning to hold the next general election in the autumn of next year, with October and November 2024 provisionally circled, believing that this timing would give him the best chance of victory.
Junior doctors in England have gone on a four-day strike over pay, causing widespread disruption to NHS services. “Don’t get ill!” is the stark warning from the Daily Express which quotes Dr Peter Carter, the former head of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union, as saying: “The reality is, this is going to hurt.” The Times warns that the walkout will cause a month of disruption and will particularly affect cancer care. The i reports that thousands more patients than expected will not be treated due to the strike. The Daily Mirror highlights that junior doctors are being paid as little as £14 an hour to carry out vital operations, while the government states that the campaign by the British Medical Association is misleading and does not take into account the additional earning capacity and pay progression available to junior doctors.
The Guardian reports that 3.6 million calls to NHS 111 in England have been abandoned in the past 12 months due to Tory “neglect”, with nearly one in five callers giving up after waiting too long to speak to someone. The government is increasing the number of NHS 111 call handlers to 4,800.
