Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Sunday’s front pages cover a variety of topics, including the controversy surrounding Saturday’s Grand National – notably when animal rights activists were able to get on to the course at Aintree. Over 100 protesters were arrested. Another lead for the papers is the deepening crisis within the NHS, reporting that the Royal College of Nursing – the largest nursing union in England – will ballot its members on whether to join a “mega strike” that would include every hospital trust in the country.
Grand National protests
The Sunday People headlines with “National Disgrace”, while the Mail on Sunday says the authorities were prepared as one of its journalists had infiltrated the group planning to sabotage the race.
The Sunday Telegraph and the Sun on Sunday welcome the government’s decision to stop building new smart motorways, citing over 50 or 70 deaths, respectively, on the roads.
NHS mega strikes
The Observer reports that the Royal College of Nursing is preparing to ballot its members in England on whether to join a “make or break” mega-strike that would lead to mass action in every hospital trust in the country. The Telegraph argues that pay demands by NHS workers are “unrealistic” and “insupportable” and that the health service is increasingly incapable of delivering the standard of care that people expect because it is unreformed. The Sunday Mirror reports that thousands of NHS workers fighting for fair pay have been invited to the King’s coronation, exposing double standards in the health sector.
Talks about secret document leaks
Furious Labour MPs are on a collision course with the party’s leader, Sir Keir Starmer, over what they describe as “dehumanising” adverts, according to the Independent.
The Sunday Times reports Defence Secretary Ben Wallace is travelling to Washington tomorrow for talks about the recent big leak of classified documents.
Several of the newspaper feature royal-related stories including the Sunday Express which reports on a warning from a think tank, Civitas, that the royals are in danger of “abolishing itself by stealth” by spending less time engaging with the people of Britain.