Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Various stories lead Wednesday’s front pages.
Several of the papers mark the 75th anniversary of the NHS, whilst also looking at what its future might be. Whilst reports the US government is pushing for Ursula von der Leyen to be the next secretary general of Nato is another lead.
The Princess of Wales pictured at Wimbledon is splashed on some of the morning’s papers.
NHS 75
Health Secretary Steve Barclay writes in the Times rejecting calls for radical reform and instead argues the NHS can prosper without a drastic change. Barclay says improving technology and medical advancements will enable the NHS to respond to the challenges it faces. He says the NHS needs evolution, rather than a “big bang.”
The Daily Mirror accuses the Tories of “imposing the tightest financial strait-jacket in the NHS’s history”. The paper says the health service needs “love and money, not shock therapy”.
The Daily Mail has a completely different take. The paper says the NHS and its model of taxpayer-funded provision are failing, and investing extra billions of pounds into it won’t transform the system. It says the political class must stop treating the NHS as a sacred cow and consider a serious shake-up of the way it’s structured and financed.
Similarly, the Financial Times calls for a “no taboo review” to examine how the UK’s health system is organised and funded, and what it might learn from overseas models. The Sun also says we should copy others “with far superior patient outcomes”.
New Nato boss
The Telegraph reports the US is pushing for the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, to become the next secretary general of Nato. The Sun describes Von der Leyen as a hapless former doctor and says she remains the favourite against British defence secretary Ben Wallace because the US doesn’t want him in the role.
A police officer shake-up in England and Wales could see at least 2,000 officers lose their jobs, according to the Telegraph and Times.
The Telegraph says the home secretary will give chief constables greater powers and freedom to remove officers for misconduct or abusive behaviour. Whilst the Times says the Commissioner of the Met Police, Sir Mark Rowley, has described the present system as “bizarre and overregulated” and hampering his ability to clean up the ranks.
The i newspaper lead switch predictions that the Bank of England will raise its main interest rate four more times this year. It could take the base rate to 6% from 5% today. But the Express is more optimistic about the cost of living. The paper says cheaper food is on the way because supermarkets are waging a war to drive down prices.
The Daily Mirror leads with an exclusive interview with former ITV presenter Fiona Phillips. She reveals she has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She is trialling a new drug which may be able to slow or even reverse the condition.