A number of papers are leading with the news that some train drivers with the Aslef union have announced new strikes days after the government reached a pay deal with them. “Has Labour lost control of the unions already?” asks the Daily Mail in its main headline. It talks about how holidaymakers are now facing a “double nightmare” in September, with Border Force agents at Heathrow Airport also announcing a walkout.
The Daily Telegraph also talks about how “strikes threaten to spiral out of control”, alongside an image of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner at the Johnnie Walker whiskey headquarters in Edinburgh and the caption “nice work if you can get it, Angela”. The paper leads on the Crown Prosecution Service admitting that evidence presented in the trial of serial child killer Lucy Letby, showing which staff came in and out of the baby unit, was wrong. The discrepancy had been corrected for her retrial, which found Letby guilty of attempted murder.
The Financial Times mentions the train strikes on its front page, alongside an image of King’s Cross station in London and the caption “looming strikes are set to bring services to a halt”. However, its main story is about the UK’s efforts to persuade the British financial technology company Revolut to list on the London Stock Exchange.
The new train strikes also dominate the front page of the Times with the headline “strike pain for travellers despite big wage rises”. Aslef insists that the reasons for the planned strike by London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is separate to the pay dispute – but the paper addresses concerns that unions and public sector workers are lining up for pay rises. The front page also features a photo of the mother of Hannah Jacobs, who died after having a fatal reaction to a Costa Coffee drink.
The Guardian also features a photo of Hannah Jacobs on its front page but leads on an interview with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper about her plans to set up a unit to try and stop violent crime among young people. Ms Cooper says teenagers these days have it “much, much harder” than earlier generations due to knives, social media, and mental health concerns.
Government funding also makes the front of the i – but this time in relation to healthcare. “GPs tell Labour: no end to 8am appointments turmoil without extra funding” reads the headline, in reference to Labour’s promise to “end the 8am scramble” when people have to queue up on the day for doctor’s appointments. Doctors say the funding increase announced by the government this week will not be enough to reduce waiting times.
The Daily Express leads with an exclusive on pensioners sharing their stories of how losing the winter fuel payments will lead them to have to choose between heating and eating. The chancellor announced earlier this year that she planned to scrap the payments to most pensioners. One woman tells the Express that the loss of the extra money will mean she and her husband, who are both in poor health, will have to work extra hours.
The Daily Mirror features an interview with football pundit Alan Shearer about how his return to highlights show Match of the Day this weekend will be difficult following the death of his father. Shearer describes the loss as a “void that can’t be filled and it still feels very raw”.
The Daily Star looks at a study by psychologists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) that has found that venting your frustrations about one friend to another can make the friend you are talking to like you better. However, the experts caution that it is possible to go too far.