Newspaper headlines: Hacking gang targets VIPs and I'm a Celeb build-up

By BBC News
Staff

The possibility of strike action by nurses across the UK is the lead story in the Observer.

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Officials from the Royal College of Nursing have told the paper that "large swathes of the country" have voted in favour of industrial action - triggering what could be the largest walkout in the history of the NHS.

The paper says the first strike is likely to take place before Christmas.

The Sunday Mirror says an "exodus" from the NHS is pushing services to breaking point. The paper says 40,000 nurses and midwives - and 20,000 doctors - left their jobs in the year to April.

Growing waiting times for ambulances in England make the front page of the Sunday Telegraph. The paper says an investigation has revealed that some patients have waited as long as two and a half days for paramedics to arrive - with the longest delay of 59 hours recorded in the South West.

The data includes waits of more than 24 hours for some suspected heart attacks and strokes. A similar investigation five years ago found the longest waits were five hours.

The Telegraph also looks ahead to the chancellor's Autumn Statement, due in just over a fortnight.

According to the paper, Jeremy Hunt is considering plans to halve the tax relief on pension contributions for millions of the highest earners.

The paper says the idea - which could raise up to £10bn a year for the Treasury - would be unpopular among many Conservative MPs. The paper also understands that the government's commitment to the triple lock on pensions is another major policy that's "still under discussion."

According to an investigation by the Observer, the Home Office is hiring people who previously worked in customer service or sales at McDonald's and Tesco to process asylum applications.

The paper says the new recruits - hired through high-street agencies - have no prior experience or knowledge of the asylum system, but they're being asked to conduct complex interviews and make decisions on individual cases.

A Home Office spokesperson describes the report as "baseless" and insists all recruits receive "extensive training."

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The Sunday Times leads on its own investigation into a global hacking network - which has targeted the private emails of more than 100 victims in the UK.

It says the gang, which is based in India, has accessed the accounts of leading politicians and outspoken critics of the Football World Cup in Qatar.

The paper claims the gang was working on behalf of private investigators, employed by wealthy clients, and autocratic states. The gang's database of targets include the former chancellor Phillip Hammond, and the BBC's political editor Chris Mason.

The Sun on Sunday reports that the Brentford striker Ivan Toney is being investigated by the Football Association over allegations he bet on matches.

The paper says the claims relate to a period when he was at one of his previous clubs, and there is no suggestion that he attempted to fix the result of any game. Professional players are banned from all gambling on football. Ivan Toney has released a statement, saying he is assisting the FA with its inquiries.

And the Sunday Times reveals that Queen Elizabeth struck up an unlikely new friendship in the final months of her life - with the Hollywood actor Tom Cruise.

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According to the paper, the late Queen was disappointed not to meet the Top Gun star in person during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, so she invited him to Windsor Castle for a private tour - and afternoon tea for two.

The Times says the meeting went so well, Cruise was invited back for lunch and was even given permission to land his helicopter in the Castle's grounds.

The paper carries the headline: "You can be my wingma'am".