Newspaper headlines: 'Ambulance strike threatens lives' and 'call a taxi'

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By BBC News
Staff

"Plea to end strikes as NHS faces meltdown" is the Telegraph's headline. It says that with nurses taking part in their latest stoppage the Health Secretary Steve Barclay will meet unions to try to avert a planned walkout by ambulance crews on Wednesday. The paper's leader accuses government ministers of taking the situation "less seriously than they should". It suggests that as well as drafting in the army to drive emergency vehicles, police and volunteers should also be used.

The Guardian's lead is a warning from NHS bosses that the "ambulance strike threatens lives of 999 patients". It has been told people who suffer heart attacks and strokes in some areas will need to "get themselves to hospital". The Sun's take on that is: "A&E? Call a taxi".

On its front page the Mirror has a photograph of Mr Barclay at a hospital meeting Sarah Pinnington-Auld and her daughter Lucy, who has cystic fibrosis. The paper reports that Mrs Pinnington-Auld accused the health secretary of working medics "to the bone". The Mirror's opinion column argues that she "spoke for a nation" when she confronted Mr Barclay and, in its words, "ruined his photo call".

PA Media

Paramedics are due to strike on Wednesday

The Daily Express believes that with public support for the nurses still high the government should "give ground" and agree to discuss wages with the Royal College of Nursing union. It urges both the health secretary and the prime minister to start negotiations now, concluding that "better pay will pay off in the long-term".

Under the headline "victory on Rwanda", the Daily Mail welcomes the High Court's ruling that the government's plans to send some asylum seekers to the African country are lawful. The paper criticises those who say the scheme is "unworkable" stating that: "Until the first flight leaves and we see whether others are discouraged, how on earth can we know?"

The Guardian warns that while the government's dream of sending migrants to Rwanda might still be alive, it "could still turn into a slow-moving nightmare". The paper has spoken to lawyers who believe that it could take years rather than months for the case to be examined by higher courts.

PA Media

Terry Hall died at the age of 63

The NME website reports on the death of the former Specials and Fun Boy Three singer, Terry Hall. It recalls how when The Specials won the NME's outstanding contribution to music award in 2010, Hall poked fun at the trophy itself - an extended middle finger - saying "I can't believe how gross it is".

Finally as Argentina's victorious footballers head home from Qatar, The Times invites readers to get involved in the knockout stages of The World Cup of Words. It explains that for the past year, people on Twitter have been voting for the words they like most out of a list of more than 4,000 selected by the writer, Lev Parikian. Each word is pitted against one other, with the one that secures the least votes eliminated. The round of 16 which begins this morning includes clashes such as "cantankerous" versus "shenanigans", while "discombobulate" takes on "rhubarb".