Newspaper headlines: 'Must study maths until 18' as 'medics condemn PM'
- Published
A number of the front pages preview Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's first speech of the year, which he will deliver later on Wednesday.
The Times says the prime minister is on a "personal mission", external with his plan for compulsory maths until the age of 18. It calls the speech an attempt to "seize control" of the political agenda in the face of challenges including strikes and the NHS.
The Daily Telegraph says Mr Sunak's shake-up of education, external will be one of Downing Street's top priorities, pointing out that eight million adults in the UK have the numeracy skills of primary school children. It suggests Mr Sunak is attempting to define his premiership beyond what it calls "fire-fighting crises".
The Financial Times focuses on the prime minister's vow, external to tackle problems in the NHS. But it says No 10 has admitted that some people will find it "very difficult" to access the health service this winter.
The Guardian says doctors have accused Mr Sunak of being "delusional",, external after he insisted there was enough money to cope with a surge in winter illness and denied there was a crisis.
The Daily Mirror blames successive Tory governments for the difficulties,, external with the headline: "They broke our NHS".
The Daily Star, external says Mr Sunak has disappeared as the NHS collapses - it has a picture of a crowd dressed like in a "Where's Wally?" book, with the headline: "Where's Rishi?"
There's a note of cautious optimism from the Daily Express on one front. It reports that a deal to end the recent spate of rail strikes is "within touching distance".
The paper says Network Rail's chief negotiator is confident, external union members will soon accept an offer on pay and conditions.
The Daily Telegraph is preoccupied with a more ancient dispute, external - its sources say the British Museum is nearing a deal to return the Parthenon Sculptures to Athens.
It says the antiquities, also known as the Elgin Marbles, could go home as part of a so-called "cultural exchange". While it's illegal for the museum to give them away, the agreement would effectively be a loan. But the paper warns this won't be the end of the spat over the more than 2,000-year-old treasures and Greece intends to keep fighting for full ownership.
Finally, the Times reports that a motorised smart stroller, external has received an innovation award at a major technology conference in Las Vegas. The ELLA pram can rock and lull babies to sleep with white noise, and its motion sensors warn distracted parents if they are about to walk into a lamppost.
The paper says the nearly £3,000 stroller can drive itself, but only when baby is not inside.
