Newspaper headlines: 'Pupils face online lessons' and 'fury' over police powers to halt protests
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The Guardian says the government's plan to give police sweeping powers to halt protests has sparked outrage from civil liberties campaigners, external. The paper says the proposal is likely to face a battle in the Lords, where its passage will depend on whether it attracts the support of Labour and crossbenchers. The Sun says it means the police will be able to stop climate protestors from wreaking havoc, external - while the Times describes it as a clampdown on so-called guerilla tactics, external. According to the Financial Times, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak believes the public and businesses will back his efforts to stop protests causing serious disruption, external.
Separately, the Financial Times reports that the prime minister is set to block the legislation passed in Scotland to make it easier for people to change their legally recognised gender - and a decision could be taken as soon as today. The paper says the Westminster government has received clear legal advice and intends to use what it calls the constitutional "nuclear option", external, which will inflame the Scottish nationalist sentiment. A government source has told the Daily Telegraph there are fears the Scottish law could lead to "gender tourism", external and have far-reaching consequences - such as biologically male Scottish inmates in English jails asking to be put in women's prisons.
Minister reportedly say schools will have no choice but to hold lessons at home if teacher strikes go ahead
Several front pages highlight contingency plans for possible strikes by teachers in England and Wales, as two unions prepare to announce the results of their ballots. The Telegraph says ministers will urge schools to keep classes open for GSCE and A-Level pupils, external. The i newspaper says Covid-style online lessons are being planned, external. In an editorial, the Sun warns that "pupils deserve more than to be treated as pawns", external in a dispute over teachers' pay, especially the current cohort whose education has already suffered during the pandemic. The paper says a teachers' strike would amount to "a reckless gambit".
The Times says a poll it has commissioned suggests that voters are losing faith in the NHS, external. More than two thirds of those who took part said the NHS offered a bad service, and 85% said they believed the government was handling the NHS badly. According to the Daily Mail, doctors and health experts have criticised the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's plans to reform the NHS. They have warned that allowing patients to self-refer themselves to specialists without having to see a GP would increase demand for care and make waiting lists even longer.
Nearly 4,000 seal pups have been born in Horsey, Norfolk, this winter
"Countryside under siege in rush for homes" is the front-page headline in the Daily Express. The paper highlights a warning from the Campaign to Protect Rural England, that villages are "under assault" from developers, external building large housing estates on rural land. The charity says planning permissions have been issued for 400,000 homes on greenfield sites.
And finally the Guardian reports that a record number of baby seals have been spotted on a five-mile stretch of coast in Norfolk. Nearly 3,800 pups have been born so far this winter, external - that is almost double the number registered two years ago. A local conservationist tells the paper it is a sign of a healthy colony.
