Newspaper headlines: UK 'economy to shrink' and 'parents in limbo'

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By BBC News
Staff
Reuters

The Times reports that schools in England and Wales are struggling to plan for Wednesday's teachers' strike, leaving parents in "limbo".

The paper says unions have told their members to keep their head teachers "in the dark" about whether or not they're taking part in industrial action. More than 20,000 schools are expected to be affected by the walkouts. It quotes one headteacher who says most of their staff are not revealing if they're involved in the strike, pointing out that it's "absolutely their right" but it's making the situation "stressful".

The i says it understands that an ethics probe into allegations the Justice Secretary Dominic Raab bullied civil servants has been delayed by the need to interview 20 people. The paper says Rishi Sunak commissioned the independent investigation more than two months ago but it has still not reported back. Separately, the Daily Telegraph reports that two former cabinet ministers have said Mr Raab and the bullying claims have become a "distraction" and that he should resign. Mr Raab denies any wrongdoing.

The shocking state of the NHS is "exposed", says the front page of the Daily Express, by new figures showing one in four patients wanting to see their GP failed to get an appointment. The Daily Mail has also picked up on the report saying the delays are leaving many people in pain, as well as affecting their relationships and work.

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A warning from the former Labour leader, Lord Kinnock, is the focus of the Daily Mirror's front page. He says a speech he made 40 years ago about what the paper calls the "cruelty of life" under Conservative rule is coming true again. In 1983 he said "I warn you not to be ordinary. I warn you not to be young. I warn you not to fall ill. I warn you not to get old."

The Church of England is quoted in The Daily Express and The Daily Telegraph, as saying it doesn't underestimate the need to connect with young people, after new census figures showed this group mostly identified as having no religion. The data, which covers England and Wales, also shows the average age of Christians is now above 50. The group Humanists UK say the figures "make plain" that the country faces a non-religious future.

The Guardian is one of the papers to have picked up on comments by the organisational guru Marie Kondo that she has given up on tidying since the birth of her third child in 2021. Known for asking people to consider abandoning possessions if they don't spark joy, she says as her family life is much busier she's no longer putting pressure on herself to keep her home in order.

And The Daily Mail asks the question of the day: Is it naff to colour code your books? It says there's no doubt the "shelfie" is having a moment and features several home libraries, including that of the bestselling novelist, Adele Parks, who has her 1,500 books all filed according to the colour of their spines.