Newspaper headlines: Rwanda policy unlawful and 'radical' NHS overhaul

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By BBC News
Staff
EPA

The Court of Appeal has ruled that government plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda are unlawful

The government's planned shake-up of the NHS gets front page coverage from many of Friday's papers.

The Daily Telegraph says Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will today unveil the "most radical" reform of the NHS in its history - including measures to create an army of junior and apprentice roles, and speed up clinical training. Writing in the paper, Steve Barclay, the health secretary, says the plan constitutes "the most radical modernisation and reform of the workforce since the NHS was founded in 1948".

The Times says that after years of wrangling with the Treasury, the NHS has got almost everything it asked for. Sunak's allies tell the paper that a big expansion of auxiliary roles will benefit patients next year. However, the paper adds, he faces questions about how the plan will help a health service struggling with record waiting lists.

The Daily Mail leads with the prime minister's robust response to a ruling by the Court of Appeal that government plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda are unlawful, describing it as "Rishi's blast". The paper predicts the case will take months to resolve, increasing the likelihood of "immigration and human rights becoming key battlegrounds in the run-up to the next election".

The Metro says the plans have been thrown out "yet again" by the courts and that Sunak's personal pledge to "stop the boats" is in jeopardy. "Grounded Hog Day for Rishi" is its headline.

The Daily Telegraph quotes a government source saying ministers were "positive" about their chances in an appeal - if one is granted. In an editorial, the Times says Sunak can't wait with fingers crossed for the outcome of an appeal to the Supreme Court and needs a plan B. The Guardian says the Tories risk a bitter legal feud in their bid to fight the ruling.

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Campaigners are calling on the government to provide free meals to all primary school children

The i leads on the volatility facing mortgages, warning of a "snowball effect" as lenders try to avoid offering the cheapest deals because they can't cope with the surge in demand. It reports that borrowers are scrambling to get the least expensive home loans before they suddenly disappear - with mortgage brokers warning of future rapid rate hikes.

British households withdrew £4.6bn from bank accounts last month, the highest level since monthly records began in 1997, according to the Financial Times. The paper says the data, published by the Bank of England, suggests consumers are either shopping around for higher interest rates or tapping into their savings to pay their bills.

The front page of the Daily Mirror carries a picture of a letter to the prime minister, written by a seven-year-old girl called Poppy, asking him to provide free meals to all primary school children - an issue on which the Mirror campaigns. "If you don't have much money you can't have food. If you don't have food your brain won't learn," it reads. The paper says it's "time to fork out".