Newspaper headlines: Storm Kathleen 'fury' and ONS 'strike over WFH'

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By BBC News
Staff

The Times leads with NHS consultants backing a pay deal which will see the senior doctors now get a pay rise of 19%. It says ministers are now pressing junior doctors' leaders to resume talks and end strikes. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the end of consultant strikes was "excellent news for patients".

The Daily Telegraph reports Royal Mail's plan to cut second-class deliveries risks patients' safety according to NHS chiefs. It comes as deliveries of post with second-class stamps are set to be reduced to every other days under plans announced on Wednesday as part of cost-saving measures. Various health bodies tell the paper they are worried people will miss time-critical appointments, appointment changes and test results.

"Buckle up Britain" headlines the Daily Express as it carries Rishi Sunak's message the UK's economy would "really take off" as "workers and strivers" are rewarded with tax cuts today. The paper also pictures the Duke of York out riding amid the release of Netflix's Scoop dramatising the prince's famous BBC interview with then-Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis.

FT Weekend leads with the Thames Water's parent company defaulting on its debt. Kemble Water told lenders it failed to meet a deadline to pay interest on £400m of debt due on Tuesday. Oscar-winning Oppenheimer actor Cillian Murphy also appears on the front. "Everyone know that I'm the most [expletive removed] memed award person on the internet," he tells the paper.

On the Daily Star's front a woman under an umbrella shrieks as the heavens opens in a mocked-up image of weather set to "batter Britain". "Kath in a fury" headlines the paper as it reports Storm Kathleen will bring a "weird mixture" of 70mph wind, torrential rain and 20C temperatures.

"Now civil servants to strike over wfh" headlines the Daily Mail as it reports on staff at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) planning to walkout after being told to come to the office two days a week. The workers had been working from home since the start of lockdown. The paper says it is believed to be the first time civil servants have organised a walk out over demands to return to the office. Pictured is Borat actor Sacha Baron Cohen and his wife Isla Fisher who have filed for divorce.

The Princess of Wales appears on the front of the Mirror as it sends a message from a former prisoner who says Catherine inspired her to stay away from crime. Francesca Fattore - who met the princess in jail in 2020 - speaking of the princess's cancer battle, said: "I'm sending you so much love, keep fighting."

The Sun headlines "it's over" as it also leads with the divorce of Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher after 14 years of marriage. The paper observes follows actress Rebel Wilson saying some scenes in 2016 Grimsby made her feel like she was being "sexually harassed". Cohen has vehemently denied any impropriety, saying her description of shooting the film is "demonstrably false".

A report suggesting that hundreds of thousands of dementia patients in England face missing out on revolutionary new drugs because of the "limited" diagnostic capacity of the NHS is the lead in the Guardian.

It says that two "ground-breaking" drugs could get the green light to be available on the NHS within weeks. But the paper says it has seen analysis - produced by experts from organisations including Alzheimer's Research UK - which says the NHS lacks the capacity to identify those who may be eligible in time and that the effectiveness of the drugs relies on a prompt and early diagnosis of patients.

Fears that US presidential candidate Donald Trump may "meddle" in the UK's election campaign make the front of the i. The former US national security advisor John Bolton has told the paper that it's "entirely possible" Mr Trump would not care about the conventions of not interfering. This week it says Donald Trump hailed Nigel Farage, who is the honorary president of Reform UK, as a "prophetic leader" and said he awaited his "next move".

But the paper quotes the former Foreign Office minister Sir David Lidington as saying that a Trump intervention would "probably be bad news for whoever he supported, as opinion polls show he is deeply unpopular in the UK".

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Donald Trump is running for a second term

The Times says a vote by NHS consultants to back a pay agreement in England puts "pressure" on junior doctors to do the same. Some senior doctors will now get a pay-rise of 19%. The paper says the agreement has added to "frustration" in government and the NHS that junior doctors have been less willing to talk about accepting any deal that does not meet their demand for a 35% rise. It reports that ministers are now pressing the juniors' leaders to resume talks.

The Mail's front page reveals that civil servants at the Office for National Statistics are planning to strike after being asked to return to the office for two days a week. The paper says staff have worked at home since the start of lockdown and want to keep the option of doing so full-time. But it says ministers are keen to have people back at their desks because of fears that working from home has reduced productivity and increased waiting times for services.

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Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher have filed for divorce

A number of the front pages carry photos of the actors Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher who have announced they filed for divorce at the end of last year after nearly 14 years of marriage. The Sun reports that it comes days after the actress Rebel Wilson said some scenes in 2016 film Grimsby made her feel like she was being "sexually harassed". His spokesmen vehemently denied any impropriety, saying her description of shooting the film is "demonstrably false".

The Times investigates the growing trend of cat owners taking their pets out and about on leads and harnesses. It says the so-called "adventure cat" movement has taken hold on social media, with people posting pictures of their feline friends going hiking and even paddle-boarding - and Facebook groups sharing tips on dog-free areas for walks in inner city parks. But it carries a warning from the animal welfare charity, the RSPCA, which says the experience may not be right for every pet as many cats like "a sense of control".