By BBC News
Staff
The Daily Mail reports that some 43,000 A-level pupils who ended up without a guaranteed university place are “scrambling” to get on a university course via clearing. It says the problem has been compounded by fewer clearing courses available at top universities – and notes it coincides with a huge rise in the number of foreign students, who pay higher tuition fees.
The i reports the government’s independent economic forecaster is set to tell Liz Truss she has billions of pounds less than she thought to fund tax cuts if she becomes prime minister. The paper says experts expect the Office for Budget Responsibility, in an updated forecast of Britain’s economy, to say government borrowing will increase because of high inflation and a looming recession. The i says the forecast could force Ms Truss to scale back her tax policies or borrow billions more.
The City of London’s top regulators are in the sights of Ms Truss if she becomes prime minister, according to the Financial Times. The paper says there would be an immediate review of their roles and responsibilities, including plans to merge the Financial Conduct Authority, Prudential Regulation Authority and Payments Systems Regulator into a new organisation. It quotes a financial services executive describing Truss’s overhaul plans as a “wider war on technocrats”. Ms Truss’s campaign declined to comment but a source said she would review the organisations.
The Daily Express also leads on Ms Truss, saying she plans to “smash strike misery” with new laws if she becomes PM. It reports she will put the changes, which include introducing minimum service levels, before MPs within a month of becoming premier if her leadership bid is successful. “As prime minister I’ll crackdown on the debilitating strikes that cripple the vital services that hard-working people rely on,” she says.
“Lockdown feared to be killing more than Covid” headlines the Telegraph as it reports on its own analysis of Office for National Statistic data. It claims excess deaths figures show that about 1,000 more people than usual are dying each week from conditions other than coronavirus. The paper says the Department of Health has asked for the figures to be looked at over concerns deaths are linked to delays and deferment of treatment for conditions like cancer.
The Times leads on plans to hire thousands of foreign workers for Britain’s care homes over fears of a “winter crisis” amid 160,000 vacancies. It reports Health Secretary Steve Barclay has told an international recruitment taskforce to launch the hiring spree before winter, in which NHS managers may also be sent to India and the Philippines to recruit nurses.
“Feeling flush” headlines the Metro as it highlights the “scandal” of water company bosses receiving a 21% pay rise during the past year amid “hosepipe bans and pumping sewage into the sea”. It claims executives at 22 water firms received £24.8m last year – including £14.7m in bonuses and incentives.
The Guardian also picks up the story reporting that, on average, water company executives received £100,000 in one-off payments on top of their salaries. Surfers Against Sewage tells the paper: “It’s time huge profits were diverted to properly managing water and sewage.” Water UK tells the paper: “The bonuses of all water company executives are linked to performance and reflect customer and environmental outcomes.”
The Mirror asks: “What has become of our country?” It comes after 87-year-old David Wakeley lay outside in the cold for 15 hours waiting for an ambulance after falling at his home in Cornwall, according to his family. His son-in-law Trevor Crane tells the paper: “The system is just broken.”
The Sun reports the granddaughter of the Queen and daughter of the Earl of Wessex, Lady Louise Windsor, is working at a garden centre this summer. The 18-year-old, who is 16th in line to the throne, on Thursday was awarded a place at St Andrews University in Scotland after collecting her A-level results. “I know the cost of living crisis was bad, but I didn’t think I’d ever see a grandchild of the Queen working in a garden centre,” a shopper tells the paper.
“Wish you weren’t here” headlines the Daily Star as it splashes on a picture of a man relaxing in a floating ring in a swimming pool. The paper tells the story of a “savvy worker” packing his bags to move to Spain for winter to save cash on fuel bills. “There’s a drastic option available if you’re able to work remotely,” he tells the paper, after looking at how much his energy bills would be.
Pictures of jubilant A-level students and a couple of pupils looking somewhat surprised feature on several of the front pages.
But the Times warns that record appeals to exam boards are looming, after top A-level grades fell by 60,000 from last year.
The Daily Mail says 43,000 students are now “scrambling” for a place at university in what it calls a “clearing frenzy”. It puts the situation down to a “post-pandemic crackdown on grade inflation” and a huge rise in foreign student numbers.
The Independent says a “north-south divide” has emerged in A-levels.
It says analysis by Labour – based on Ofqual figures – shows that top grades dropped further in the north-east of England, compared with the south-east, over the past year. The Independent calls it a “blow” to Downing Street’s levelling up agenda.
“What has become of our country?” asks the Daily Mirror.
It reports on the ordeal of an 87-year-old man whose family says he waited for 15 hours outside for an ambulance to take him to hospital, after a serious fall at his home in Cornwall on Monday night. David Wakeley’s son-in-law tells the paper: “The system is just broken.”
Health authorities in Cornwall say that “like other parts of the country” their “health and care system continues to experience pressure”.
Image source, Getty Images
The Times reports that thousands of foreign workers will be hired for Britain’s care homes this winter.
The paper says there are fears of a “winter crisis”, with more than 160,000 vacancies in the sector. It adds that countries such as India and the Philippines are likely to be the target of a “hiring spree”.
The Daily Telegraph says that the effects of lockdown may be killing more people than are dying of Covid.
The paper has analysed recent official excess death figures and says virus fatalities were outstripped by other conditions such as cancer. It raises concerns about deaths linked to delays and the deferment of treatment earlier in the pandemic, and says medics have called the figures “terrifying”.
The i newspaper focuses on the Conservative leadership race. It says that if Liz Truss becomes prime minister next month, she will be told by the Office for Budget Responsibility that she has billions of pounds less than she thought to fund her promised tax cuts.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times reports that the City of London’s top regulators face a “big overhaul” if Ms Truss wins the Tory race.
Image source, Getty Images
Water bosses come in for criticism on the front of the Guardian and the Metro.
According to the Guardian, the annual bonuses paid to water company executives rose by 20% last year, despite most of the firms failing to meet sewage pollution targets.
The Metro pictures four chief executives alongside the headline “feeling flush”. The paper calls the pay increases a “scandal”.
Finally, the Sun reports that the Queen’s granddaughter – Lady Louise Windsor – has been working in a garden centre this summer, for little more than the minimum wage, while waiting for her A-level results.
The “cost of living crisis must be bad”, adds the paper.
