Top story: Life expectancy stalling in poorest areas
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Austerity cuts to the NHS, public health and social care have killed tens of thousands more people in England than expected, according to research by the University of York. The largest study of its kind found that even in just the four years after 2010, the spending squeeze was linked with 57,550 excess deaths. “This is a devastating verdict on a decade of Tory austerity in healthcare,” said Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary.
Separate research by Imperial College London, published in the Lancet Public Health journal, found life expectancy in many communities in England was falling even before the pandemic. It was typically worst in urban areas in the north including Blackpool, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle. David Finch from the Health Foundation thinktank said that even before Covid there was “an extremely concerning pattern of stalling life expectancy, particularly in the poorest areas of the country”.
Boris Johnson last month pledged a £12bn-a-year cash injection to help the NHS catch up after the pandemic and to overhaul social care. Employees’ national insurance contributions will rise next year to pay for this. The Department of Health and Social Care was approached for comment.
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Royal climate censure – The Queen has criticised world leaders’ inaction on addressing the climate crisis, admitting she is “irritated” by individuals who “talk but don’t do”. The remarks were picked up on a livestream at the opening of the Welsh parliament in Cardiff on Thursday. “Extraordinary, isn’t it? I’ve been hearing all about Cop ... still don’t know who is coming. No idea,” she said. “We only know about people who are not coming ... It’s really irritating when they talk but they don’t do.” Elin Jones, the parliament’s presiding officer, replied: “Exactly. It’s a time for doing ... and watching your grandson [Prince William] on the television this morning saying there’s no point going to space, we need to save the Earth.” The Queen then smiled and said: “Yes, I read about it.”
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Noughties babies to flood unis – The baby boom of the early 2000s is about to flood UK universities and colleges with tens of thousands more school leavers a year, according to a report out today co-authored by David Willetts, the former universities minister. It means the government’s efforts to cut spending on higher education by limiting the number of young people attending will be doomed, Willetts says. The demographic increase in young people is an opportunity to reshape the British labour market towards the “high-paid sectors of the future”, he says. “Across advanced countries there’s a hunger for more education. Looking at how Britain is going to invest and pay its way in the world in the next decade, a growing higher education sector looks to be part of it.” The report was written with Maja Gustafsson for the Resolution Foundation.
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‘Chaotic failure’ on third jabs – The programme of third Covid vaccinations for people with compromised immune systems has been a “chaotic failure”, charities have said, with fewer than half of those eligible being contacted before an NHS deadline this month. Blood Cancer UK and Kidney Care UK said many of those who responded to their surveys were desperately worried and struggling to get information about a third vaccination. An NHS spokesperson said: “In addition to hospitals and primary care teams identifying and offering patients the third dose, the NHS is now directly contacting all eligible patients to ensure no one is missed.” A Guardian analysis of NHS England booster jab data suggests the wider programme is showing no apparent sign of gathering pace since the start of October.
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Restore trust, Facebook told – Facebook has lost the trust of parents, prizes commercial gain over children’s needs and must take steps to restore faith in its platforms, a global alliance of child protection campaigners and experts has warned Mark Zuckerberg. They are urging the Facebook boss to publish internal assessments of the risks that young people face on its services. It comes after the testimony to US senators of whistleblower Frances Haugen – who has accused the company of a lax approach to safety – and document leaks that formed the backbone of a series of damning articles in the Wall Street Journal. Internal research at Instagram showed it made 30% of teenage girls feel worse about their bodies.
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Powerlist 2022 – Jacky Wright, the businesswoman named as the UK’s most influential black person, has called for “monumental shifts” to ensure Britain is a more equal place to live. Wright, the London-born corporate vice-president and chief digital officer at Microsoft US, has been given this year’s top spot by the Powerlist 2022, the annual list of the UK’s most powerful people of African, African Caribbean and African American heritage.
Marcus Rashford, the footballer and campaigner, came in second place while Anne Mensah, vice-president of Content UK at Netflix, was third. The Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya is a new entrant to the list, in fourth. Steven Bartlett, 29, founder and former CEO of Social Chain and the newly named, youngest-ever panellist on the BBC show, Dragons’ Den, is another new entrant. He is joined by the model and social activist Munroe Bergdorf and Rob Pierre, CEO of the digital marketing consultancy Jellyfish.
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Sport
Raheem Sterling has admitted he is contemplating a future away from Manchester City and would consider moving abroad. Kenyan police say they have arrested the husband of the distance runner Agnes Tirop, a two-time world championship bronze medallist who was found dead at her home. US Open champion Emma Raducanu has pulled out of this month’s Kremlin Cup, citing a “tournament schedule change”. Cameron Norrie rose to the occasion in one of the biggest matches of his life, obliterating Diego Schwartzman, the 11th seed, 6–0 6-2 to reach his first ever Masters 1000 semi-final at Indian Wells.
Tobin Heath praised her Arsenal teammates for “bouncing back” from their bruising defeat to Barcelona in their previous Champions League game, after they saw off German side Hoffenheim 4-0 to earn their first three points in Group C. Steve Bruce is set to remain in charge of Newcastle United for the first match of the club’s Saudi Arabian-led era. The Sale coach Alex Sanderson says he admires Harlequins’ offloading game but insists there is room for differing styles in rugby before the champions visit the AJ Bell Stadium on Friday night. The women’s Tour de France was reborn as the 2022 race route was unveiled in the Palais des Congrès in Paris on Thursday by the newly appointed race director, Marion Rousse. And England’s cricket performance director, Mo Bobat, has challenged members of the Lions squad to fight their way into Test reckoning.
Business
The global supply crisis brought on by the pandemic is accelerating major changes in the way the global economic system works, experts say. From China threatening to burn more coal to secure its energy supply, to Britain’s “chicken king” calling for a rethink about how food is produced, the globalisation model is being reworked as countries lurch towards shorter supply chains and greater self-reliance. The FTSE100 is on track to lift by 0.3% this morning, while the pound is on $1.368 and €1.179.
The papers
The Guardian print edition leads with “GPs say face-to-face appointments plan could lead to exodus of doctors”. They warn that family doctors are already exhausted by the pandemic and despairing of being “pilloried” by ministers. The profession’s key bodies say ministers’ proposal for “naming and shaming” surgeries that do not comply will worsen the situation.
The Mirror leads with “Green Queen”, about Her Majesty shaming leaders who have not committed to attend the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow. The Mail does that as “Queen’s green anger”. The Express also uses the monarch’s picture on the front while its lead is “‘Wonder’ statins cut risk of dying from Covid” – experts have been quick to point out, though, that the study involved doesn’t prove anything conclusively.
The Times says China’s president Xi is “expected to snub” the Glasgow talks. It also covers people being able to take cheaper Covid lateral-flow tests when they arrive in the UK, instead of the dearer PCR test. The Telegraph has “Unions ‘holding Christmas hostage’” – finally someone to blame other than the Brexit that the paper supported. “Come save our bacon” – that’s the Metro on the call for a foreign legion of butchers. “Top EU states push to put bloc on standby for trade war with Britain” – the Financial Times covers the row over the Irish Sea border, which remains on simmer after the EU offered concessions.
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