BBC News

Newspaper headlines: Manchester 'impasse' and hospital admissions slump

By BBC News
Staff

Published
image captionMetro leads with calls from Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham for a Commons vote on extra funding for any area moved into tier three restrictions. It comes after Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove suggested Manchester had to accept it would be under tighter restrictions. Mr Burnham wrote to the PM saying that, as many places will find themselves under tier three at some point, parliament should "debate and agree" what is a fair level of support for businesses in those areas.
image captionBoris Johnson is prepared to offer tens of millions of pounds to appease northern leaders, the Times reports. The PM wants to encourage Mr Burnham to accept tier three restrictions while "dangling" additional cash for the region if a deal is reached, the paper adds.
image captionHospital admissions plummeted by up to 90% as patients stayed away to "protect the NHS" during lockdown, the Daily Telegraph reports. Using analysis of 200 health conditions, the "staggering" findings could mean thousands of extra deaths, experts have warned. Consultations for most common cancers fell by up to two thirds during lockdown, and heart attack checks slumped by almost half, the paper adds. Experts have warned that the situation should not be repeated.
image captionAlso focusing on hospitals, the Guardian reports that Greater Manchester could soon run out of beds to treat those left seriously ill with coronavirus. Citing a leaked NHS document, the paper says that last Friday a resurgence of the disease had left hospitals in Salford, Stockport and Bolton at maximum capacity, suggesting the area's hospitals could become overwhelmed.
image caption"Vaccines are coming… but not before Christmas" is the headline on the front of the i newspaper, as the paper asks, "do you want the good news or the bad news?" Citing Sir Jeremy Farrar from the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, the paper says that multiple vaccines will be available by March.
image captionBut frontline health staff could get a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year before it is widely rolled out, according to the Daily Express. Vulnerable people would receive a vaccine after frontline workers, the paper adds.
image captionTurning to the economy, the Financial Times says experts have warned that Europe is heading towards a double-dip recession, with coronavirus infections and government restrictions likely to impact the region's recent recovery.
image captionElsewhere, the UK's five Anglican archbishops have branded the controversial Internal Market Bill a "disastrous" threat to democracy, the Daily Mail reports, adding that the PM is "set for war" with the Church's leaders. The group is being led by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who has warned that the bill could put peace in Northern Ireland at risk. The intervention has sparked a backlash from Tory MPs.
image captionMeanwhile, the Daily Mirror leads with its campaign for a doorstep two-minute silence on Remembrance Sunday this year, with the PM and Sir Keir Starmer reportedly both backing the move.
image captionAnd Britain is braced for 15 days of snow and storms, according to the Daily Star, which says three 60mph Atlantic storms will begin on Monday.

"Millions for Manchester to buy off corona revolt" is the headline on the front of the Times, as it reports that Boris Johnson is preparing to "dangle extra cash" for Greater Manchester if a deal is reached to bring in the highest level of coronavirus restrictions.

In the words of the Daily Mirror, Chancellor Rishi Sunak is understood to have told the Prime Minister he is willing to "reopen his cheque book" to get an agreement over the line.

The Financial Times has done the sums and estimates that the region may be in line for an extra £50m to help local businesses, on the basis that the Liverpool City region was given £30m, and has a smaller population.

The Guardian says that leaked NHS documents which reveal the strain that hospitals in Greater Manchester are already under will ratchet up the pressure on ministers and local leaders to come to a deal.

The files apparently show that three of the region's 12 hospitals are already full after a rise in Covid-19 cases.

An NHS spokesperson has told the paper that the situation is being monitored very closely.

image copyrightPA Media

The Daily Telegraph also leads with the impact of the coronavirus on the health service.

It has analysis that suggests hospital admissions in England for some serious illnesses fell by up to 90% during the first two months of lockdown - as people stayed away from hospitals and planned treatments were put on hold.

According to the report, consultations for the most common cancers fell by two-thirds, and heart attack checks dropped by almost half.

The Daily Express reports that frontline NHS staff could get a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year - before it is rolled out across the UK in early 2021.

In a comment piece for the paper, the chairwoman of the UK's vaccine taskforce, Kate Bingham, stresses that this timeframe is the "most optimistic prediction".

The Daily Mail declares that the PM is "set for war" with the UK's five Anglican Church leaders following their joint letter warning that the government's Brexit legislation could set a "dangerous precedent" if it is passed in its current form.

On its inside pages, the Mail questions "what on earth" this has to do with the Church, suggesting that if the clerics want to be politicians, they should stand for election.

"We stand with you" is the headline on the front of the Daily Mirror as it reports that political leaders including Mr Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer are supporting its call for people to observe a two-minute silence on their doorstep on Remembrance Sunday.

The day's usual commemorations have been limited because of the pandemic.

The former Woman's Hour presenter, Dame Jenni Murray, is pictured on the front of the Telegraph.

She has been named as one of the contestants in a new ITV programme which aims to increase awareness about cancers affecting intimate areas of the body.

As part of The Real Full Monty On Ice, celebrities will strip off and perform ice skating routines.

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