Newspaper headlines: 'Proof NHS is for sale' and PM criticises austerity By BBC News

Staff Published duration 28 November 2019

The row between Labour and the Conservatives over the future of the NHS makes the lead for both the Guardian and the Daily Mirror.

The Guardian says Boris Johnson's insistence that the NHS is "not on the table" has been "undermined" by the release of government papers, detailing discussions between UK and US trade officials. The paper says Washington wants the UK to rip up the way it sets drug prices - potentially leading to billions of pounds a year in extra costs for the NHS.

The Mirror carries a full-page picture of the document on its front page, with the word "sensitive" circled in red - "The Proof" is the headline . But the Sun has a different take - the paper accuses Jeremy Corbyn of "throwing up a smokescreen" to deflect criticism of his stance on anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.

Johnson v Neil

Boris Johnson's apparent reluctance to agree to an interview with the BBC's Andrew Neil preoccupies a number of the papers this morning. The presenter is due to interview the leaders of all the main political parties in the run-up to the election - but according to the Times, Conservative sources have suggested Mr Johnson may decline to take part.

The Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was interviewed earlier this week, was heavily criticised after Andrew Neil confronted him over his handling of claims of anti-Semitism in the party.

The Guardian says Labour are now accusing the prime minister of "running scared" . The Telegraph also reports on the row, but says it's Mr Corbyn who's dodging the limelight. The paper says he's decided not to take part in two television debates in the wake of his clash with Andrew Neil.

Predicting the outcome

With just two weeks to go until the election, many of the papers are trying to predict the outcome - with the help of the latest opinion polls.

The Times leads with the results of a YouGov poll, which suggests Boris Johnson is heading for a "comfortable majority" . The paper says the same seat-by-seat analysis - based on the views of 100,000 voters - accurately predicted the outcome of the last election in 2017. The i paper leads with the same poll - which has a wide margin of error - under the headline "Johnson on course to break deadlock"

By contrast, the front page of the Daily Telegraph carries a warning from the prime minister's advisor that the general election is still "too close to call" . The paper quotes a blog, written by Dominic Cummings, which says a hung parliament is a "very real possibility" - with "things much tighter than they seem". The blog is described as a "bat signal" - the distress sign used to summon the comic book hero Batman - to warn that "Brexit is in danger".

HuffPost UK political editor Paul Waugh accuses Dominic Cummings of engaging in a "very old fashioned game" of managing expectations - warning Leave voters not to be lulled by a big poll showing a large lead for the Tories.

The Spectator's Katy Balls says that senior Conservatives won't be celebrating the results of the poll - fearing instead that it could make voters feel complacent, or compel the opposition parties to "think again about tactical voting." The mood in Conservative Campaign HQ will be one of "trepidation" says the magazine's deputy political editor, as they work out how best to "hold their lead until polling day".

Stephen Bush, of the New Statesman, argues that the poll could be interpreted as good news for Liberal Democrats in marginal seats. He says "if I were Liberal Democrat HQ I would absolutely be gagging for it to be covered as if it were delivered by the Almighty on two stone tablets".

Remembering James, Miller and Rhodes

Almost all the papers carry images of Australian broadcaster Clive James, chef Gary Rhodes, and Sir Jonathan Miller, the playwright, whose deaths were announced on Wednesday.

The Times says it falls to Eric Idle to describe the shock of losing two icons of the cultural landscape in James and Sir Jonathan. "Savage news," the paper quotes, "to lose one friend is bad but to lose two reeks of carelessness."

The Metro devotes half its front page to a tribute of Rhodes, saying he was the "first rock star of cooking".

Black Friday ban

France is considering a ban on Black Friday - on the grounds that it's bad for the environment, and bad for the soul. The Telegraph reports that the French parliament will debate the proposal early next month, after the country's ecological minister warned of the dangers of "frenzied" shopping.

In more bad news for consumerism, the i paper reports on a charity which is calling on the public to "take a stand against mindless consumption" by resisting the temptation to buy a new Christmas jumper. Fashion Revolution says people should wear last year's - or swap with a friend - to avoid more clothes ending up in landfill or in overflowing charity shops.

And finally