Newspaper headlines: GP surgery closures, and Brexit 'nostalgia' By BBC News

Staff Published duration 31 May 2019

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The Daily Mirror leads with figures that show closures of family surgeries have left more than 500,000 patients forced to find a new GP.

The paper blames a decade of underfunding by the government and expresses concern that the situation is likely to become worse.

One thing is clear, concludes the Daily Mail , we must have more GPs. The paper describes the situation as critical, with 40% of doctors saying they are planning to retire or quit the NHS in the next five years. In short, says the Daily Express , we must find a way to train and retain more of them.

"You're not so great, Britain," is the headline on the front of the Metro. The newspaper quotes EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier as saying the vote to leave the bloc was a product of "nostalgia" for a "powerful global Britain".

Mr Barnier's comments sparked "immediate backlash" and he was accused of insulting 17.4 million Leave voters, the front of the Daily Express reports.

The main story in the i newspaper details the financial problems facing the Conservatives. It talks of the Tories haemorrhaging cash, with donors turning their back on them because of the prime minister's handling of Brexit.

The paper says the situation is so perilous that the party's chief executive, Sir Mick Davis, has been forced to prop up the Tory headquarters using his financial wealth. The Sun reports Sir Mick accounted for nearly one-in-10 pounds given in the first three months of the year.

The main story in the Times is devoted to a new opinion poll that suggests the Liberal Democrats are ahead of the Conservatives and Labour for the first time since 2010.

The YouGov poll of 1,700 people questioned about their general election voting intentions puts the Lib Dems on 24% - two points ahead of the Brexit Party. The Tories and Labour are both on 19%.

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The Times thinks the findings support the idea that the electorate is fracturing between those who support a no-deal Brexit and those who want to reverse the referendum.

Writing in the paper, YouGov's director of political research, Anthony Wells, argues it is too early to write off the two main parties, saying he expects Labour and the Conservatives to be back ahead after the new Tory leader is elected.

The Guardian 's main story is devoted to its investigation into the attendance and voting records of some members of the House of Lords.

It reports that 46 peers failed to register a single vote last year. One Labour peer is said to have claimed almost £50,000 in attendance and travel expenses covering every day the Lords was sitting, despite never speaking or asking written questions.

The newspaper suggests the data will raise fresh questions about the size and effectiveness of the Lords, and the funds that can be claimed by those who fail to regularly contribute.

The review into further and higher education in England is welcomed by the Financial Times. It believes the system is unbalanced, and argues that putting universities and further education colleges on an equal footing is the right approach.

The Guardian agrees - saying that putting extra funds into colleges and other vocational training providers could have a transformative effect on a sector that for too long has been left on the sidelines.

image caption The study showed Scottish wildcats are part of the same gene pool as domestic cats

And The Guardian features plans to breed hundreds of wildcats and then return them to England and Wales, where they have not roamed for 150 years. The last remaining population of wildcats in Britain is in the Scottish Highlands.