“Patients at risk as NHS urgent repair costs triple in decade” headlines the Observer as it reports on the “decade-long failure” to address urgent repairs in hospitals across England. It writes the cost dealing with the backlog has almost tripled since 2015 to £2.7bn. Elsewhere, fog with a glimpse of sunshine in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, is the main image on thefrontpage. The paper’s second story focuses on Labour facing a backlash over proposals to build a new generation of 41 waste incinerators to burn household and commercial rubbish.
Middle-class people support the introduction of VAT on private school fees according to the education secretary, the Sunday Times reports just a few days ahead of the 20% surcharge being app;lied for the first time. Bridget Phillipson said she would be the “voice of pushy middle-class parents” who had already been priced out of sending their children to private schools. Elsewhere, Baroness Charlotte Owen, who was the youngest-ever life peer when appointed and Boris Johnson’s former aide, is campaigning against deepfake porn by introducing a private member’s bill to the Lords.
The Sunday Telegraph is also looking at the financial plight of middle-class families, with its lead story saying they face an £8,000 increase in their overall tax bills in 2025 according to analysis by the paper. It writes the Institute of Fiscal Studies has also warned the tax burden will rise to levels “we haven’t previously seen in this country”. The main image on the paper is historian and TV presenter Lucy Worsley who tells the paper she is angry the murder of women is glamorised for entertainment. The broadsheet’s second story reports the first pill to slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease is being studied for use on the NHS.
The Mail on Sunday leads with Kemi Badenoch’s “feud” with Nigel Farage escalating over claims GB News is giving the too much airtime to the Reform UK leader. It comes after Conservative leader Badenoch accused Farage of “fakery” over Reform membership numbers, after his party said they had surpassed the Tories in signed-up members. Farage has demanded an apology from Badenoch. The paper adds that Cruz Beckham, the third son of David and Victoria, has been mocked for saying “Jesus is also a nepo baby”.
The Sunday Express leads with the UK announcing £4.5m to help prosecutors hunt down soldiers responsible for Russian war crimes in Ukraine. The money will help towards helping Kyiv document, investigate and prosecute.
The Sunday People reports on former Coronation Street star Charlie Lawson’s autobiography in which the man who played Jim McDonald over three decades admits to taking drugs and having “wild nights out” with Katie Price.
The Sunday Mirror leads with the heartwarming story of a bereaved mother meeting the little girl who received her daughter’s heart. “It was so special,” Amy Anderson said about the heart of late daughter Mia continuing to beat in five-year-old Grace Westwood.
The Sun on Sunday reports a new Apprentice contestant was found with a half-naked rival in her hotel room during filming. A source told the paper it broke a “no touching” rule set by the show’s producers.
Menacing fridges appear in an apocalyptic scene on the front of the Daily Star Sunday. The tabloid writes smart fridges could lead a robot takeover of the world if the devices start “speaking” to each other. It quotes a data firm saying “everyday objects” are in danger of going rogue.
