The Papers: Labour targets waiting lists but tax rises 'won't cure NHS'

3 weeks ago 8
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 "Budget vow to rebuild 'broken not beaten' NHS".

Many of the papers report on the measures expected to be unveiled in Wednesday's Budget, particularly those intended to address issues in the NHS. The Guardian says billions of pounds are to be put into cutting record waiting lists, with plans for more surgical hubs and radiotherapy machines to enable an additional 40,000 appointments a week. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is quoted as saying the Budget will revive a health service that is "broken but not beaten".

 "Labour's war on waiting lists".

The Daily Mirror says the NHS has suffered "14 years of Tory neglect" and that the money set to be pledged provides hope it can be saved from "disaster".

 "NHS will need more tax rises, signals Reeves".

Reeves has suggested that fixing the NHS will require more tax rises in future, according to the Daily Telegraph. The Budget is already expected to include a number of tax hikes, including a possible rise in national insurance paid by employers. The paper quotes Reeves saying the additional funding for the NHS won't be enough to undo "14 years of damage" and says the comment raises "the prospect of further rises in years to come".

 "Billions in Budget still won't cure NHS, admits Streeting".

The Daily Mail quotes Health Secretary Wes Streeting saying the NHS will continue to face "real problems" despite what the paper calls the "huge handout" set to be unveiled. It further quotes him saying the extra money will only "arrest the decline" in the health service and that there is "no magic wand" to fix it.

 "Tax rises won't cure the NHS, Labour concedes".

The Times quotes Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer saying "pretty well all" the tax rises Labour need to impose will be out of the way after Wednesday, but that he cannot give a "cast-iron guarantee" there won't be more in future.

 "Budget NI hike will damage core services, charities warn".

Charities have warned they may be forced to make cutbacks and divert funds away from essential services if the rise in employers' national insurance goes ahead, according to the i. The paper says a group of volunteer organisations has written to Reeves telling her: "With costs climbing and funding falling, our sector already faces a crisis".

 "Volkswagen's plan to axe 3 German factories sets up battle with unions".

The Financial Times says Volkswagen plans to shut at least three plants in Germany, axe tens of thousands of jobs, and slash pay by 10%. The paper says management at the company, Europe's largest car maker, believe radical measures are needed amid intense competition from China, slowing sales, and the costly transition to electric vehicle production. It adds that the move marks the first closure of a German factory in the company's 87-year history and has "set up a battle with [the country's] powerful unions".

 "Deepfake photo paedo".

And the Metro reports that a student used AI technology to turn photos of real children into indecent images which he then sold to other paedophiles online. Hugh Nelson, 27, from Bolton was jailed for 18 years on Monday after pleading guilty to 16 child sexual abuse offences. The paper says Nelson had customers all over the world and was only stopped after he unwittingly began exchanging messages with an undercover police officer in May last year.

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