Newspaper headlines: Ministers 'at war' and call for more booster jabs

BBC NewsStaff
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The decision to offer a third coronavirus vaccine dose to people with seriously weakened immune systems makes many of the front pages.

The Daily Mirror celebrates what it calls a "top up" for half a million people but says confusion remains about who else may be offered an additional jab.

The Daily Telegraph quotes Whitehall sources who say a decision on a wider booster programme could be announced next week.

The Daily Mail implores the government to "give Britain the booster it needs!" The paper's columnist Stephen Glover urges Boris Johnson to mirror a key mantra from Tony Blair's premiership - "vaccination, vaccination, vaccination".

Many papers also feature coverage of Dominic Raab's appearance before the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.

The Metro goes with the headline "Raab on the rack", while the Guardian and the online-only Independent focus on claims that a warning about the potentially rapid fall of Afghanistan was included in a report the foreign secretary was given in July.

The Times' policy editor, Oliver Wright, concludes that Mr Raab left the hearing "politically bruised, but without having sustained any killer blows".

That view is mirrored by HuffPost UK's political editor, Paul Waugh, who claims the foreign secretary was heard saying a solitary word as he left the room - "phew".

The Guardian is among those to take a dimmer view of Mr Raab's performance. Its leader suggests his answers raised questions about the competency and judgement of the whole government, saying those in Afghanistan seeking refuge need ministers "who are capable of taking control in a crisis and of taking responsibility for their actions".

News imageHouse of Commons/PA Media Dominic RaabHouse of Commons/PA Media
Dominic Raab was grilled by MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday

The main story in the Financial Times claims the UK's Trident nuclear submarines could be moved abroad if Scotland becomes independent.

It quotes what it describes as senior officials who say contingency plans have been drawn up following the SNP's Scottish Parliament election victory in May.

The paper claims a number of options are being explored - including creating an independent British territory at the current site in Faslane, or moving the base to France or the United States.

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The headline on the front of the Daily Express calls plans to make people in England aged between 60 and 65 pay NHS prescription charges a "tax on the sick."

It prints an open letter to the health secretary, signed by 25 health organisations and charities, which says the proposal "seriously risks widening health inequalities."

Writing in the paper, Thorrun Govind from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society calls for more radical action, urging ministers to abolish prescription charges entirely to stop people from having to choose which medications they can afford to take.

The Times reports on a breakthrough by British scientists that could revolutionise the health benefits of our breakfasts.

It says researchers in Hertfordshire have developed a new type of wheat using a technique called gene editing. It has resulted in reduced levels of the amino acid asparagine, which is believed to become carcinogenic in bread when toasted.

The paper reports that the technique used is banned under EU regulations and ministers will now assess whether to allow wider production in the UK.

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