NHS strike 'going to hurt' and Biden's Stormont hope
BBC NewsStaff
Leading on an issue that dominates many of Tuesday's front pages, the i warns that Tuesday's junior doctors' strike in England could see "thousands more patients than expected" have operations cancelled. The action is due to last for four days. "This is going to hurt," former RCN union boss Dr Peter Carter tells the paper. Elsewhere Sir Keir Starmer's bid to "assert his authority" features on the front page, following the fallout from Labour's controversial attack ads against the Conservatives.
Dr Carter's warning that the action is "going to hurt" leads the Daily Express' coverage, with the added detail that health and government officials are warning the public to avoid "risky behaviour". There is also a large image of Princes William and Harry in military uniform, seen on various front pages, with the promise that a "sensational" new TV series will explain "why Harry went to war and not" his brother.
The strike "will cause a month of disruption", is how the Times frames the latest action by NHS staff. Health Secretary Steve Barclay has been accused of treating junior doctors' leaders "with contempt" after accusing those joining a picket line of "maximising disruption by choosing the week after a bank holiday weekend", the paper reports. It also carries an image of US President Joe Biden celebrating Easter at the White House - he is due to arrive in Northern Ireland this evening to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
"We save lives for £14 an hour" is the Daily Mirror's take on strike action by what it refers to as poorly paid junior doctors. Citing the British Medical Association (BMA) union as its source, the paper claims a junior doctor with 10 years' experience is paid about £28 an hour while one with a year's experience gets just £14.09. There is also a look ahead to the new series of ITV's Britain's Got Talent, featuring new judge Bruno Tonioli, which starts this weekend.
Another image of President Biden alongside a life-size Easter bunny sits atop the Daily Telegraph, as does more detail on his imminent trip to Belfast. The paper reports that the US leader has arranged to meet leaders from all five of Northern Ireland's main political parties "in a bold attempt to help break the deadlock that has kept Stormont without a functioning government for more than a year". Further down there is a story about the junior doctor's strike, which the paper quotes officials as saying could "compromise patient safety".
Mr Biden's trip to Northern Ireland is also a focus of the Financial Times, with the paper leading on a parade that took place in Londonderry on Monday, organised by Republicans opposed to the Good Friday Agreement. "Police had warned of possible violence," the paper notes, adding petrol bombs were thrown at a police van.
The Daily Mail leads on an exclusive report, with "security sources" said to have told the paper that 19 suspected terrorists are among those to have arrived in the UK illegally on small boats. They are "now believed to be living in hotels paid for by the British taxpayer", it adds. Elsewhere there is a mention of the chaos that is feared over the junior doctors' strike.
Britain's Got Talent gets another top spot on the Sun's front page, as does the story about Princes William and Harry. A new ITV documentary reveals that the late Queen Elizabeth II wanted both her grandsons to "join the war in Afghanistan", the paper reports, attributing the information to retired British Army officer Sir Mike Jackson who is said to have "broken strict protocol by revealing details of his private audience with the monarch".
"Dope me up Scotty" is the Daily Star's main headline today, which is a reference to reports that astronauts will one day "be free to make their own drugs in space" in an apparent bid to ensure "the success of future manned missions". This will mean astronauts can access medicines at all times, the paper reports, adding Nasa bosses are investing hundreds of thousands of pounds on research into so-called "astropharmacies".
