[Economics] 'So much for economic crisis' and regional A-level divide

[GL HERO SHIMA]

The Daily Telegraph says GPs want an 11% increase in funding for surgeries and that a leaked letter from the British Medical Association calls the uplift a "reasonable objective". A spokesperson for the union is quoted as saying there's still "a long way to go" in negotiations.

The paper's editorial warns against giving into unions, saying such deals put "public sector workers ahead of tax payers" and have "disturbing shades of the 1970s". But the Daily Mirror's political columnist, Paul Routledge, praises ministers for trying to end industrial disputes, saying: "Sort-it government is what the public wants."

The Daily Mail highlights figures published on Thursday which suggest the UK economy grew by 0.6% in the three months to June. It says Labour's "doom-laden claims about the Tories' economic legacy" have been left in "tatters".

The Daily Express has a similar take. Its front page headline declares there's "surely no need for tax hikes with our growing economy". The shadow chief secretary to the treasury, Laura Trott, has written a comment piece for the paper arguing that the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has "no excuse" to announce any increases in taxation when she sets out her budget this autumn.

The Financial Times has spoken to government insiders who insist ministers aren't "abandoning supercomputing" - despite scrapping £1.3bn in support for projects. The paper says Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is trying to contain the fallout from the decision - which included axing funding for a supercomputer at Edinburgh University. A government source is quoted as saying the "project made little strategic sense" because it "was not focused on AI" - although they insist ministers are expected to match previous spending commitments.

The i has more details about how Britain is preparing for a potential outbreak of the new, more infectious, strain of mpox. The deputy director of the UK Health Security Agency, Dr Meera Chand, tells the paper the measures include rapid testing and protocols to stop the illness spreading. She says the risk to the po[CENSORED]tion is "currently considered low".

The Guardian focuses on the regional divide in A-level results in England. The paper says there was a 6.5% gap in top grades between London and the South East, and the North. The article quotes an academic as saying the disparity shows there's a "two-tier system". The department for education says it aims to tackle the problem by hiring more teachers and reforming the curriculum.

Pictures of a sequin-clad Taylor Swift appear on several of the front pages after she performed in London last night. The Daily Express says the US star enjoyed an "emotional return" to Britain following the alleged terror plot that saw her cancel three shows in Austria.

"Defiant Taylor wows Wembley" is the Daily Mirror's assessment. The inside pages of the Sun have pictures of beaming fans and stern-faced armed police - alongside the headline: "Shaking off the danger."

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyw1gyz2q8o