A number of the papers lead on the news that the UK economy grew by 0.6% between April and June as it continued its recovery from the recession at the end of last year. “So much for an economic crisis!” reads the headline in the Daily Mail. The paper says the contenders for the Tory leadership “lined up to slam” Chancellor Rachel Reeves over tax rises they say she is planning to introduce at the Budget in October.
The figures show the economy is growing at a “gangbusters” pace, according to the Daily Express. Writing in the paper, shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Laura Trott says there is “absolutely no need or justification for tax rises”.
The Financial Times reports on similar news from the US. It says a jump in July retail sales of 1% – well above the forecasted 0.3% – has raised hopes that the country will avoid a recession. Some had feared that recent decisions by the Federal Reserve to maintain high interest rates in order to control inflation would have too much of a dampening affect on economic growth.
GPs are asking for a 10.7% increase in funding for surgeries and the British Medical Association has threatened to bring the NHS to a “standstill” over the issue, according to the Daily Telegraph. The paper says the union has described as insufficient a 7.4% offer set out in a leaked letter and that GPs hope to “become the latest group of public sector workers to secure a cash boost” from the government.
The Times says a proposed pay rise for rail workers has led to accusations that the government is putting unions before pensioners. Shadow transport secretary Helen Whately is quoted saying the government should have focused on preserving the winter fuel allowance and keeping fares down. Transport Secretary Louise Haigh, however, says settling the dispute will be better value for tax payers than allowing strikes that could have cost £850m in lost railway revenue.
Thursday’s A-level resulted highlighted a growing divide between the strongest and weakest-performing parts of the country, according to the Guardian. The paper says parts of the north still lag far behind the south-east, while private schools also continue to outperform state schools.
The Daily Mirror reports that a woman known as the “Ketamine Queen” is among five people who have been charged over the death of Friends star Matthew Perry, who was found in a hot tub at his LA home after overdosing in October last year. The paper adds that two doctors and Mr Perry’s personal assistant have also been charged.
A US legal official is quoted by the Sun as saying that those involved “took advantage of Mr Perry’s addiction issues to enrich themselves”.
The Metro says a woman has won a £35,000 payout from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after her rape case was dropped amid claims she could have had “sexsomnia”. Jade Blue McCrossen-Nethercott, 32, contacted police in 2017, telling them she thought she had been raped while asleep after waking up half-naked and finding her necklace broken on the floor. Charges were dropped after lawyers for the alleged perpetrator claimed Jade had a medically recognised, but rare, sleep disorder that causes a person to engage in sexual acts while asleep. The paper quotes a BBC interview in which she said the CPS had taken her “to the darkest points of my life” and that it felt “like a big triumph to be able to hold them accountable”.
And the Daily Star says the owner of a haunted doll that hates men was left “covered in scratches after an unprovoked late-night attack”.
