“Netflix seals $83bn Warner Bros deal” reads the front page of the Financial Times. The paper reports that the deal will “transform the streaming giant into the dominant player in Hollywood”.
The Mirror leads with next summer’s World Cup tournament, which it calls “One L of a draw”. England will begin their campaign against Croatia, before facing Ghana and Panama in Group L.
The World Cup draw also splashes the Sun. The first match for “unlucky Scotland” will be against Haiti, followed by matches against Morocco and Brazil in Group C.
Allies of the health secretary are urging Angela Rayner to sign up to a “joint ticket” for the Labour leadership, the Telegraph reports. Citing multiple Labour sources, the paper says MPs have urged Wes Streeting to promise Rayner a cabinet role and possible return as deputy prime minister if she agrees to the proposal. A spokesperson for Streeting denies the claims, calling them “completely untrue” and a “silly season story”.
The headline for the Times reads: “Labour ‘let women down’”. It quotes the former head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Baroness Falkner, as saying the “failure” to publish guidance following a Supreme Court ruling on single-sex spaces reflected a government that has left women and transgender people in a “grey zone”.
The Independent leads with a compensation claim against 35 psychiatrists who worked at Huntercombe Group hospitals, filed by families and former patients after “dozens” of allegations of abuse.
Dementia patients face a “postcode lottery in diagnosis and care”, according to the Mail. The paper notes that dementia is still the UK’s “biggest killer”, and kills 76,000 Britons every year.
Another Dulwich College student has made allegations of racial abuse against Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, according to the Guardian. Farage has repeatedly denied the claims, and told journalists that he had never been racist or antisemitic with “malice”.
The i paper reports on a “record flu surge” in the UK, with experts advising people to wear face masks if they are symptomatic. A “nasty” mutation has caused an early infection wave on wards and in care homes, it says.
The Express cites experts as saying Britain’s housing market will “limp” towards the end of the year after “the paralysis caused by Rachel Reeves’ Budget”.
The Star says US President Donald Trump has “finally” received a peace award, after he was announced as the inaugural recipient of a Fifa peace prize during the World Cup draw.
The World Cup draw features on several front pages, with the Daily Mirror calling it “one L of a draw” – referencing England’s group. The Sun says the contest is “Ghana be tough” – as England will face the African nation, as well as Croatia and Panama. The paper then says “at least we’re not Scotland”, whose opponents include Brazil. The Daily Star says the inaugural FIFA peace prize, which was awarded to President Donald Trump during the event, was “taking the peace”.
The Daily Telegraph claims allies of Health Secretary Wes Streeting are pressing the former deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, to join him on a joint ticket to lead Labour. The paper says Rayner would be promised a cabinet role if she backed a future leadership bid by Streeting. A spokesperson for Streeting is quoted as saying the report is a “silly season” story. A source close to Rayner is reported to say there’s “no vacancy and no pact”.
The Guardian leads on further allegations that Nigel Farage made racist comments as a student. It contains claims from a former Dulwich College pupil, who says a 17-year-old Nigel Farage told him “that’s the way back to Africa” when they were at school together. Farage has previously denied that he ever directly racially abused anybody, or made offensive remarks with malice.
Elsewhere, the Times focuses on comments from Baroness Falkner, who has just finished her term as head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. She accuses the government of “letting women down” over its record on single sex spaces. Baroness Falkner says Labour has lost touch with its “fundamental values”. The government has previously said it wants to ensure women have access to single sex spaces, while ensuring trans people are treated with “dignity and respect”.
The Daily Mail is launching a campaign calling for an end to what it calls “cruel injustices” around dementia care. It says patients face a “postcode lottery”, with the NHS failing to hit diagnosis targets in more than half of the country.
Pictures of Catherine, the Princess of Wales’s “Together at Christmas” carol service feature on the front of many papers. The Telegraph shows the prince and princess, and their children, holding candles and reading from songbooks during the event at Westminster Abbey. The Times headlines its picture “stars of wonder”.
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