Newspaper headlines: ‘Huge’ AI expansion and ‘A&E trolley hell’

The government’s announcement on Monday of a big expansion of artificial intelligence in the public sector leads the Guardian. It reports that AI “will be used for everything from spotting potholes to freeing up teachers,” as Starmer announces a “twenty-fold” increase in the amount of AI being used over the next five years. The report says the move reflects a “shift in tone” from the government which had previously been focused on the risks of the technology.

The Times also covers the story, and takes the angle that the UK’s NHS data will be opened up to train AI. It reports that “archives of scans, biodata and anonymised patient records” will be made available to big tech companies “to put the country at the heart of the global AI revolution”. The lead story for the Times is a warning from ex-MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove that in “courting Chinese investment for its renewable energy revolution” the government could leave the UK “vulnerable to Beijing”.

In other health news, the Daily Mail reports that 518,000 NHS patients were left “languishing on trolleys in A&E for 12 hours or more last year”. It says a shortage of beds is preventing staff from moving new arrivals onto wards and emergency departments “were already dangerously overwhelmed” before the winter flu outbreak. The Mail’s front page also features Meghan Markle, whose new Netflix show has been delayed by the Los Angeles wildfires.

“L.A.Wless” headlines the Metro as it leads on the latest from Los Angeles – reporting a growing fury at “greedy landlords cashing in on tragedy, entitled celebrities and selfish elites”. It reports that locals have “lashed out” at billionaires who have hired private firefighters to defend their homes. The Metro illustrates the story with an image of a hand-painted sign outside an abandoned home in Altadena warning against looting.

The overhaul of content moderation at social media giant Meta’ has sparked concerns among advertisers, the Financial Times reports. It says multiple advertising bosses have told the paper the move to end fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram and weaken hate speech policies is “going to become a commercial conundrum for both sides”. The picture lead is of Greenland – with the FT reporting that its citizens are feeling “unsettled” by US President-elect Donald Trump’s designs on the country.

An article by former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson in the Sunday Times makes the Daily Star’s front page. Clarkson wrote in support of Donald Trump’s plan to buy Greenland and suggested he buy the UK. The paper has mocked up an image of Clarkson looking like arch-wheeler dealer Arthur Daley from the 1980s ITV series Minder.

The i paper leads on its investigation into gay dating app Grindr. It says that at least 13 cases of serious sexual offence cases against minors in 2024 listed Grindr as the first point of contact between suspect and victim. In the digital version of the story Grindr tells the i it “goes to great lengths” to prevent children from accessing the app and says “there is no place in society for abuse of minors, and we wholly condemn anyone who commits crimes against underage individuals”.

The Daily Telegraph says the Treasury has “ordered cabinet ministers to be ruthless in identifying public spending cuts”. The paper reports that an internal memo from Chancellor Rachel Reeves admits “difficult decisions on budgets will be needed”.

The Daily Express leads with comments by former Conservative Home Secretary James Cleverly that families and businesses are “suffering” as a result of “ineptitude, arrogance and hypocrisy” in the Labour Party – saying the government’s agenda amounts to a “tax assault”.

The Daily Mirror’s lead is Sunday’s stabbing of a nurse at the Royal Oldham Hospital. It reports the nurse has suffered “life changing injuries” after a 37-year-old man allegedly attacked her “in front of horrified colleagues and patients”. It reports that a “row over waiting times reportedly sparked the assault”. The man has been arrested. Elsewhere on the front page, the Mirror reports that Little Mix band member Jesy is pregnant with twins.

The Sun also features the Little Mix star’s pregnancy, but leads on a potential move by Manchester City and England footballer Kyle Walker to play in Italy. Walker – who has spoken publicly about his infidelity – is due to be joined by his wife, who is “hoping for the breathing space they desperately need,” the tabloid quotes an unnamed source as saying.