The Minister for Women and Equalities, Bridget Phillipson, is blocking the publication of trans guidance that would require businesses and public bodies to protect women-only spaces, describing them as “trans-exclusive”, according to the Daily Telegraph. The paper also focuses on Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s criticism of the government’s plan to tackle misogyny in schools, saying it must look at immigration from cultures that “don’t respect women”. And the Prince and Princess of Wales’ outdoor family Christmas photo with their three children takes the top picture spot under the caption “Fresh heir”.
A photo of actress Olivia Coleman at the launch of Labour’s strategy to stop violence against women and girls is splashed across the Metro’s front page. The government has revealed a raft of new measures aimed at cracking down on the “national emergency” and change men’s behaviours towards women.
The Independent follows with their lead on the government’s vow to make women and girls “safe at last”. The paper also focuses on a call from Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls Jess Phillips for “all of society to step up and end the epidemic of abuse and violence that shames or country”. Elsewhere, a smiling Rory McIlroy lifts the trophy for BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
The i Paper is predicts a “mortgage price war in spring” after the Bank of England cut interest rates to 3.75%, the lowest since 2023. Mortgage brokers are hoping for a “golden era of house buying” early in the new year as the central bank expects inflation to fall quicker than expected, the paper says.
The signs of cooling inflation also makes the Financial Times’ lead story. Elsewhere, there are fears of financial reprisals by Russia among some EU states if a move to agree to a multi-billion euro loan in frozen Russian money to fund Ukraine’s military and economic needs goes ahead. According to the paper, last year Western businesses held at least $127bn of assets in Russia.
Staying with Russia, the Daily Express features comments by Badenoch, who says the Tories are the only party to have the “competence” to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats. The Conservative leader added that the UK could not afford complacency and must “face down” Russia, the paper reports.
In news closer to home, nearly 10 million voters face having their local elections delayed until 2027 as part of Labour’s plans to reorganise local government, the Times reports. The paper says the government has asked more than 60 districts and county councils if they want to suspend elections due to take place in May next year.
“Labour’s running scared of voters” is the Daily Mail’s take. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has likened the move to the actions of a “dictator” the paper says.
The Guardian turns its attention to the new photos from late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s estate released by US House Democrats. Among the new batch of images are what appear to be lines from the novel Lolita written on different parts of a woman’s body, the paper says.
As Christmas nears, around 1.8 million people will spend the day alone, says the Daily Mirror. The results from a poll have prompted pleas from ministers for people to “pop in on a pal” and look out for their lonely neighbours.
The Sun reports that former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Thomas Skinner is suing the BBC over claims the broadcaster rigged voting to kick him off the show. A BBC spokesperson said: “Strictly Come Dancing’s public vote is robust and independently overseen and verified to ensure complete accuracy.”
Finally, the Daily Star pays tribute to darts ace Ally Pally’s “lucky wasp”, which was sadly swatted and killed after it landed on PDC World Championship winner David Munyua’s face. “Rest sting peace” is the headline.
On its front page, the Sun pins the blame for what it calls an “unprecedented Foreign Office breach” on a hacking group which has been accused of targeting critics of the Chinese state. The paper says Storm 1849 is believed to have tried to harvest sensitive political information from politicians and parliamentary staff in the UK. According to the report, this latest incident has “sparked major fears” that any stolen information could be used for fraud and bribery.
“Labour’s running scared of voters” is the headline in the Daily Mail, which leads on the government’s consultation on postponing next year’s local elections in some areas. The move is described as “extraordinary”, with the paper saying it would “rob more than 10 million people of a vote in May” and could boost the prime minister’s “chances of survival”.
According to the Times, the decision has “enraged” Reform UK, which has accused Labour and the Conservatives of “colluding” to stop the party getting into power.
The women and equalities minister, Bridget Phillipson, is accused in the Daily Telegraph of blocking the publication of new guidance which would ban transgender women from female toilets. Sources tell the paper she has insisted on additional bureaucratic processes that have held up approval. The government insists Phillipson wants to make sure the advice is legally watertight.
The Guardian reports that the former Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, is writing a memoir, which it says “will be seen as an attempt to set the narrative before any leadership contest”. She is, the paper says,” often considered a potential successor” to Sir Keir Starmer, with speculation about her ambitions continuing even after she stepped down over a row about her failure to pay stamp duty on a flat.
And a YouGov poll is highlighted in the Daily Mirror which suggests around 1.8 million people will spend Christmas Day alone this year. In its leader column, the paper urges its readers to “check in on someone”. “Knock on a neighbour’s door, phone an old friend,” it says, “spare five minutes for the person you have been meaning to visit.”
