The Guardian leads with a claim that the growing addiction to unhealthy food costs the UK £268bn a year. The figure, which is more than the NHS budget, has been calculated in a report by the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission. It found that increasing consumption of food that was high in fat, salt and sugar was having a “devastating” effect on human health and Britain’s finances. The University of Surrey economist, Tim Jackson, who carried out the research, tells the paper the cost is “staggering”. The Food and Drink Federation said companies had made significant progress in creating healthier options for consumers.
The main story in the Times is a call from a senior economic adviser to Donald Trump for Britain to align itself with the US on trade and as the headline puts it “dump the socialist EU”. Stephen Moore tells the paper that Trump has a mandate to impose import tariffs to protect US industry and jobs, which could damage the UK. He says Britain will have to decide whether it wants to shift towards what he calls the “European Socialist model” or a free trade agreement with the US.
The Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is challenging Sir Keir Starmer on hate laws, according to the Daily Telegraph. She tells the paper that legislation must be reviewed to protect free speech. The paper highlights her comments in relation to its columnist, Allison Pearson, who is under police investigation for a social media post which is alleged to have stirred up racial hatred. Badenoch says it is “absolutely wrong” for police to visit a journalist’s home because they have expressed an opinion.
The Daily Mail has a similar theme – but this time it is Boris Johnson weighing in. He has written an article for the paper about police investigating comments on social media which he says is “straight out of 1980’s Romania” and the “horrible curtain-twitching culture by which people reported on their friends”. He refers to the “thought police” being like the “Soviet Union at its worst”. The former prime minister also calls on the police to abandon their investigation into the Telegraph journalist.
Elon Musk’s wealth is expected to hit new heights according to the FT Weekend. It reports that two of his private companies -Space X and his Artificial Intelligence start-up xAI – are set to achieve multibillion-dollar jumps in their valuation as investors race to back his business interests. The FT says Mr Musk’s close relationship with President-elect Trump has also given a significant boost to shares in his electric car company, Tesla.
And the Sun and the Daily Mirror both picture Davina McCall on their front page as they report on the presenter’s operation to remove a benign brain tumour. The Sun says the 57-year-old has been “inundated with support from fans and celebs” after posting a video saying “pray for me”. The Mirror quotes her partner, Michael Douglas, who says according to the surgeon, the six hour operation was “textbook”.