What the papers say – August 19

Health concerns, winter in Spain and a royal working in a garden centre are splashed across Friday’s front pages.

The i reports that the Office of Budget Responsibility will tell Liz Truss she has billions of pounds less than she thinks she has to fund tax cuts if she becomes prime minister.

The Tory frontrunner plans to crack down on “militant unions who hold the country to ransom” with industrial action, according to the Daily Express.

“What has become of our country?” asks the Daily Mirror as it shares the story of an 87-year-old who waited 15 hours outside overnight for an ambulance.

Concerns about staffing numbers in care homes have prompted Health Secretary Steve Barclay to consider an overseas hiring spree, reports The Times.

The Sun, meanwhile, says the cost-of-living crisis “must be bad” as the Queen’s granddaughter Lady Louise Windsor works in a garden centre.

The Daily Star carries the story of a “savvy” worker who aims to save cash on fuel bills by moving to Spain for the winter.

The Independent reports the latest A-level results show a growing North-South divide, with the Daily Mail saying tens of thousands of pupils were “desperately” trying to secure a university place following a record drop in grades.

Research shows the average water company boss’s total pay rose by 20% over the last year amid pollution failings, according to The Guardian and Metro.

And The Daily Telegraph says authorities have asked for excess deaths figures to be examined as the paper reports lockdown’s effects may be killing more people than Covid-19.