There is a mix of stories on the front pages of Saturday’s papers. The Times reports that King Charles III and the Prince of Wales are expected to visit the US in the new year as part of a Royal “charm offensive” to “woo” President Donald Trump. The paper says the trip would be the first by a reigning monarch in almost 20 years since Queen Elizabeth II accepted an invitation from George W Bush in 2007. [BBC]
Under a new paid Army gap year scheme, school-leavers will be offered military training to prepare them for combat in war zones, according to the i Paper. The voluntary programme is modelled on Australia’s army system and aims to boost recruitment while equipping young people with essential life skills, the paper reports. [BBC]
Moving its focus to the NHS, the Daily Telegraph says that the UK is “twice as reliant on foreign doctors” and failing to hire more home-grown medics compared with other Western nations. Recent data from the General Medical Council reveals that around 42% of the country’s medical workforce is made up of foreign-trained doctors, while in contrast that figure is 15% in Germany and 11% in France. The top picture spot shows riders, horses and hounds taking part in the traditional Boxing Day hunt in Chiddingstone, Kent. [BBC]
Staying with the health service, the Guardian reports foreign doctors and nurses are “increasingly shunning” the NHS because anti-migrant rhetoric and rising racism have created a “hostile environment”. The paper quotes Jeanette Dickson, chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, who says health professionals are seeing the UK as an “unwelcoming, racist” country because of the government’s strict approach to immigration. [BBC]
In an “Oxford vaccine breakthrough”, scientists are working on a jab to prevent people from getting cancer which could be available “within a decade”, the Daily Star reports. The paper says clinical trials for a vaccine to ward off lung cancer are expected to start next year, with efforts to develop more vaccines to stop breast, ovarian and bowel cancers. [BBC]
The Daily Mirror moves on to politics as it reports Sir Keir Starmer is being urged to tackle the cost of living crisis as a top priority in a “fight Labour must win”. The warning comes from Trades Union Congress chief Paul Nowak, who says the PM must raise living standards or risk losing out to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, which would be “a disaster for working class people”, the paper says. [BBC]
Figures show more than 8,000 criminals were freed between January and June this year under Labour’s early release scheme, according to the Daily Express. The shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick, has accused the government of allowing criminals to “roam our streets” over the Christmas period. [BBC]
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The Daily Mail leads with a “ghost number plates scandal” that reveals up to one in 15 cars are fitted with plates invisible to road cameras. The paper says the car registration scheme “loophole” has allowed people to use number plates designed to evade detection and could pose a “grave national security risk”. [BBC]
Investment banking fees have soared to their second-highest level ever thanks to global mega-deals topping $4tn this year, the Financial Times says. Elsewhere, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “heads to Florida” to meet Donald Trump this weekend to discuss the US peace proposal that will be presented to Russia to end the war in Ukraine, the paper says. [BBC]
Finally, the Sun splashes with late boxing champ Ricky Hatton’s “£40m legacy” for his children. The paper says the fortune from Hatton’s property empire will be split between his three kids. [BBC]
