What the papers say – December 19

The nation’s front pages on Thursday feature stories on health, flooding, Brexit, the crisis in Labour and more.

The Times leads on the story of hedge funds eavesdropping on Bank of England press conferences before they were officially broadcast, after its internal systems were hijacked.

The Daily Telegraph‘s splash says Boris Johnson will put the NHS at the heart of his domestic agenda as he sets out his programme for government, with the i covering the same story.

The Guardian reports that Emily Thornberry has declared she is entering the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn, revealing she warned the Labour leadership that backing a Brexit election would be an “act of catastrophic political folly”.

The Daily Mail splash says the prime minister “will announce immediate help for the high street today in the first Queen’s Speech of his ‘people’s government’”.

The Financial Times says the UK’s armed forces funding crisis will put operational readiness in peril.

Metro splashes with Tony Blair saying Labour faces oblivion if it does not change direction.

The Daily Mirror leads with a story saying a couple left homeless in last month’s floods may spend Christmas Day in their car as they have nowhere else to go.

The Independent‘s splash says sick newborns in some areas of the UK are dying at twice the rate of seriously ill babies in other areas.

The Sun reports that the High Court yesterday ruled convicted IRA man John Downey was an “active participant” in the 1982 Hyde Park bombing.

The Daily Express says Mr Johnson has put Conservative MPs on stand-by to rush his Brexit deal through the Commons.

And the Daily Star splashes with a story saying snooker player “Jimmy White’s lover was left drenched in blood after being glassed in a bar-room brawl”.