Voters keen for the Labour government to prioritise crumbling NHS and Gavin and Stacey fans said their final goodbye, with a whooping 12.3 millions viewers tuned in
NHS must be priority
A poll for the Mirror today shows a clear majority believe fixing the health service should be Keir Starmer’s main priority.
The findings are hardly a surprise, as the Conservatives brought the NHS in England to its knees. Labour inherited crumbling hospitals, demoralised staff and huge waiting lists. Restoring this national institution to full strength will take time but the government has made a start by resolving pay disputes and investing additional resources.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves upset bosses and farmers by raising taxes but they should remember that the money is helping fund a record cash injection for the NHS. Ministers know there is more to do to cut waiting lists, improve the standard of care and rebuild hospitals and health centres.
To this end Mr Starmer and the Health Secretary Wes Streeting are expected to announce further reforms in January. The government has diagnosed the problem. It must now complete the course of treatment.
Russian tolls
There are understandable reasons why many suspect the Azerbaijan Airlines plane was downed by a Russian missile. Although the Russian government has warned people not to jump to conclusions, Vladimir Putin’s regime is known to have blood on its hands, and not just from war.
It is inevitable that comparisons have been drawn between the Christmas Day crash and Malaysian Airways flight MH17, which was shot down in 2014. An investigation concluded that a Russian missile was responsible. To this day the Kremlin denies any blame, which is why its reaction to the crash in Kazakhstan should be treated with caution.
Fans hooked
The finale of Gavin & Stacey deserved its whopping 12.3 million viewers, the most for a Christmas Day show since 2008. It’s great that the beloved sitcom went on a high – and maybe it’s best we’ll never know what happened on that fishing trip.
