What the papers say – December 30

The Friday papers mourn the passing of Pele, the world’s best footballer.

30 December 2022

The only footballer to win three World Cups is splashed across many of the front pages.

The Sun describes Pele as the “king of football”, the Daily Mirror calls him “the best” and the Daily Star says he was the greatest of all time.

Ministers have told The Times that striking unions are running out of money and will have to back down, with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace saying in the Daily Express there is no “magic wand” to fund pay rises.

The Daily Mail carries “startling” research that unsecured borrowing has hit record levels and millions of families are struggling with personal debt.

Meanwhile, analysis by The Guardian shows one in 10 Tory peers have given more than £100,000 to the party.

The Daily Telegraph says soaring Covid cases in China have given Rishi Sunak pause to consider bringing back travel restrictions.

NHS leaders warn in The Independent that the health service is not able to tackle the hidden “parallel pandemic” in mental health.

Rising interest rates and economic uncertainty ensured a record fall in the second half of the year in global dealmaking, according to the Financial Times.