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The Guardian leads with ministers ordering safety checks on a group of post-war school buildings over fears of defects in thousands of schools. The paper writes that after months of delays, contractors have finally been appointed to investigate the buildings. The main front page image is the crashed Jeju Air plane in which 179 people died.
The death of former US president Jimmy Carter was announced too late on Sunday for many papers to reflect in their early editions - but quick-acting editors at the Times do find front-page space for a picture and sizeable story marking his passing. The newspaper leads with what its headline labels a "rising toll" of young women who are more likely to be off work due to sickness than because they are looking after children.
The Daily Telegraph leads with the government wanting to make the national curriculum more "diverse" as part of a review to "refresh" what is taught in schools. The broadsheet highlights the review's aims to reflect the "diversities of our society". Tech billionaire Elon Musk has said "very few" businesses want to invest in Sir Keir Starmer's Britain, the paper reports.
Voters do not believe the prime minister can help ease the cost-of-living crisis within the next year, the i reports. It says 62% of the public do not think the government can get a handle on living costs, according to a Survation poll of 2,019 adults across the UK. Pictured are Liverpool players celebrating after their 5-0 win over West Ham United, stretching their lead at the top of the Premier League to eight points.
"Beware risks of weight loss drugs bought online" headlines the Daily Express as it leads on experts urging people to think twice about buying weight loss jabs from unregulated sellers. The paper writes criminals "go to great lengths" to make online stores look authentic - but they may dish out fake or toxic products according to the UK's medicine regulator. A smiling Princess of Wales in green is also pictured as the Daily Express declares her the "best ambassador for our nation".
The Daily Mirror says the majority of Britons in a poll backed its campaign to stop "cosmetic surgery cowboys". Its front page pictures Samantha Lougher, whom it writes was scarred by dodgy fillers. At the top of the page, Louise Minchin, Joel Dommett and Rob Beckett say they are "fighting fit" ahead of the Gladiators celebrity special, which will air on New Year's Day on BBC One.
The Daily Mail writes council staff have been allowed to "work from the beach" more than 2,000 times since the pandemic. The paper notes one council worker has been logging in from Ibiza.
Actress Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright are expecting their first child, the Sun reports as it pictures the actress holding her bump. "Michelle and Mark have wanted this for a long time, they've never been happier," a friend tells the paper.
The Daily Star superimposes the face of Vladimir Putin onto a snowman as it reports Britain will be colder than Moscow in the days ahead. Weather warnings for rain, snow and wind gusts of up to 70mph have been issued for parts of the UK on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The Star writes that the cold snap will be the worst for 12 years.
Defaults on US credit card loans have hit their highest since the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, writes the Financial Times. The broadsheet's second story reports private equity firms and pension funds are betting on UK rental houses with investors "increasingly favouring single-family homes over big blocks of flats" - in the hope they attract more stable tenants and because houses are easier to build within the planning system.
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The crash of a passenger plane in South Korea features on a number of the front pages. The Guardian says a stench of jet fuel hung over Muan international airport last night. The paper says the disaster happened at a time of unprecedented political turmoil for the country, sparked by a short-lived attempt to introduce martial law earlier this month. It says the crash has raised concerns about the ability of the acting president Choi Sang-mok to respond effectively, while he juggles his new role with his existing jobs as finance minister and deputy prime minister. "Probe as 179 die in jet hell" is the Sun's headline. The Financial Times has a photo of officials searching the Boeing 7-3-7's smashed fuselage, with the headline "fireball horror".
The Times is warning that the number of under-25s who are too ill to work has almost doubled in the past decade. The paper says official figures show that for women, the number who are long term sick rose to around 118,000. But the Times says this has been offset in the workforce by a huge reduction in the number of young mothers looking after families full time. The figure was a quarter of a million 10 years ago. It is now just under 94,000. Experts suggest this could be down to a falling birthrate, as well as policies to get more parents back to work.
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"Beware risks of weight loss drugs bought online" is the warning on the front page of the Daily Express. The paper quotes leading health experts, who say criminals selling the treatments are going to great lengths to make online stores look authentic, but may be selling toxic products. Drugs such as semaglutide are prescribed by NHS specialists. But the Express says access is limited and waiting lists are growing - and that hundreds of thousands of people are turning to private pharmacies.
"Councils let staff 'work from beach' in Ibiza and Australia" is the front page splash in the Daily Mail. The paper says councils have approved 2,000 requests to work from abroad since the pandemic - as local services are slashed and taxes soar. The Mail says critics are calling for a crackdown amid plummeting public sector productivity.
