‘Christian Horner sacked’ & ‘Macron and Starmer migrant deal’ | Thursday’s newspapers
Thursday’s newspapers have a real mix of headlines this morning! Several newspapers report Christian Horner was sacked as Red Bull’s F1 team principal after he faced accusations of inappropriate behaviour at work.
There is coverage of the Lionesses’ thrashing of the Dutch in last night’s Euro 2025, with the newspapers praising the performance of the entire team.
Coverage of Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the UK continues to find space on the front pages, with the press picking apart a plan to return migrants who have crossed the channel in small boats.
A handful of other standalone stories make up the rest of the front page coverage, with a doctor’s strike on the horizon and updates on the Southport killings.
‘Christian Horner sacked’
The Metro says Horner was “shunted out” 17 months after a female employee accused him of coercive, controlling behaviour. He was twice cleared of these claims, which he has strongly denied, but the fallout has been “blamed for the team’s decline”, the paper reports. Red Bull has won only two races this season.
The Daily Star has fun with words, referencing the Red Bull slogan in its headline: “Red Bull gives you the boot.” It adds that Christian Horner’s wife, Spice Girl, Geri Halliwell, has “stood by” her husband.
The Daily Mail claims to have the “inside story” on the scandal and how “humiliated” Geri was standing by her husband, “despite her anguish over flirtatious messages he had allegedly sent to a female colleague.”
‘Sickness benefits soon worth more than a minimum wage job’
A handful of papers lead with new analysis from a think tank.
The Daily Mail says the new data suggests that “work doesn’t pay under Labour.” The Centre for Social Justice think tank has warned that sickness benefits could soon be worth more than a minimum wage job. The “shocking finding” comes after the PM failed to secure benefit cuts earlier in the month, the paper notes.
The Daily Telegraph says someone on “full handouts” will receive £2,500 more a year than a minimum wage worker.
The paper also finds space for a report from a group representing the beer industry, warning that one pub a day will close after Labour’s “tax raids.”
The i paper also reports on Labour’s tax plans, saying a minister has told them of Labour’s wealth tax plan to appease restless backbenchers. It will not call these measures a wealth tax in public, but it will do so privately, the paper reports.
‘Macron and Starmer migrant deal’
Macron and Starmer are to announce a migrant deal on Thursday. It comes as Home Office figures say more than 21,000 have crossed the Channel in small boats this year.
The Sun says the planned migrant deal would see those who crossed the channel in small boats returned. But the paper notes that there is plenty of criticism around the deal as it could see just 50 deported a week. The Tories say the arrangement is not a deterrent.
The Times says one in 17 people who arrive via the Channel will be deported, but it is intended to expand at a later date. A UK government source told the paper that the scheme will be “scaled up” after a pilot period.
The Guardian says the deal “hangs in the balance” with negotiators still “deadlocked” over details, and there are plenty of hurdles to overcome. The paper says the prime minister had hoped to unveil an agreement as the “key prize” of Macron’s three-day visit to the UK, the paper says.
The Daily Telegraph says the government is hoping the number of returns will grow significantly if the trial period is successful.
A look at stories on the front pages of the UK newspapers
The Sun is critical of a potential migrant returns deal between France and the UK, noting only 50 migrants who cross the Channel will be sent back to France every week, despite the arrival of 40,000 a year.
The front page reports on Geri’s response to her husband’s sacking at Red Bull.
The Times is also critical of the small number of illegal migrants who would be returned per week.
The PM, his wife and Macron and Brigitte are pictured outside No 10.
The front page also reports that people can make a £25k income from benefits, more than a national minimum wage full-time job.
The Guardian suggests the deal hangs in the balance as both sides have hurdles to overcome for a final agreement. It doubts whether the PM can get the deal over the line before Macron’s three-day visit ends.
Goalscorer Georgia Stanway is pictured on the front page as the Lionesses beat the Netherlands 4-0 in the Euro 2025 group stages.
Labour backbenchers are causing another stir, telling the PM to get on top of tackling the cost of living crisis.
The Daily Express leads with news that junior doctors are threatening a five-day walkout as they “demand” a pay rise. The paper has a negative take on the strikes, as it does with all industrial action and workers’ rights.
Camilla is pictured meeting tennis player Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.
Metro leads with the Christian Horner scandal, saying he has been shunted out of his role at Red Bull after 20 years in charge. It comes 17 months after the “sexting claim bombshell”, the headline says.
England beat the Dutch 4-0 in last night’s Euro 2025 match, keeping the dream of retaining the title alive.
Bias Exposed from UK newspapers
Coverage of the potential migrant deal between France and the UK has spun out some interesting headlines. The right-leaning press has had a negative reaction to the deal, noting only 50 migrants will be returned. The papers use sensationalised language aimed at causing panic by noting how many thousands have arrived via small boats in the UK already this year. The left-leaning press uses more toned-down language, suggesting the deal could be a successful deterrent.
- The Sun headline uses wordplay and outrage framing to provoke and entertain. “A KICK IN THE GAULS” is a pun that ridicules France while stoking anger, suggesting the UK has been short-changed. The contrast between “40,000 arrive” and “just 50 migrants a week” is designed to evoke indignation. It’s a classic tabloid tactic – using humour, exaggeration, and nationalism to simplify and inflame a complex immigration issue.
- The i headline uses a deterrence-based framing by focusing on benefit cuts to make the UK less attractive to migrants, aligning with French calls to reduce so-called “pull factors.” While less inflammatory than others, it still subtly presents migration as a problem to manage rather than a humanitarian issue.