Editorial 19 June 2024.

Wednesday’s front pages continue to be dominated by the latest from the UK political campaigns, ahead of July’s general election. 

Elsewhere, several of the papers feature images of royals attending Ascot – but otherwise the news is fairly politically focused.  

The back pages cover the European Championship, the latest from Kylian Mbappe’s nose injury, the latest from the England camp and a look ahead to Scotland’s Wednesday match. 

‘Labour tax raid fear’ 

The traditional right-leaning, Conservative Party-supporting newspapers look at Labour’s manifesto – in particular Labour’s tax plans.

The Daily Mail says Labour has a “secret tax rise dossier” with plans to raise £60bn. The paper claims Labour were under pressure to ‘come clean’ after a ‘bombshell dossier laid out dramatic tax rise plans.’ 

The Daily Express quotes Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as saying “Labour will tax your years of savings in weeks”. The paper says the Prime Minister has launched his plan to cut taxes for people of every age with £17 billion worth of fully funded reforms.

The Daily Telegraph reports on “tax raid fear” saying the Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer “suggests savers are ‘not working people.’” 

The Times also picks up on Starmer’s definition of “working people.” It says the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson “shuns campaign trail as Tories face red wall decimation.” 

‘NHS will buy beds in care homes’

The traditional left-leaning newspapers are a little more focused on the NHS this morning. 

The i newspaper claims the UK is in “secret talks” over the “financial turmoil” at its IT contractor Atos, with a possible effect on benefits and the NHS. 

The Guardian reports that Labour have said the “NHS will buy beds in care homes to cut hospital waits”. The front page includes an image of Rishi Sunak on a boat, titled “All at sea?”.

The Daily Mirror features the same image of the prime minister saying “You’re going to need a bigger vote” – one of several puns on the front page. It adds the Tories are “adrift from reality” and says the PM is “all at sea.” 

The Independent analyses Rishi Sunak’s claim that support from former PM Boris Johnson during the election campaign will help the Conservative Party. The paper mocks the claim made by Sunak 

Away from politics, a few other domestic topics find space on the front pages. 

The Metro continues its coverage of the Post Office scandal saying the ‘Post Office in ‘criminal conspiracy’”. The paper quotes one of the independent forensic accountants the company hired. It says that the accountant Ian Henderson, “felt there was a cover-up” of the Post Office scandal, in which hundreds of postmasters and postmistresses were wrongly prosecuted.

The FT reports on US chip maker Nvidia becoming the world’s most valuable company – overtaking Apple and Microsoft.

The paper also looks beyond the July election saying “Tory hopefuls jockey for positions as post-poll tace to succeed Sunak looms.” 

The Sun’s front page reports that Man City replaced one of their Premier League trophies after they were robbed.