Editorial 11 August 2024.
There are various leads on the Sunday front pages, with the tribute to Bebe King being one of the most dominant for the tabloids. Most papers feature some UK riot-related story on their front splash.
Ongoing coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and showbiz stories are also featured on the front splashes. There’s a little domestic politics news as well though not the focus of the papers.
‘Parents pay tribute to Bebe King’
The tribute from the parents of Bebe King, 6 – the youngest of the Southport stabbing attack, makes many of the front pages – including a newly released image of Bebe, her sister and their parents.
The Sunday Express says the grieving parents paid a “heartbreaking tribute” to their “shimmering star” and honoured their other daughter Genie, 9, for her “incredible strength and courage.”
The Sunday Mirror also leads on the King family, the paper picks up on their words: “Our world is shattered.” Its headline notes Bebe’s nine-year-old sister witnessed the attack and managed to escape.
The Sunday Telegraph leads with a large image of the family saying Bebe’s sister managed to escape the horror attack.
The Sunday Times leads with a warning from Stephen Parkinson – Britain’s director of public prosecutions, who says that hundreds more people involved in the riots “will be hauled before the courts in the coming days,” with some expected to receive sentences of up to ten years in jail.
The Observer leads on a report that says the riots will set back efforts to rebuild the broken justice system. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood is quoted as saying the response has been made harder due to court backlogs and prison overcrowding inherited from the Conservatives.
Away from coverage of last week’s riots, domestic politics makes the front pages.
The Mail on Sunday reports Sir Kier Starmer is “being denied vital security briefings” because Sue Gray, his chief of staff, “is blocking access to him.” The paper quotes Whitehall sources who tell the paper that there is “growing disquiet” over her approach to the role.
