Sunak pledges to bring back national service – the full perspective

Sunday’s front pages lead on two main stories: the prime minister’s promise to bring back national service if the Conservatives are re-elected to No 10 at the next general election and the divorce announcement from TV presenters Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford. 

Away from the main stories, other domestic political news looms large on the front pages, whilst the back pages lead on Manchester United’s shock 2-0 FA Cup final win over Manchester City. 

General election latest news – Sunak pledges national service

Most of the right-leaning newspapers lead on the Conservative’s plan to bring back national service. 

PM Rishi Sunak wrote in the Mail on Sunday saying too much potential in the UK is wasted on what he calls purposeless lives. The PM says the scheme will open people’s eyes to potential careers and he’d be happy for his daughters to do national service. 

The Sunday Express calls the plans to bring back national service bold and says the pledge will strike a chord with every age and help restore what it sees as a diminished sense of shared nationhood. 

The Sunday Times says the Tories hope the policy will mark a dividing line with Labour and present the Tories as the only party the UK can trust with its defence. 

The Sunday Telegraph recaps the latest from the election campaigning on its front page. It says the PM wants to bring back national or community service for 18-year-olds to bring back a sense of pride in the country. 

Elsewhere, the paper – and several others- look at the mass exodus of Tory MPs under the PM which it says breaks a record set in 1997. Michael Gove is pictured as one of the 78 Tories who have decided to step down in the wake of Sunak’s snap election announcement. Boris Johnson is set to be out of the country for much of the general election campaign, the paper adds. 

In other political news, The Observer reports shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves is accusing the Tories of making £64bn worth of unfunded spending commitments. 

Wes Streeting tells the Sunday Times he would tackle the cultural rot in the NHS if Labour is elected in July. He promises a reformation of what he describes as the national religion. 

Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford announce divorce 

For several of the tabloids, the papers react to the news that TV presenters Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford are divorcing. The couple have been married for nearly 14 years. 

The Sunday Mirror says the couple have been together for 27 years and married in 2010. The paper calls them TV royalty. 

The Sunday People also splashes on the story. The paper says their work schedules are to blame for the divorce. 

The Sun on Sunday reports on ‘Ruth’s view’ claiming she told pals there is no way back for the couple.

Manchester United win the FA Cup 

Manchester United’s shock 2-0 win against Man City at Wembley to win the FA Cup makes several front pages and dominates the back pages. 

The Sunday People,  the Observer and the Times note the club’s two teenage stars stepped up and won it for the Red Devils. 

The Sun on Sunday’s back page claims despite winning the FA Cup, Man Utd’s boss Erik ten Hag is still set to be sacked.