Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
A picture of a smiling Penny Mordaunt is being splashed on many of Thursday’s front pages, as she finished runner-up to Rishi Sunak in the first round of the Conservative leadership race.
The Daily Telegraph’s headline reads: “Mordaunt seizes the momentum”, which says she now finds herself in a “prime position.”
The Daily Express claims Ms Mordaunt has blown the race “wide open,” with a survey of grassroots Tory members putting her as the favourite to become the next leader – and PM.
The i agrees and says she has rattled her rivals, while the Metro asks: PM FOR PM? – that’s Penny Mordaunt’s slogan.
The Daily Mail says her rivals are already briefing against her and she’s likely to face “intense scrutiny” as the race heats up and especially now with her “new status” as one of the favourites.
One of her rivals tells the paper reports Ms Mordaunt has toughened her views on transgender rights to “reverse her reputation as a woke warrior.” They urge the right of the paper to unite behind Liz Truss.
The Guardian says the unexpected challenge has forced Ms Truss to “regroup” ahead of her campaign launch today. The paper says her speech will stress her modest background and comprehensive school education.
In other news – the Financial Times suggests the NHS in England will need up to 40,000 extra beds by the end of the decade to deal with a “rising tide of illness” among post-war baby boomers.
The heatwave is another popular story for the papers’ this week as it continues to have an impact.
“Hot And Can’t Be Bothered” is how the Sun describes calls for the TUC for a maximum working temperature to be introduced. Under the proposal, employees would automatically down tools when temps pass 30C to avoid passing out or becoming dehydrated.
The Daily Mirror focuses on the impact of the ongoing heatwave on the UK’s water supply, with some reservoir levels at their lowest since the mid-1990s.
Meanwhile, the Daily Star says life of the Isle of Sheppey in Kent was brought to a “virtual halt” on Wednesday after two water mains burst, leaving tens of thousands of people without any supply.