Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Almost all of Thursday’s front pages report on England’s win over Australia in the semi-final of the 2023 Women’s World Cup. The Lionesses won 3-1 putting in a dominant and clinical performance to book their place in the World Cup final, where they’ll face Spain on Sunday.
Lionesses roar to final
The Daily Mirror reads: “The history girls.” The i newspaper calls them “wonder women”. “Goal-den girls” is the headline the Metro goes for.
The Daily Express says the Lionesses “look ready to end England’s 57 years of hurt” and prompts the paper to ask “dare we dream?” about Sunday’s final.
The Telegraph leads with the headline “Football’s coming home,” and is far more optimistic.
Australia’s Matildas “wilted” before England, the Sun says. England had to beat the co-hosts in front of a hostile crowd to reach the final.
Some of the papers go on to report the final will give the UK economy a £185m boost as fans head out to celebrate. The Times says some pubs are struggling because, while the final kicks off at 11 am UK time, their licences do not permit alcohol sales before noon on Sunday.
Pension triple lock
The Guardian says “PM stands by pension triple lock despite surging costs.” The paper says there are signs the scheme could cost the Treasury an extra £10bn next year. PM Sunak says the government is committed to the policy.
The PM takes to the Times to defend his economic plans saying he is “really optimistic” that people across Britain will feel better off next year. He says he believes he can bring inflation down and revive economic growth.
Both of the papers feature large images of England’s win over Australia. The Guardian says “Lionesses surge into World Cup final,” whilst the Times says “England are ferocious.”