Editorial 27 August 2024.
Many of Tuesday’s newspapers lead with the death of Sven-Goran Eriksson who died at the age of 76 following a terminal cancer diagnosis. Eriksson, the first foreign manager of the England football team is pictured on both the front and back pages. Many of the papers quote a recent documentary on his life, in which he told the audience: “Don’t be sorry, smile.”
Beyond the tributes, the headlines on the front page are fairly varied but are centred around domestic news, with politics being the most popular this morning.
Several tabloids speculate on whether British band Oasis is planning a reunion – the band announced early on Tuesday that they are going on a reunion tour in 2025.
‘Tributes pour in for Sven-Goran Eriksson’
The Metro leads with a tribute to Sven, using an image from his time as England manager. The paper quotes a recent documentary he made. “Don’t be sorry, smile … it’s been fantastic” reads the headline. Eriksson had revealed his cancer diagnosis in January and said he had a year to live at best.
The Daily Mirror uses the same quote. The paper details how David Beckham met with his former manager to say goodbye. Eriksson was the manager who gave Becks the England captaincy. “We laughed, we cried. Thank you, Sven,” says Beckham.
The Independent features a large image of Sven and notes he was the manager of the team dubbed ‘the golden generation’ – which featured players such as David Beckham and Rio Ferdinand.
The Guardian’s tribute to Sven also features a David Beckham quote, describing Eriksson as “always passionate, caring, calm and a true gentleman.”
He “made headlines outside the sports pages,” says the Times’ tribute noting he had a number of high-profile relationships. The front page also highlights he was the first foreign manager of the England National Football Team.
The Sun leads with Prince William’s tribute, as the Prince of Wales calls Sven ‘a true gent of the game.’ On the back page, the Sun says “Thanks, boss.”
“During his five-year reign as Three Lions boss, Eriksson led the nation to three major tournaments,” says the Express in its tribute.
The back pages – and the foreign sports papers – also lead heavily on tributes to Sven.
‘Starmer to rebuild Britain’
Several papers lead with a major speech the new prime minister will deliver today where he will warn of more ‘unpopular’ choices ahead.
The Mirror reports on Keir Starmer saying the work to rebuild Britain ‘starts now’ as he attempts to ‘reverse the decline.’ The Times sidebar article reports the prime minister will ‘bring back trust’ in politics.
The Daily Telegraph says Sir Keir Starmer will vow to clean up Downing Street and put it “back in the service” of working people as he faces a growing cronyism row. The Express leads with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claiming there will be ‘shocks’ in the Labour Budget. He claims Labour are making economic decisions based on those who vote for them.
Police are increasingly letting knife and sex offenders escape prosecution if they say sorry, The Telegraph reveals in an exclusive. More than 147,000 people accused of offences including sex crimes, violence and weapons possession were handed community resolutions in the year to March, instead of being prosecuted. Such resolutions do not result in a criminal record.
The Times also reports on crime, saying police have given up on punishing shoplifters. The paper reports that Yvette Cooper has pledged to tackle the ‘epidemic’ after the paper’s analysis shows thieves are going unpunished by police, despite rising offences.
Away from politics, The Independent reports on the recent London tower block fire, as an investigation into the cladding has begun. Seven years after the tragic Grenfell Tower fire, the unsafe material is still being removed from London flats.
There’s an NHS story leading the Guardian as the paper reports there has been a ‘staggering’ rise in anxiety in children. The paper says NHS referrals have surged to double pre-pandemic levels amongst under-18s. Experts tell the paper there are a number of reasons – including worries about exams, the influence of social media and post-pandemic uncertainty. The Guardian says mental health leaders fear the figures may only be “the tip of the iceberg” and that the situation lays bare an urgent need to tackle the crisis in children’s mental health.