Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Thursday’s front pages are leading with PM Rishi Sunak’s first appearance at Prime Minister’s Questions. The PM and opposition leader gave a fiery performance, the fiscal statement has been delayed and there’s more news about the cabinet re-shuffle.
Right-wing papers Daily Mail and Daily Express and the Times leave room on their front pages for reports about Albanian men crossing the channel.
Away from politics, the ongoing drama around the film Don’t Worry Darling is an exclusive front-page story for the Sun, whilst the Mirror leads with the Pride of Britain Awards.
PM Rishi Sunak fiery PMQs
The Guardian describes the PM’s performance as “Boris-lite” concluding it was: “full of culture wars bluster – but without the ability to draw his audience into his fantasies”.
Whilst the Times has a more positive take, saying the PM is to be “tidy, quick, reasonable and centrist”. But while he gives he also takes away – saying of the Prime Minister that: “like a pianola, there is something programmed about him”.
The Sun praises what it calls a “fiery debut” at the dispatch box. The paper says his “strong performance will have raised Tory hopes of a recovery” and goes on to welcome the news that there will be a delay to the medium-term fiscal plan.
“Welcome to office politics,” says the headline on the front page of The i which notes that the PM “enjoyed perhaps the most vocal support from Tory backbenchers witnessed in the Commons since Boris Johnson won the general election in 2019”.
The i looks ahead to the autumn financial statement, warning: “when it becomes clear where the axe will fall, he may find the cheering of his colleagues in ever-diminishing supply”.
The Express headline reads: “Do you really want to scrap pensions triple lock again?” The paper is not happy that the new PM did not confirm that the state pension increase would be linked to the rate of inflation.
The Mirror suggests that the government has shown “cruel contempt” for pensioners and lower-income households by “leaving them in limbo about whether it will slash the increases they are entitled to.”
The Daily Mail’s front page says: “Rishi’s migrant crisis headache.” The paper says the rising number of migrants crossing in small boats is a “major test” for the new PM.
Don’t Worry Darling drama continues
The Metro’s second lead story is on the backlash over Foreign Secretary James Cleverly telling LGBT football fans to be “respectful” if they go to Qatar for the World Cup next month.
Whilst The Sun splashes on claims that the stars of Don’t Worry Darling – Florence Pugh and Harry Styles – had a hooked up before Styles started dating the film’s director.