England’s progression to the semi-finals of the World Cup happened too late to make the first editions, which – instead – focused on the ongoing investigation into the murder of Ann Widdecombe.
The Mail on Sunday, external reports that all senior politicians for Reform UK, the party for which Widdecombe spoke on justice and immigration, are receiving round the clock protection. The paper says it also understands that, while Widdecombe’s house had security cameras, it’s thought her killer may have gained entry through a door left open because of the hot weather. Writing in the Mail, external another former Conservative minister and current Reform member, Nadine Dorries, says she plans to lock up her cottage in the Cotswolds and return to London, because she feels “genuinely scared” for the first time since she stepped into public life 25 years ago.
The Sunday Times, external says it has been told by a friend of Widdecombe that she had resisted heightened security measures for her home despite concerns from others about her possible vulnerability in such an isolated spot. The paper quotes Sir Christian Sweeting as saying she had dismissed his suggestion that she should have an electronic gate installed “out of hand”, because she “never had any fears about security”. But the Sunday Mirror, external quotes a local councillor as saying there will now be “a lot of elderly people worried who live alone there.”
Andy Burnham’s possible approach to issues including the Chagos Islands and trials without juries are on the front page of the Sunday Telegraph, external. The paper says if Burnham does, as is expected, become the new Labour leader and prime minister – it understands he will press ahead with the Chagos deal that cedes the islands to Mauritius. The paper quotes a senior Foreign Office official as saying that plans to hand over the archipelago were “unlikely to change”. But the Telegraph says, quoting Burnham’s allies, that he is preparing to axe controversial plans to curb jury trials, although the paper says he is understood to be supportive of other measures aimed at reforming the criminal justice system and reducing the court backlog.
The Sunday Express, external carries a warning that the government’s spending plans for defence will mean the end of the Royal Navy as we know it, and risk the deaths of sailors. The paper says it’s spoken to critics, including the MP Mike Martin, a member of both the Commons’ Defence Select Committee and the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy – who have warned that the transition from warships to autonomous vessels leaves the UK vulnerable at a time when Russian aggression is expected to rise. The Ministry of Defence has told the paper the Navy is being “transformed” to deliver the UK’s most advanced maritime air defence capability for the future.
Much is made in a number of the papers of the Duke of Sussex taking part in a spot of “goat yoga” at a summer festival in Warwickshire on the final day of his visit to the UK. The Sun, external is among those carrying photos of Prince Harry standing on one leg while making goat “ears” with his hands. Finally Harry has the freedom to act the goat, says the Telegraph, external.