Perhaps unsurprisingly there’s one person who appears on almost all of the front pages – Dolly Parton.
The Sun, external, the Daily Mirror, external and the Daily Star, external all share the headline: “We will always love you, Dolly”.
To the i Paper, external she was the “legendary queen of country”, who wanted to be “remembered as a songwriter”. The Guardian, external leaves little doubt about whether she achieved that, noting she was “so gifted that she wrote two of the 20th century’s greatest songs – Jolene and I Will Always Love You – in a single day”.
“Burnham warned of impending Russian UK attack” declares the Daily Mail, external on its front page. It says the prime minister has been told by security experts to be prepared for a “direct response” from Moscow, over the UK’s support for Ukraine. The former Conservative defence minister, Tobias Elwood, tells the Daily Express, external Russia will seek to “exact a price”.
The Financial Times leads, external on China’s criticism of fresh US sanctions, which aim to isolate Iran’s economy. The paper says any attempt to expand the sanctions regime to Chinese companies “would risk retaliation from Beijing”. The FT points out that President Xi Jinping is due to meet Donald Trump in Washington next month.
According to the Times, external, Andy Burnham is poised to announce sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank – despite warnings from within his party that the measure could spiral into a “de facto boycott” of Israel itself.
The government tells the paper it won’t comment on “speculation”, and that the foreign secretary “has been clear that illegal settlements threaten the viability of a Palestinian state and undermine security for both Israelis and Palestinians”.
The Daily Telegraph reports, external that Birmingham, once regarded as the “motor capital of Britain”, is set to become England’s first 20mph city. It says the council, led by coalition of the Green Party, Liberal Democrats and Independents, want to introduce the speed restriction on all routes other than A-roads.
The opposition, led by Reform UK, calls it an “anti motorist policy”. A spokesperson for the local authority tells the paper: “Our message is simple: slower is safer.”
