'Starmer's new generation' and 'Abbott suspended'

Prime minister's plan to lower the voting age to 16 is dominating the papers on Friday, with the Daily Mirror declaring it a "historic ballot box reform".

"Votes as 16 as Starmer panics over Reform" says the headline of the Daily Telegraph, as Labour unveiled its accelerated plan in Parliament on Thursday evening. Under the proposed changes, 1.5 million 16 and 17-year-olds will be able to head to the polling booth at the next general election.

The i Paper is also leading on the vote, with their headline declaring that "Reform and Corbyn are likely to benefit". The prime minister has argued that 16 and 17-year-olds already pay taxes and should get a say in the running of the country, but the i Paper writes that his critics are accusing him of trying to "rig political system".

The Metro's headline reads "Starmer's new generation", with the Friday edition of the paper reporting that the prime minister said the move will "modernise our democracy". Singer Alexandra Burke is also pictured as Morticia who she portrays in The Addams Family: The Musical Comedy which is on tour.

"Labour in for 'nasty voter surprise'" reads the headline of the Daily Express, with Nigel Farage predicting Labour's decision will "backfire" amid his claims of a surge in young voter support for Reform. Elsewhere, Lucy Bronze roars after scoring a penalty that earned the Lionesses a spot in the semi-finals of Euro 2025.

The Afghan data leak naming "British spies and soldiers" is the leading story for the Times. The paper says that when the super-injunction blocking reporting on the breach was lifted, the press was hit by a secondary injunction which barred the disclosure of additional information due to national security concerns. At a High Court hearing on Thursday, the Ministry of Defence finally agreed that the specifics of the dataset could be reported, and so the media were able to reveal that more than 100 British special forces, MI6 spies and military officers were compromised in the leak, in addition to the thousands of Afghan nationals who were named.

Rory McElroy is the main image on the front page of the Guardian, pictured on the green at the Open 2025 after it kicked off at Royal Portrush. The Friday edition of the paper is leading with "Diane Abbott suspended by Labour for second time" as their main story after the MP doubled down and said she did not regret her controversial past remarks on racism.

The Financial Times reports employment in the UK fell for the fifth month in a row in June and wage growth slowed "in the latest sign that the government's tax rises, a higher minimum wage and the US trade war are hitting the jobs market". The broadsheet points out headcount was cut by 41,000 last month, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The Daily Mail warns that police will use facial recognition cameras at Notting Hill Carnival this year, in what the paper is calling an "unprecedented crackdown on violence". Brooklyn Beckham and wife Nicola Peltz are pictured on the front page, holidaying in St Tropez amid ongoing speculation on their relationship with the rest of the Beckham family. The paper asks "Will Brooklyn send mum and dad a postcard?"

"Torode race slur a Kanye rap" reads the Sun's front page, alleging that sacked MasterChef host John Torode repeated lyrics from Kanye West's hit Gold Digger, which includes racial slurs. The TV chef identified himself as having an upheld claim of using racist language against him, but denied the allegation, stating he has no recollection of the alleged incident and does not believe that it happened.

British fans are seen celebrating the Lionesses win over Sweden on the front page of the Daily Star after a nail-biting penalty shoot-out. It pictures England goalie Hannah Hampton who the paper describes as the "penalty shoot-out hero".

The government's plan to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in the next general election is the main story for a number of the papers. The Mirror's headline describes the move as a "historic ballot box reform".

The Telegraph quotes the leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage, as saying that the change is an "attempt to rig the political system". The paper also warns that it could backfire for Labour if the Greens, or a new hard-left political party led by Jeremy Corbyn were to "pick up momentum".

The i Paper has been speaking to pollsters - who report that fewer than one in five young people say they would definitely vote - if the election was held tomorrow.

The Times reports that resident doctors (formerly known as junior doctors) could have their student debts "written off" as part of a deal with the government to avoid a five-day strike next week. The paper says Health Secretary Wes Streeting has made it clear that he "cannot move" on headline pay but that other issues are up for negotiation. The Times says other possible reforms include cutting doctors' pensions to give them "higher pay today", subsidising fees for exams and speeding up career progression.

Diane Abbott's suspension from the Labour party over comments about racism is the Guardian's lead. The paper says it is the latest sign that Sir Keir Starmer intends to take a tougher approach to party discipline after the rebellion of MPs over welfare cuts.

The Mail reports that facial recognition cameras will be used at this year's Notting Hill Carnival in August for the first time. It says visitors will be scanned by police looking for wanted knife offenders, rapists, robbers and those suspected of violent crimes. The use of the technology has proved controversial with organisers and has prompted civil liberty concerns.

The front page of the Telegraph carries a photo of the Lionesses piled on top of each other in celebration on the football pitch in Zurich after beating Sweden 3-2 on penalties allowing them to go through to the semi-finals of the Euros. "Penalty shooting stars", says the caption.

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