'D-Day snub' and search for missing presenter
- Published
Time for a look at the papers - where the fallout from Rishi Sunak's decision to miss part of the D-Day Commemorations gets widespread coverage.
The Guardian says the prime minister "provoked fury" , externalfrom the Conservative grassroots after he was forced to apologise for leaving France early. The paper calls it "the biggest mis-step yet of an already faltering election campaign". The Guardian reports Tory officials as saying internal WhatsApp groups were full of horrified responses to Mr Sunak leaving Normandy and recording a TV interview. One grassroots member is quoted as saying the move was "gobsmacking".
It was an "absolute catastrophe", external according to an unnamed Conservative official in the FT Weekend. He goes on to accuse Mr Sunak of "handing a gift" to the Reform UK Party of Nigel Farage. The FT says some Tories fear that Reform could overtake the Tories in the opinion polls in what it calls a "crossover moment".
"Tories in Despair" is the headline in the i. It describes a backlash on what it calls the "D-Day gaffe", external - with Conservative insiders fearing it puts the "nail in the coffin" of election success. The Daily Mirror strikes a similar tone, saying Mr Sunak's election campaign is "in tatters", external. Its front page headline is a quote from one of Mr Sunak's own ministers: "It's Over".
The Daily Express declares that a "contrite" Mr Sunak is "Truly Sorry" for letting down the "nation's heroes", external, adding that he admitted leaving the D-Day event early was a mistake and had addressed the backlash head-on. The paper's columnist, Leo McKinstry, writes that the 80th anniversary of the invasion of Northern France has turned into "Rishi Sunak's Darkest Day" and sent his election campaign "into meltdown".
There's a change of emphasis in the Daily Telegraph, which headlines the Conservatives' plans to axe stamp duty for first time buyers on houses worth up to £425,000, external. The paper says the publication of the Tory manifesto will be one of the last moments left to change the dynamics of an election that has seen Labour stay far ahead in the polls. It discusses Mr Sunak's D-Day gaffe further down the article - describing the Conservative campaign as having been "plunged into chaos".
There's no mention of the D-Day row on the front pages of the Daily Mail, and the Sun. Both lead on the disappearance in Greece of the broadcaster and Mail columnist Michael Mosley, external - and they carry the same picture of the 67-year-old health and diet expert carrying an umbrella. It's taken from CCTV of his last confirmed sighting on the island of Symi. The Mail reports that Greek police fear he may have come to harm while walking back to the house where he was staying. Its headline asks: "Did a wrong turn lead to disaster?, external"
And for a final word on Rishi Sunak and D-day - the Daily Star has mocked up a picture of the Prime Minister, external as Private Pike from Dad's Army, alongside Captain Mainwaring. It has the headline "Stupid Boy!".
Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox.