Newspaper headlines: G7 urged to back Ukraine as leaders mock Putin

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By BBC News
Staff
Reuters

The Times reports that Boris Johnson has pledged to hold an Anglo-French summit to improve ties and encourage President Macron to take a firm line against Vladimir Putin

The Guardian says Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged leaders not to give ground on Ukraine, presenting himself as a bulwark against backsliding by the US and other Western nations.

According to the Times, Boris Johnson has pledged to hold an Anglo-French summit to improve ties and encourage President Emmanuel Macron to take a firm line against Russia's Vladimir Putin, with the prime minister jokingly referring to their relationship as "le bromance".

The Sun is among several papers to describe how the G7 leaders openly mocked the Russian president, who once infamously posed topless on a horse. "Jackets off?" said Boris Johnson to the others at the start of talks - "We have to show that we're tougher than Putin".

But the papers suggest Mr Johnson's domestic troubles are brewing. The Times says he will delay a cabinet reshuffle until the autumn after ministers warned it would destabilise the government further. The Telegraph reveals the prime minister's remarks about planning for a third term have led rebel Tories to submit a new wave of no confidence letters.

And the Mirror claims that six Conservatives are planning to switch to Labour. The Mail urges those MPs to reconsider, warning them that Britain could eventually be plunged into what it calls "a quagmire of European-style coalitions" with Labour propped up by the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party.

The papers make uncomfortable reading for Prince Charles. The Sun's headline is "Cash in Bag Probe". It reveals the Charity Commission will hold a review after the Sunday Times claimed on Sunday that a former Qatari prime minister gave the heir to the throne €3m stuffed in bags for good causes. Clarence House insists correct procedures were followed, and the papers make clear the payments were not illegal.

But commenting on the claims, the Mail's Stephen Glover describes Charles's judgement as "appalling". The Times' editorial is more sympathetic. It praises him for showing "sensitivity and understanding of moral issues" in his recent speech about slavery but urges him to "change... his cavalier approach to fund-raising and fiscal propriety".

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The Mail launches a new campaign on its front page, saying its investigation has found that Britain is the £3bn pound fraud capital of the world. It warns criminals are exploiting the cost of living squeeze to con the elderly and vulnerable. It wants a new minister for fraud to be appointed to tackle the problem.

"Diana and Macca reign Supreme" is the headline in the Mirror, one of many papers to reflect on the Glastonbury festival. Several carry pictures of Diana Ross, arms out-stretched in her shimmering white dress after, in the Guardian's words, "Worthy Farm" exploded with "disco joy". The Times review gives the festival five stars, claiming the crowds were in the presence of greatness during Sir Paul McCartney's epic show.

Dominating the back pages though is Emma Raducanu. She is pictured training at Wimbledon ahead of her opening match. The Telegraph says the US Open champion is banking on her childhood coach, Jane O'Donoghue, to help recapture her form. The Mirror says Raducanu is nervous, but she has the support of the nation as she makes her Centre Court debut.