Newspaper headlines: Sunak's tax pledge and Mo Farah revelations

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By BBC News
Staff
PA Media

Former Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah has revealed he was trafficked to the UK as a child

The Conservative leadership contest continues to feature heavily in the papers.

The Guardian says the party has chosen to "speed up the competition" with the introduction of new rules for the process, including increasing the number of Tory MP supporters a candidate needs from eight to 20. The paper says Tom Tugendhat and the former chancellor, Rishi Sunak, are formally launching their leadership campaigns today.

According to The Financial Times, Mr Sunak will "attempt to fend off fierce attacks from his rivals" by pledging to cut taxes if he is the next prime minister, but only once he has "gripped inflation".

The Times reports that Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is expected to get the backing of two of Boris Johnson's closest supporters in the Conservative Party leadership contest - Brexit Opportunities Minister Jacob Rees Mogg and Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries.

The Daily Mail reports that Ms Truss has warned the right of the Conservative Party that it risks handing Mr Sunak the "keys to the Number 10 unless it unites behind her". The paper says Ms Truss fears no one on the Conservative right will make the last two if "support is split too thinly".

Many of the papers also report on Sir Mo Farah's revelation that he was brought to the UK illegally as a child.

The Sun says the Olympian fears the news will lead to him losing his UK citizenship, but The Times reports that the Home Office has said no action will be taken against him and to suggest otherwise would be wrong.

The Daily Express says Sir Mo's story is "another chapter in a remarkable life of triumph over adversity".

PA Media

England beat Norway 8-0 to qualify for the quarter finals of the Women's Euros

The Daily Telegraph reports ministers are drawing up plans for the "first ever national heatwave emergency" as forecasters predict that temperatures could reach more than 40C this weekend. The paper says the extreme heat is expected to have an impact on schools, travel, and health services.

The Telegraph is also among the papers to report on the Lionesses 8-0 victory over Norway to secure themselves a place in the quarter finals of the European Women's Championship, calling it a night beyond "England's wildest dreams".

The Metro says England "turned on the style", while The Times calls it a "stunning victory" and declares that Beth Mead "stole the show" with her hat-trick.

The Sun sums up her performance with the headline "Simply the Beth".

And The Times says a new study suggests if you want to be "truly appreciated" you should try calling an old friend.

The paper says it may be daunting to message an old contact out of the blue, but that researchers from the universities of Pittsburgh, New Jersey, and Kansas say such a gesture would be worthwhile.

In one experiment, participants were asked to send a note to someone they had not been in touch with for a while.

The results found those sending the messages "significantly underestimated" how much their actions were appreciated by the recipient. The researchers say this is good news for those looking to rekindle friendships affected by a lack of contact during the pandemic.