Newspaper headlines: 'Britain burning' and 'Truss closing on Mordaunt'

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By BBC News
Staff
PA Media

Firefighters at the scene of a blaze that destroyed a number of homes in Wennington, Essex on Tuesday

Almost all the front pages feature aerial photos of the homes in Wennington, east London, that were severely damaged by a wildfire.

The Sun's headline reads: "Hellfire". The paper describes Britain as a "tinderbox", a phrase also used by the Times and the i. The Daily Mirror and the Daily Express declare that Britain was burning on "the hottest day in history."

The new record temperature of 40.3C is described by the Guardian as a "wake-up call". The paper quotes the chief of science at the Met Office, Professor Stephen Belcher, saying the country could see similar temperatures every three years if carbon emissions remain high. According to the paper, there could be up to 1,000 excess deaths in the UK as a result of the heatwave.

The Daily Express says supermarkets were doing a roaring trade with big increases in sales of paddling pools, barbecue charcoal, and ice-cream. But the paper says the hottest day on record turned out to be a damp squib for Prince Charles and Camilla, who it says were blamed for bringing rain to Cornwall on Tuesday.

Both the Daily Telegraph and the Times say Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is closing in on Trade minister Penny Mordaunt in the race to be in the final two of the Conservative leadership contest.

The Times says Ms Truss is increasingly confident, but Ms Mordaunt believes she can maintain her second place behind former Chancellor Rishi Sunak. The paper says former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch has ignited a bidding war by refusing to endorse any of the three remaining candidates after she was knocked out.

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Candidates in the Tory leadership race are now courting the supporters of Kemi Badenoch, who was eliminated on Tuesday

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Ms Truss promises a "government of all the talents". The paper says that hints at cabinet jobs for Tories like Ms Badenoch. According to the Mail, allies of Ms Truss have warned Mr Sunak against engaging in "dirty backroom deals". The paper says Ms Truss's backers fear he may try to fix the final vote to ensure he faces Ms Mordaunt in the run-off because polls suggest Conservative Party members would choose Ms Truss over him.

The Sun says it's been told by a senior MP that some of those who backed Kemi Badenoch will now go to Mr Sunak rather than Ms Truss, even though they could be seen as her natural supporters. The MP said some in the parliamentary party thought Ms Truss was "weird, wooden and can't win an election."

A report in the Financial Times says trade union leaders have signalled a wave of strikes in the coming months after the government unveiled below-inflation pay rises for millions of public sector workers. The paper says there could be walkouts by - among others - teachers and NHS staff.

And the Times says hopes are rising that a Briton could walk on the Moon. The paper says senior figures from Nasa are holding talks with the UK Space Agency about its involvement in lunar missions, and have hinted there would be a spot for an astronaut from a nation that helped to build a lunar space station that is currently in development.