Newspaper headlines: Sunak VAT cut pledge and 'Roarsome Lionesses' into final

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By BBC News
Staff
Reuters

Alessia Russo celebrates a goal during England's win over Sweden in the semi-final of the Euros

The Lionesses' many goal celebrations against Sweden are pictured on several of Wednesday's front pages.

The Daily Mail thinks they were "Roarsome", the Daily Express declares "It's coming home", and the Metro takes the opportunity to use a Sweden-related pun: "Abba some of that!".

The Times reports that the BBC's coverage of the match is estimated to have been watched by more than 14 million people, a record for women's football in Britain. The Daily Star says the tournament's top scorer, Beth Mead, kept up her incredible run. "Swede dreams are Mead of this" is the headline on its back page.

The Times describes Rishi Sunak's pledge to scrap VAT on energy bills next year as a "significant change of strategy" as he tries to overhaul Liz Truss's lead in the race to become the next prime minister. The Daily Telegraph's headline quotes a source on the Truss campaign who accuses Mr Sunak of performing a "screeching U-turn".

The Guardian points out that the former chancellor had previously rejected the policy, while the i says he is now "on the ropes". The Daily Express leads with the foreign secretary's plans for policing. It says she will "demand the police up their game" and "cut serious crime" by 20% if she becomes prime minister.

The Financial Times, The Sun, and the Metro are among the front pages to feature photos capturing Liz Truss's shock as the host of yesterday's leadership debate, Kate McCann, fainted off-camera during the live programme.

In the Daily Telegraph, Tim Stanley uses his sketch to describe it as "one of the strangest, most shocking moments in television history" and criticises TalkTV for leaving viewers "in the dark" about what happened for "25 excruciating minutes".

PA Media

Tuesday's debate between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss was cut short when moderator Kate McCann fainted during the broadcast

The Daily Mirror carries an interview with RMT boss Mick Lynch, 40,000 of whose members will walk out today in a dispute over pay, jobs, and conditions. Mr Lynch accuses both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss of being extremists who want to "crush unions" in a "Tory war on workers". He rejects claims that striking staff are holding the country to ransom.

The Metro has a different take on the strikes. It warns that millions of commuters hit by today's strike will face "triple misery" next month after unions announced a London Underground walkout in August that will be sandwiched between two more train strikes.

"Air pollution a 'likely' cause of dementia" is the Daily Mail's headline. The paper reports on what it calls a "landmark report" from a committee of government advisers which it says provides the first official recognition that toxic emissions speed up mental decline. The Mail believes the "bombshell findings" will put renewed pressure on ministers to clean up Britain's "filthy air".

And the parents of some teenagers may feel inclined to disagree, but the Times reports on a study suggesting that time spent playing video games does not have a negative impact on mood. It says that researchers at Oxford University tracked nearly 39,000 adult gamers and found "little to no evidence" linking the number of hours spent playing video games with emotional well-being.