Newspaper headlines: 'Battle of Britain' and end of 'golden era' with China

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By BBC News
Staff
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Gareth Bale has started both of Wales' group games so far

The England-Wales World Cup match later makes the front page of most newspapers, with several describing it as a 'Battle of Britain'. The Mirror says the UK will come to a standstill tonight to watch what it calls the 'fierce rivals' meeting in Qatar.

The Sun and Metro picture the captains Harry Kane and Gareth Bale side by side with the headline 'Do or Dai' - a pun on the popular Welsh name.

The Times, meanwhile, carries a warning to employers to ensure banter between English and Welsh fans at work doesn't turn into racial discrimination. Legal experts say companies face action if rivalry between staff becomes too strong.

The changes to the Online Safety Bill are the main story for the Daily Telegraph which praises its own four-year campaign for new duty of care laws. In an article for the paper, the culture secretary, Michelle Donelan, says the new law will strengthen age verification and argues social media firms are "talking nonsense" when they claim they don't allow under 13s on their platforms. The Times quotes Ms Donelan accusing companies of prioritising "profits over people".

The Guardian leads on Rishi Sunak's speech calling for "robust pragmatism" in relations with China. The paper says the comments mark an "abrupt change" from his more hardline stance while running for the Conservative leadership, when he called China the biggest long-term threat to Britain. That story is also on the front page of the Financial Times - which notes too that the prime minister stopped short of using the word "threat".

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The i claims that Mr Sunak is poised to U-turn on his promise to maintain a ban on new onshore wind farms. The paper says the PM is facing a Tory rebellion, and that his authority is under threat - something echoed by the Telegraph and the Sun. Downing Street has said there is no "imminent change" on the horizon.

NHS England is sending thousands of patients abroad for routine operations, according to the Daily Express. The paper says that more than 5,300 people have been sent to countries as far as the US for surgery such as knee and hip replacements. It claims the arrangement has cost British taxpayers £4.5m in less than three years. NHS England said the figures represented a tiny fraction of elective work, and included patients who happened to be abroad while treated.

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For the second day running, the Daily Mail reports on Sir Keir Starmer's promise to retain Labour's policy of scrapping the charitable status of private schools. The move would mean they would no longer be able to waive the 20% VAT charge on fees. The paper says up to 200 schools could be forced to close as a result, affecting 26,000 pupils. Labour says the move would raise £1.7bn for the Treasury.

Also in the Mail is the tale of a 53 year-old woman who's been reunited with her family more than five decades after being kidnapped as a toddler. It turned out that Melissa Highsmith was living just 10 minutes away from where she was snatched in Texas.