The Paris Olympics have officially come to an end, with images of the closing ceremony splashed on the front pages of many of Monday’s papers. “Merci, Paris!” the i says, adding that the Games closed “in style”. Also on the i’s front page is the latest on the UK riots, with the government said to be “quietly confident” the worst of the widespread rioting has ended.
The Guardian leads with criticism from the Archbishop of Canterbury of far-right groups for using Christian imagery during the recent riots. Writing in the paper, Justin Welby describes it as “an offence to our faith”. Also covering the Olympic closing ceremony, the Guardian describes the event as a “dreamlike, science-fiction inspired light-show spectacular”.
The Daily Telegraph’s top story focuses on comments from Home Secretary Yvette Cooper that the violent unrest shows people “feel as through crime has no consequence”. Ms Cooper, the paper reports, has vowed to “restore respect for the police and respect for the law”.
The Metro leads with the funeral of Southport stabbing victim Alice da Silva Aguiar, reporting that hundreds of mourners lined the town’s streets to pay their respects to the nine-year-old, “described as a princess by her heartbroken family”.
“Mummy and Daddy will always, always love you,” the Mirror headlines as it covers the funeral of Alice da Silva Aguiar. It accompanies its story with the last photo taken of the nine-year-old on the morning of the Taylor Swift dance class, in which she poses beside a cardboard cut-out of the superstar.
The Daily Mail also leads on Alice da Silva Aguiar’s funeral, highlighting the chief constable of Merseyside Police’s address to mourners on behalf of her parents, telling rioters to “hang their heads in shame” over the days of unrest that followed the Southport attack. The paper also features an image of the Prince and Princess of Wales, who sent a video message to Team GB, with Prince William sporting new facial hair.
The Times leads on details the government is looking to reform planning rules. It reports that councils are being given the power to “compulsorily and cheaply build up green belt land under plans by ministers to fulfil their pledge to build 1.5 million homes by 2030”.
The Financial Times leads with the results of an opinion poll that suggests Kamala Harris is ahead of Donald Trump when it comes to economic affairs. The FT says this is the first poll to put Ms Harris ahead on the economy. It finds Americans “overwhelmingly” cite inflation as their biggest concern, and that underlying unease over high inflation could yet benefit Trump.
Possible new industrial action by junior doctors is the lead story in the Daily Express on Monday. Describing the plan as a “plot to cripple” the NHS, the paper hears from former home secretary Priti Patel, who criticises the union for “inflicting more pain and longer waiting lists on the British public”.
The hot weather takes the top slot in Monday’s Daily Star as the paper reports the “fearsome 35C frazzler” has moved north from France and is set to “blitz Britain” for the next two days.
PA Media
Ms Cooper travelled to Southport following the attack to pay tribute to the victims
According to the Daily Express, junior doctors are being urged to strike again next year, despite being offered a pay deal. The paper says it’s seen a video showing a British Medical Association employee telling junior doctors the aim was to “bank” the current deal and walk out again in April. According to the Express, the revelation has prompted Conservative MPs to accuse Labour of being too weak to stand up to “its union paymasters”. A spokesman for the Department of Health said Health Secretary Wes Streeting wanted to work with junior doctors to get the NHS back on its feet.
X, formerly Twitter, has thrown the tech world’s anti-terrorism organisation into turmoil, says the Times, for allegedly being the top platform for hosting Hamas videos. The paper says that though X is a founder member of the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism, its continuing membership has caused disquiet since Elon Musk took the company over to turn it into what he calls a “free speech” platform.
The Guardian carries an image of the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Its correspondent, Angelique Chrisafis, describes it as a dream-like, science-fiction inspired, light-show spectacular. She says the ceremony featured a mysterious, golden, intergalactic traveller who lands in a futuristic barren land tasked with resurrecting the Olympic spirit…
And finally, the Daily Express, Telegraph, Mail and Times all feature a study from Nottingham Trent University suggesting horses are much cleverer than previously thought. Researchers found that when the animals were denied treats for not following a complex reward-based game they were able to adjust quickly to receive the reward. It’s thought knowing how horses learn can help improve the way they are trained.
PA Media
