'Fresh arrest in killing of Widdecombe' and 'Saved by the Bell'
- Published
Many of the papers cover new details that have emerged in the investigation into former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe's death. The Sunday Telegraph leads with the arrest overnight of a "28-year-old white British male" who it says was "apprehended in South Yorkshire after manhunt following murder".
Early editions of the newspapers went to print before police announced the new arrest. "Reform MPs given 24-hour protection" following the death of Ann Widdecombe, the Mail on Sunday writes. "Party figures are living in fear of a potential copycat attack", the paper says.
The Sun on Sunday headlines with the "new Widdecombe twist" writing police are on the "hunt for Ann car killer".
In news that most England fans will already be celebrating, the Sunday Mirror leads with the Three Lions' 2-1 victory over Norway at the World Cup quarter-finals. "Saved by the Bell" it says, "Jude [Bellingham] scores twice to send Lions into World Cup semis".
"Bell of the ball" is the Sunday People's headline. "Jude shines as England beat Norway 2-1 to reach semis", is the paper's review.
Capturing the celebrations of England's win in Miami, the Daily Star splashes "Miami Nice", using font familiar to fans of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and a title reminiscent of the 1980s TV series Miami Vice. "And Norway can row, row, row your boat home..." it adds, for good measure.
"Jude drags England into final four" the Sunday Times writes. Meanwhile, its other top story reads "Widdecombe killed minutes after last message to TV colleague", focusing on new WhatsApp messages that appear to show that "she had sent a message to a researcher at Channel 5 arranging an interview for that afternoon" and then "failed to respond to a follow-up message".
Elsewhere, the Daily Express leads with critics of the government's Defence Investment Plan, citing Liberal Democrats MP Mike Martin, who sits on the defence select committee, who says the plans could herald the "end of Royal Navy as we know it". He warns that the "transition from warships to autonomous vessels leaves the UK vulnerable," according to the paper.
Finally, the Observer profiles Asma al-Assad in its Sunday feature, writing that "the former first lady of Syria is a British citizen" who, the paper says, went on to lead a regime with her husband Bashar al-Assad that "murdered, tortured and disappeared more than 500,000 people". It laments the "British government has so far done nothing to bring her to justice".
England's progression to the semi-finals of the World Cup happened too late to make the first editions, which - instead - focused on the ongoing investigation into the murder of Ann Widdecombe.
The Mail on Sunday, external reports that all senior politicians for Reform UK, the party for which Widdecombe spoke on justice and immigration, are receiving round the clock protection. The paper says it also understands that, while Widdecombe's house had security cameras, it's thought her killer may have gained entry through a door left open because of the hot weather. Writing in the Mail, external another former Conservative minister and current Reform member, Nadine Dorries, says she plans to lock up her cottage in the Cotswolds and return to London, because she feels "genuinely scared" for the first time since she stepped into public life 25 years ago.
The Sunday Times, external says it has been told by a friend of Widdecombe that she had resisted heightened security measures for her home despite concerns from others about her possible vulnerability in such an isolated spot. The paper quotes Sir Christian Sweeting as saying she had dismissed his suggestion that she should have an electronic gate installed "out of hand", because she "never had any fears about security". But the Sunday Mirror, external quotes a local councillor as saying there will now be "a lot of elderly people worried who live alone there."
Andy Burnham's possible approach to issues including the Chagos Islands and trials without juries are on the front page of the Sunday Telegraph, external. The paper says if Burnham does, as is expected, become the new Labour leader and prime minister - it understands he will press ahead with the Chagos deal that cedes the islands to Mauritius. The paper quotes a senior Foreign Office official as saying that plans to hand over the archipelago were "unlikely to change". But the Telegraph says, quoting Burnham's allies, that he is preparing to axe controversial plans to curb jury trials, although the paper says he is understood to be supportive of other measures aimed at reforming the criminal justice system and reducing the court backlog.
The Sunday Express, external carries a warning that the government's spending plans for defence will mean the end of the Royal Navy as we know it, and risk the deaths of sailors. The paper says it's spoken to critics, including the MP Mike Martin, a member of both the Commons' Defence Select Committee and the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy - who have warned that the transition from warships to autonomous vessels leaves the UK vulnerable at a time when Russian aggression is expected to rise. The Ministry of Defence has told the paper the Navy is being "transformed" to deliver the UK's most advanced maritime air defence capability for the future.
Much is made in a number of the papers of the Duke of Sussex taking part in a spot of "goat yoga" at a summer festival in Warwickshire on the final day of his visit to the UK. The Sun, external is among those carrying photos of Prince Harry standing on one leg while making goat "ears" with his hands. Finally Harry has the freedom to act the goat, says the Telegraph, external.
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