England’s possible date with destiny in their 11am World Cup final clash with Spain on Sunday leads many front pages. Under the headline “Lioness we can”, the Sunday Mirror reports that the team have said they must play the “game of our lives” to emerge victorious Down Under.
The Sunday People picks up on those words for its front page headline. Featuring an image of the team’s stars celebrating a goal in their semi-final win over hosts Australia earlier this week, the paper reports that England’s talismanic captain and centre back Millie Bright has urged the team to “glory”.
The Mail on Sunday calls for England to “roar to victory” against Spain “by order of the King”. The paper reports King Charles has urged the team on and wished them luck, while noting that Prince William – who is also president of the FA – has apologised for not being able to make it to Sydney to watch the match in person.
England fans will be “celebrating a historic victory or drowning our sorrows” by lunchtime tomorrow, the Daily Star predicts. Noting the morning kick-off time, the paper says the final is an “excuse for an early drink” and the “Lionesses have brought joy to the nation” – regardless of the result.
The Sunday Times has produced a special wraparound in tribute to Lionesses with three simple words “Bring it home” – but paper’s lead focuses on the continuing fallout from nurse Lucy Letby’s conviction for murdering seven babies in her care. The paper reports that the killer was offered a role at a specialist children’s hospital in Liverpool, after managers in Chester dismissed warnings about her as a “witch-hunt”.
A medical expert who gave evidence at Letby’s trial has urged police to investigate “grossly negligent” hospital bosses who failed to acts on warnings, the Observer reports. The paper also reveals managers blamed other NHS services for some unexplained baby deaths, producing a report in May 2016 that said there was “no evidence whatsoever” of wrongdoing beyond coincidence.
The Sunday Telegraph reports that senior doctors are calling for NHS administrators to be held accountable to a regulator similar to the General Medial Council, which can prevent doctors who have harmed patients from ever practicing medicine again. The families of some infant victims have accused the government inquiry of being “inadequate”, as it does not have powers to compel people to give evidence, the paper also says.
Meanwhile, the Sunday Express leads with accusations that the EU is dragging out the migrant crisis as “punishment” for Brexit. Former UK border force chief Tony Smith said EU chiefs are hypocrites for refusing to discuss a deal to take back people who cross the English Channel in small boats, which he says could save lives and make people-smuggling more difficult for criminals running the cross-Channel operations.
The Sunday Mirror joins many papers in issuing a rallying cry of “Lioness we can”, ahead of the women’s World Cup final .
“Go for glory”, is the Mail on Sunday’s message, while with the Observer calls the final against Spain England’s “day of destiny”.
The Sunday Times features a mock-up of captain Millie Bright shaking hands with England’s only World Cup-winning skipper Bobby Moore.
The Sunday Telegraph says the significance of the occasion can be measured by the “speed with which politicians of all stripes are hitching their wagon to England’s quest”. Among them is Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, who offered what the paper calls “a painfully staged photo op with a pint of lager”.
But former BBC royal correspondent Michael Cole says its a “spectacular own goal” that Prince William will not be in Sydney to watch the final in the Sunday Express,
Away from the football, a key medical expert in the trial of Lucy Letby has told the Observer that hospital bosses who failed to act on concerns about her should be investigated for corporate manslaughter. Consultant paediatrician Dr Dewi Evans described executives as “grossly negligent”.
According to the Sunday Telegraph, senior doctors want a crackdown on “unaccountable” NHS managers. Retired cardiologist David E Ward has accused those who refused to listen to whistleblowers as having “blood on their hands”.
The issue of small boat crossings continues to create column inches, with the Sun on Sunday reporting that 25,000 have made the journey since Rishi Sunak became prime minister.
The Sunday Times describes the government’s handling of the issue as a “farce”.
It reports that two significant policy announcements were overshadowed when aides of Home Secretary Suella Braverman suggested she was considering sending asylum seekers to Ascension Island in the South Atlantic, which does not even have a proper hospital.
The Sunday Telegraph reports that the office of the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan tried to discredit and silence scientists who found his ultra low emission zone had little impact on pollution.
In one email, the deputy mayor for environment and energy, Shirley Rodrigues, was said to be “really disappointed” Imperial College London publicised findings questioning the effectiveness of Ulez. Imperial has received more than £800,000 in funding from Mr Khan’s office since 2021. A spokesperson for the mayor has described the relationship as “normal and proper”.
The British Army now has fewer tanks what the Sunday Mirror call “the peace loving Swiss”.
Data from the Global Firepower Index has the UK with 213 tanks while showing Switzerland, which has not fought in a war in over two centuries, on 380. The UK also lags behind Madagascar’s 386 tanks. The Ministry of Defence has said Challenger 2 tanks continue to meet the UK’s operational commitments, on top of supporting Ukraine.
