‘Starmer’s big Gaza gamble’ and ‘Maga send-off’

Many of the papers lead on the UK’s recognition of a Palestinian state.

“Hamas claims victory” reads the Daily Mail’s headline. The Times takes a similar approach, quoting families of Israeli hostages who have accused the prime minister of handing Hamas “its greatest prize”. The Mirror describes the move as “the best hope for peace”. Its front page shows a photo of damaged buildings in Gaza. The Guardian quotes Sir Keir Starmer, who said the decision showed “commitment to a two-state solution”. The Financial Times describes it as a co-ordinated move, with Canada and Australia also recognising Palestine as an independent state.

The Daily Telegraph leads on the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage’s pledge to deport hundreds of thousands of legal migrants. It notes the move would represent an “unprecedented reversal” of Britain’s border rules. According to the paper, the plans include forcing all migrants with permanent residency to reapply for visas under stricter criteria, such as a higher salary requirement and a better standard of English.

The main headline in the Daily Express reads “West warned ISIS could be reborn in 24 hours”. The paper says prison camps holding extremists in Syria are on the verge of violent uprisings which could see thousands of prisoners freed.

The Sun says a British special forces soldier was shot seven times by accident during a training exercise. The paper says live ammo was used instead of blanks during the hostage drill and that the soldier was saved by a bulletproof vest.

The Daily Mail reports on a survey of around 2,000 Britons, which suggests the average person can concentrate on reading for only 14 minutes at a time. The survey, carried out by the research agency, Perspectus Global, concludes that the attention span for films and TV shows was just one minute longer.

According to the Daily Telegraph, this year’s World Conker Championships could be cancelled because a series of heatwaves have caused horse chestnut seeds to be smaller this season. It says the competition is “facing a small nut problem”. Organisers of the event have told the paper that if the conkers are too small they will split when being drilled to insert laces.