A number of Saturday’s papers focus on developments around the American bully XL dog, which prime minister Rishi Sunak has announced will be banned following the death of a man in a suspected attack. The Daily Express leads its story on Ian Price, the victim of the suspected attack, describing him as a “hero dad” who died while protecting his elderly mother.
The Sun also reports on the death of Ian Price, describing him as the sixth person to die in a dog attack in England this year.
The I also leads on the American XL Bully dog ban, saying it was introduced after 10 people were killed by dogs in two years. The paper reports that there will be no “mass cull” and that owners will have a grace period of 18 months before the breed is taken off the streets.
The ban is also the focus on the front page of the Daily Mirror, which describes the move as a victory for the paper. It has long campaigned for what it calls “danger dogs” to be banned. The paper also reports on news that serial baby killer Lucy Letby is set to appeal the life sentence she received for murdering seven babies and attempting to kill another six.
The lead image on the front page of the Guardian is also of an American XL bully dog, although the paper’s main story is about calls by health campaigners and charities for a mass campaign to be conducted to curb “unhealthy living”. It reports that the World Cancer Research Fund has called for campaigns, including “tough messages” mirroring those on cigarette packages, to be used to tackle “a widespread lack of awareness that alcohol and being overweight are both major causes of cancer”.
The lead story on the front page of the Times says that Rishi Sunak is planning to phase out petrol and diesel cars on a “strict timeframe”, despite pressure from within the Conservative Party for the government to scale down its net-zero plans.
The Daily Telegraph leads with claims that Rishi Sunak drafted a resignation statement on the day he was fined by police for breaching lockdown rules, but was persuaded to stay on by people working on behalf of media mogul Rupert Murdoch. The paper also reports on developments that the first nightly pill for chronic insomnia has been given the go-ahead by the NHS.
The lead story on the front page of the Daily Mail quotes Conservative critics of plans by Labour’s leader in Wales to introduce a 20mph speed limit on most roads as “beyond insane”.
One of the lead stories on the front of the Financial Times quotes Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in an interview with the paper saying that the UK government will not adopt a “subsidy bowl” like US President Joe Biden. The paper’s lead image is of the aftermath of the devastating flooding in Libya, which has killed thousands of people.
And the Daily Star reports on what it says is the end of the British summer, as it tells readers to prepare for the arrival of autumn. “That’s all folks,” is its headline.
