A mix of stories appear on the front pages of Sunday’s papers. The Sunday Times lead on its widely briefed interview with Ben Wallace in which he announced he will stand down as defence secretary at the next reshuffle, and as an MP at the next election. It reports he is quitting with Britain risking “becoming engulfed in a war on three fronts by 2030” – citing a potential Cold War with China and intervention against terror groups in Africa, as well as “a military showdown with Russia”. The front of the paper also carries its campaign about the failure to remove asbestos from schools and hospitals.
The Mail on Sunday leads on a story about Prince George, saying he “will not be expected to serve in the military before becoming king”, something which would break with centuries of tradition. It quotes a “long-time friend of George’s father, Prince William”, who says: “In theory, there is nothing to stop George from pursuing a career as an astronaut”. In keeping with the royal theme, it also carries a picture of the Princess of Wales comforting Ons Jabeur, who lost to Marketa Vondrousova in Saturday’s ladies’ singles final at Wimbledon.
The Sunday Telegraph has a story about wrangling happening at council level over the building of new homes. It reports that “new housing is being blocked unless councillors agree to introduce schemes such as Ulez (the Ultra Low Emission Zone in place in London) and low-traffic neighbourhoods, in an approach that the environment watchdog is preparing to use across the country”. The paper also reports former soldiers will be “called on to join a ‘surge’ force in future crises” as the size of the army reduces, and a story based on the quote from Treasury Secretary John Glen that meeting doctors’ pay demands would mean a cut to frontline services.
A couple of the weekend’s tabloids lead off on celebrity news. Under the headline “Vardy’s new Wagatha lawsuit”, the Sunday People reports Rebekah Vardy is in a trademarking dispute. The paper also carries a story about Princess Kate at Wimbledon, along with the headline “Princess of Waves”.
The Sunday Mirror also leads off on celebrity news with the headline: “Call the midwife love split”. It reports actors Helen George and Jack Ashton have split after being together for seven years.
And finally, the Daily Star Sunday runs the headline “James Bond to hunt down psycho scumbag robots”. Alongside a picture of the Terminator in a suit, it reports that “spy chiefs want nerdy 007s to lead the battle with AI chatbots who want to kill all humanity”.
