As England prepares for their Euro 2024 semi-final match against the Netherlands, newspapers are full of excitement. The Daily Mirror praises England manager Gareth Southgate for his leadership and for keeping the team spirit alive. The Metro boldly states that the players stand on the verge of making history, while the Daily Star puts captain Harry Kane in a World War One Army recruitment poster and tells its readers, “Your country needs you to really really… Go for It!”
However, not all the news is about football. The Guardian reports on a major review by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer that will increase spending on the military by tens of billions of pounds. In Washington for Nato’s 75th anniversary summit, Sir Keir will urge members to increase their defence spending in response to global threats. The Daily Telegraph shows Sir Keir and his wife boarding their flight, and reports that the PM could increase the size of Britain’s armed forces in the spending review.
But former military leaders, according to the Times, are accusing Sir Keir of “playing with fire.” The PM has delayed a decision on when to increase defence spending until after the review of the armed forces. Sir Keir insists he is committed to raising spending, but the Times notes he’s under pressure to set a timetable for increasing it from 2.3% to 2.5% of GDP.
The Daily Express, meanwhile, focuses on comments by former Home Secretary James Cleverly. The Express says senior Tories accused Labour of siding with “people’s smugglers” after the government abandoned plans to send some migrants to Rwanda for processing. These plans, along with changes to rules on claiming asylum, could mean more cross-Channel crossings in small boats, the Tories claim. Labour counters that the plans will free up money for stricter border enforcement.
Other news includes the boss of Thames Water, who took a £195,000 bonus even as the company seeks to raise new money from investors and hike bills for customers, according to the i. And the Daily Mail calls Darryl Anderson, who killed a baby boy and his aunt in a motorway crash while speeding at 141mph and three times over the alcohol limit, “Britain’s most despicable drink driver.” Anderson was sentenced to 17 years in prison at Durham Crown Court.
Despite the variety of stories, the nation will be primarily focused on the football field tonight as England takes on the Netherlands
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