Rishi Sunak’s speech at the Conservative Party Conference is the dominant topic on Thursday’s front pages. The i reports that the prime minister “rounded on his predecessors” and “13 years of Tory rule” by pledging to “end 30 years of ‘political status quo'”. The paper notes that Mr Sunak set himself up as the politician to bring change to the UK. Plans like phasing out smoking and removing A-levels were discussed.
The Times notes that Mr Sunak “gambled his premiership by setting himself against his recent Tory predecessors”. The paper says there is a separate report on the government’s new plan to phase out smoking by incrementally raising the age of sale each year. This move is considered lifesaving, according to Mr Sunak.
The Metro’s take on Mr Sunak’s speech is “I’m on track for victory.” The paper lays out his key policy announcements, including confirmation that the second phase of HS2 will be scrapped. The return of the reality show Big Brother and an interview with TV presenter AJ Odudu are also highlighted.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Mr Sunak made “huge decisions to change Britain” in his first conference speech. The paper also features a cartoon by Matt Pritchett, who suggests the way to stop Conservatives “quitting” infrastructure projects is to stop them taking any up in the first place.
The Guardian reports that Mr Sunak has ignited a “Tory civil war” by “declaring he is the change candidate”. The paper notes the criticism from former PM David Cameron regarding the HS2 climbdown, accusing Mr Sunak of throwing away “15 years of cross-party consensus, sustained over six administrations”.
The Daily Mirror is critical of the prime minister’s keynote speech, specifically the announcement on HS2, describing it as a “train wreck”. The paper claims that by confirming there will be no high-speed rail from the West Midlands to Manchester, Mr Sunak has “condemned” the north of England “to a future of decline”.
The Financial Times lays out Mr Sunak’s bid to reinvest the £36bn saved from scrapping HS2 “into better-value road, rail and bus projects, including links between northern cities.” The business paper also reports that Metro Bank is allegedly in talks to raise hundreds of millions of pounds from investors.
The Daily Mail hails Mr Sunak’s speech as a “common sense revolution”. The paper claims Wednesday was the day the prime minister “gave Tories a reason to believe he can save us from [Labour leader Sir] Keir [Starmer]’s wokery”. The paper also highlights Mr Sunak’s assertion that “a man is a man and a woman is a woman,” a reference to his party’s stance on the rights of transgender people.
The Daily Express calls Mr Sunak’s speech a “game-changer”. The paper lays out his plans as a bid to “fix Britain”.
Finally, the Sun reports on the “bonkers” news that the 2030 men’s football World Cup will be held across six countries in three continents, with Spain, Portugal, and Morocco named as the co-hosts, and the opening three matches taking place in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay. The Daily Star’s front page discusses Tesco supermarkets putting security tags on toilet paper to deter shoplifters
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More