Several of Monday’s papers are leading with one of the weekend’s biggest stories – health minister Andrew Gwynne being sacked for sending a number of offensive messages in a WhatsApp group. The Metro says members of the group could “face punishment” and an investigation is being held into the incident. Tory MP Alex Burghart “demanded to know” if Gwynne’s remarks were “challenged by party colleagues”, the paper adds.
A second Labour MP has been “unmasked in vile WhatsApp group”, the Daily Mail writes, as it says Burnley MP Oliver Ryan was “another leading member”. Ryan made a “grovelling apology for misogynistic and homophobic messages”, it adds. The paper says it has learned that the police are assessing a “number of complaints” related to the chat.
The prime minister is pictured on the front page of the Times newspaper in his football gear after missing a penalty during a match “hours after” sacking Gwynne, the paper says. Its top story, however, focuses on figures from two surveys which showed firms have “cut jobs ahead of Labour tax change”.
Seeing double? The Daily Telegraph features the same image of the prime minister on its front page, as it writes that sacked health minister Gwynne has been “ousted by Labour Left”. Gwynne had been “embroiled in a row with other Labour members” before his WhatsApp messages were leaked, the paper writes, adding that he has been reported to the police for “hate crimes” by a councillor.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times leads with China’s retaliatory tariffs on the US, which the paper says could set off a “trade war” between the two nations. The new tariffs affect $14bn (£11.3bn) of American exports. “This could become a very, very bad situation,” an expert tells the paper.
Back to the UK, the i says Labour will set out a new migration plan in the next few weeks to “tackle Farage election threat”. Before that, No 10 will publish on Monday videos of “illegal migrants being deported as it seeks to end Channel crossings”, the paper says. It adds that the moves are seen as “an attempt to take on Nigel Farage’s party”.
The Guardian newspaper leads with claims from a former Foreign Office diplomat who says that reports on the use of UK arms supplied to allied nations have been “edited by senior colleagues” to ensure the UK remains legally compliant. The whistleblower said it was “nothing short of a scandal” but his efforts to raise his concerns had been blocked and he was told not to put claims in writing “in case they became subject to freedom of information requests”.
“A farmer’s emotive plea” is the top story on the front page of the Daily Express, as the paper interviews a farmer who will take part in demonstrations in Westminster on Monday against “Rachel Reeves’ inheritance tax raid”.
Another big story from the weekend is back on the front pages as the Sun leads with an interview with a woman who says TV chef Gino D’Acampo made “vile” remarks about his former This Morning colleague Holly Willoughby.
“Your pub needs you” reads the headline of the Daily Mirror, as the paper says it is demanding “urgent action” in its campaign to save “great British pubs”.
The prime minister has a new nickname courtesy of the Daily Star, which continues its long tradition of lampooning the residents of Downing Street. The paper manipulates a picture to put Sir Keir Starmer inside a toy helicopter and labels him “Biggles 2.0”. The paper points out he has spent £700,000 on foreign travel despite Labour prevously criticising predecessor Rishi Sunak’s use of private helicopters. Sunak, also depicted as Biggles, is joined on a particularly madcap front page by the paper’s old favourites – Bojo the clown and Liz the lettuce.
