PA MediaIt says a delay to the further easing of Covid restrictions in England – expected to be confirmed on Monday – is happening because the government “doesn’t want to do anything that risks going backwards”.
The paper asks where is the “freedom-loving, bulldog spirit” that Prime Minister Boris Johnson showed before he became PM?
It says he has now resigned himself to a four-week delay in the lifting of Covid restrictions.
“Summer freedom on hold till July”, says the Daily Mail.
It reports that the move is likely to enrage MPs, business leaders and hospitality chiefs.
Under the headline “be bold, Boris, and end our nightmare”, its leader sees irony in the fact that the prime minister, whom it describes as “liberty-loving”, may “refuse to cast off the country’s shackles”.
On its front page, the Sun combines the Covid restrictions story with the European football championships.
It points out that “hopes of a full Wembley are dashed” and quotes Sir Geoff Hurst, one of England’s 1966 World Cup heroes, urging the fans who do manage to attend games to “sing your hearts out”.
The Daily Mirror’s front page focuses on the boost to the UK economy, expected because of fans buying alcohol and barbecue food during the European Football Championships.
It has calculated that the amount spent on such provisions by those watching games is expected to be around £3bn.
The Mirror predicts that as many as 10 million pints will be pulled by pubs during England’s first game on Sunday.
The Times reports that EU leaders attending the G7 summit in Cornwall are to threaten Mr Johnson with a “trade war” in the ongoing row about post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland.
It says they’re prepared to impose tariffs on UK exports to the EU, unless the prime minister sticks to the agreement signed in December.
Downing Street is quoted saying he will dismiss the “diplomatic offensive”.
According to the Guardian Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has accused the prime minister of undermining England’s chances in Euro 2020.
It says this is because he failed to explicitly condemn fans who booed the squad for taking the knee, in support of black rights.
Sir Keir tells the paper that backing the players over such an issue should not be difficult for someone in political power.
The Daily Mirror appeals directly to fans not to boo the players when they make the gesture.
“Those who jeer,” it says, “are jeering those seeking the kinder, better society that all of us want”.
It urges supporters to show what it calls “the true spirit of England”, by drowning out the boos with cheers and applause.
Several papers, including the Times, suggest that the minimum age at which someone can legally be married is about to be raised, from 16 to 18.
The paper reports that the former Conservative chancellor, Sajid Javid, will introduce a private members’ bill in Parliament next week, which is expected to gain cross-party support.
In a piece for the paper, he points out that those who tie the knot at 16 are “overwhelmingly young women who have been coerced into marriage for cultural or religious reasons”.
“Let’s call this what it is,” he says – “child abuse”.
Finally, the Daily Mail welcomes the fact that the Queen’s Birthday Honours list includes those whom it calls “the inspirational beacons of the Covid war”.
It singles out Prof Sarah Gilbert, who led the team that developed the Oxford Astra-Zeneca jab, and Kate Bingham, of the UK Vaccines Taskforce.
But it also states that “we shouldn’t forget the countless millions who quietly donated valuable time or money”, concluding that “sung or unsung, we salute you all”.
