Newspaper headlines: ‘Flurry of bets’ and ‘Corbyn better than Johnson’

The Financial Times reports on what they call a “flurry of bets” as four people linked to the prime minister are being looked into over allegations of bets on the date of the July election. During the Leaders’ Special on the BBC’s Question Time programme on Thursday, Rishi Sunak said he was “incredibly angry” to learn of the allegations.

The paper’s front page also looks at a report which found that birth rates had hit a record low in the world’s richest nations – and warns that these countries must prepare for a “lower fertility future”.

The Daily Telegraph also mentions a “huge spike in bets”, with a cartoon by Matt showing a door-to-door campaigner above the caption: “I’m your Tory candidate. I bet you a tenner that you’re not going to vote for me.” The prime minister promised to “boot out” anyone found to have broken gambling laws.

The paper’s main focus, however, is on Sir Keir Starmer’s comment that Jeremy Corbyn would have made a better prime minister than Boris Johnson, made during the same Question Time episode. Sir Keir was “pinned down”, the paper says, over his past support for Jeremy Corbyn in 2019.

The Daily Mail also leads with Sir Keir’s “extraordinary” comment about Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson on Question Time. The paper says Sir Keir was “flustered” and “left squirming” during his appearance.

The paper then references England’s match against Denmark on Thursday, which saw a 1-1 draw. It seemed just as interested in the spectators though, saying that that footballer Kyle Walker’s wife and “former lover” were both at the match in Frankfurt.

Football is also on the i’s front page, as the paper refers to criticism of the England team’s performance with its headline: “Denmark 1 Handbrake 1”. It says the England manager, Gareth Southgate, may need to “rethink” his strategy as “tournament favourites fail to gel”.

Its main headline focuses on the election betting allegations, as the paper says the controversy has derailed the Tory campaign “amid fears that more names will emerge”.

The Daily Express plays with two of today’s most popular stories – the general election and Euros 2024. Next to a picture of England captain Harry Kane, the paper adds: “Goodness… As if the General Election wasn’t painful enough”.

Donald Sutherland is also featured on the paper’s front page, as the Canadian actor died on Thursday. Well-known for films such as The Hunger Games and Don’t Look Now, the 88-year-old had suffered a long illness.

The paper also highlights a five-year Express campaign which has seen people with cystic fibrosis get access to “life-saving” drugs.

Prince William is pictured on the front page of the Daily Mirror, as the paper says Thursday’s England game was “a hard watch”. Manager Southgate and an England fan are also pictured looking tense during the game.

The paper also pays tribute to Donald Sutherland, and asks a question of the Conservative betting allegations: “What are the odds on that?”

The Guardian front page reveals that former Tory minister Chris Skidmore has said he will vote for the Labour party in July. In a “deeply personal attack”, the former energy minister accused the prime minister of politicising the climate crisis.

Andrew Tate is back in the headlines as the Guardian reports that Nigel Farage praised Mr Tate as “an important voice” to “emasculated” boys. Mr Farage was quoted as saying that Mr Tate had gone “over the top” at times. The paper says the Reform UK leader’s comments were aired in a podcast back in February.

In some heart-warming news, the Times reports that the number of marriages in England and Wales has surged after the Covid-19 pandemic “put love on hold”. The 2022 numbers were up 12.3% from 2019. We should expect to see it go back down in 2023, however, partially because of the cost-of-living crisis and financial difficulties affecting marriage rates.

Back to politics, the paper also reports that Labour has said it will not impose VAT on private school fees before 2025, as it “wouldn’t be the right thing to do” so close to the start of a new academic year. The VAT on private schools has been one of Labour’s most contentious policies since it was announced last year, and featured in the party’s 2024 election manifesto.

Thursday’s Euros match continues to make the front pages as the Metro refers to the England v Denmark match as “Dane in the dumps”.

Back to the Tory election betting allegations, the paper’s headline calls it a “flutter shambles”, and pictures Conservative campaign chief Tony Lee and his wife, Tory candidate Laura Saunders. Ms Saunders said on Thursday that she “will be co-operating with the Gambling Commission and has nothing further to add”.

The Daily Star uses the same picture of Gareth Southgate as The Daily Mirror to talk about Thursday’s England match, which they say was a “struggle to watch”. It gives England some credit, though, referring to its current status as top of its group in the Euros.

On the topic of football, the paper moves on to talk about a comment made by BBC commentator Gary Lineker on Frank Lampard’s hair. Speaking about the incident on a podcast, Mr Lineker said he felt bad for his comment: “I didn’t mean it the way it came out, but it’s quite funny and Frank’s as good as gold, he doesn’t mind.”