UK becoming 'military pygmy' and 'Love Island wildfire crisis'
The ongoing anti-government protests in Iran continue to lead the papers into Sunday, with the Mail covering the events through the lens of defence spending. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage accuses Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of a "spineless" approach to defence spending, which he says has left the UK looking like a "pygmy" in the midst of ongoing conflict around the world. "We could soon be embroiled in operations in Iran," he tells the paper, calling out a "failure to properly fund" the armed forces. The Ministry of Defence's budget is due to rise by 3.6% in real terms by 2029, under departmental spending plans fixed last year.
The Sunday Times says that hundreds of people are believed to have been killed during the protests in a "fierce crackdown" by security forces loyal to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Citing an unnamed doctor, the paper reports that six hospitals across the capital city of Tehran collectively recorded at least 217 deaths on Thursday night alone. This death toll could not be independently verified by the paper.
"Trump vows to help Iran protesters" reads the front page of the Sunday Telegraph, following speculation that the US president plans to conduct military strikes in Iran. Former Pentagon officials told the paper that Trump could authorise "covert CIA operations to destabilise Tehran" or "give the green light to Israel" to conduct an attack of its own.
The Sunday People reports that filming for Love Island: All Stars has been postponed, after the villa was evacuated due to wildfires. The paper says this will delay the series planned premiere on Monday.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has made a "passionate promise" to "save Britain's high streets", in a piece penned for the Sunday edition of the Express. In the paper, Badenoch blames Labour's "punishing JobsTax and sky-high business rates" for the decline of town centres, and makes a vow to "end the scourge of boarded-up shops".
Six drawings illustrating the events of the last week feature on the front page of the Observer, which leads with the headline "World without rules".
"United by tragedy" says the Mirror, reporting that survivors of the Manchester Arena attack in 2017 have been offering support to the children caught up in the Southport stabbing.
The Duchess of Sussex could make her first visit to the UK in four years, according to the Sun. The paper says she will join her husband, the Duke of Sussex, at the Invictus Games in Birmingham next year, if the couple receives approval for security.
"Jailhouse frock crackdown" declares the Star, as prisons enforce a stricter dress code for those visiting inmates.
The Sunday Times leads on the protests in Iran, with an anonymous resident of the capital, Tehran, calling the situation "horrific". The paper says "overwhelmed" medical facilities are "filling with victims". The Sunday Telegraph carries similar claims, saying protesters have described seeing "hundreds dead". The paper has been told by a former Pentagon official that the US could launch strikes on arms supplies belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The Sun on Sunday urges the UK to offer more support to Iranian protesters, if it truly backs freedom, democracy and liberty.
The Observer says we are seeing a "world without rules", dedicating its front page to a series of cartoons depicting recent events. One shows an Iranian woman who has removed her hijab, lighting a cigarette from a burning photo of the country's Supreme Leader. It's captioned "the Ayatollah's last stand". The Telegraph also says Downing Street and European allies are discussing deploying troops to Greenland. It says European nations hope stepping up their presence in the Arctic would persuade Donald Trump to abandon his attempts to acquire the island.
The Mail on Sunday takes its lead from an article by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage - who accuses Sir Keir Starmer of being "spineless" and turning the UK into a military pygmy". Farage describes as "terrifying" a reported £28bn shortfall in defence spending - at a time when, the Mail says, the "world teeters on the edge of multiple conflicts". The government has previously said it inherited an "underfunded defence system" from the Conservatives.
The Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, lends her voice to the Sunday Express, with a claim to "save high streets and kick start Britain". She accuses the chancellor of treating small businesses like "cash cows". Badenoch says the Conservatives want to reduce energy bills and remove business rates from the smallest high street shops.
Under the headline "we're healing together", the Sunday Mirror says survivors of the Manchester Arena bombing are mentoring the teachers of children caught up in the Southport stabbings - to tell them how they can help their pupils. The survivors of the 2017 attack say their schools were not given enough information about their experiences or how to support them. One Southport headteacher tells the Mirror, those who have been affected by the tragedies "share a passion to make things better".