Ace Daily News says today’s News & Views: The Daily Express has a similar headline alongside a photo of the suspect in the Southport stabbings. The Cardiff-born teenager could not previously be named due to his age, but a judge ruled it could be made public following applications from the media. The Express also has a photo of Andy Murray, whose tennis career ended with a quarter-final doubles defeat in the Olympics, with the headline “British hero”.

Headlines 02 August 2024, 01:25 BST

Some front pages have focused on the protests that have taken place in the wake of the Southport attacks. The Mirror says Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to “tackle far right thugs” who have rioted in recent days. It also has a photo of Murray with the headline “it’s been ace”.

The Daily Telegraph says the prime minister “blames riots on far-right plotters”. It reports that he warned he would not “permit, under any circumstances, a breakdown in law and order on our streets”. It also reports on how the BBC has been accused of “sitting on the conclusions of an internal inquiry” into alleged misconduct by Huw Edwards. The BBC director general, Tim Davie, said the corporation was “not sitting on anything” that was of a serious nature.

The Guardian reports that police chiefs have been urged to step up patrols outside mosques and asylum seeker accommodation ahead of rallies in the days ahead. It also has a photo of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva and Paul Whelan, who returned to the US as part of the biggest prisoner swap since the Cold War.

The Times leads with the release of Evan Gershkovich and says that the Kremlin “received two deep-cover agents, an FSB hitman known as the ‘bicycle killer’ and a series of Russians convicted for hacking, fraud and espionage in the West” in return for the journalist.

The FT leads with a story on how the Bank of England has cut interests rates for the first time in more than four years, which the paper says “marks a boost to the Labour government’s promise to kick-start economic growth”.

The i reports that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will “push on with tax rises and spending cuts” in the October Budget despite the Bank of England delivering a cut in interest rates. 

The Daily Mail says patients will face “months of misery” after GPs launched work-to-rule action. The British Medical Association says GPs have been “unable to provide the care we want to” in a dispute over funding levels. The paper also previews an opinion piece on Italy’s Angela Carini abandoning her Olympic bout against Algerian boxer Imane Khelif inside 46 seconds.

Lastly, the Daily Star reports that “boffins” are planning to send frozen animal DNA to the moon, so humans will be able to “restock the world” in the wake of a nuclear war.

The Daily Telegraph leads with Sir Keir Starmer blaming the far right for organising violent protests that have broken out across the country since the multiple stabbings in Southport. The paper says the demonstrations have been fuelled by online speculation about the attacker’s motives, including false claims he was an asylum seeker. The Daily Mirror says the prime minister has promised to take on the “far-right thugs”. It reports that under the bid to stamp out what it calls “the mob violence plaguing Britain” – known agitators will be stopped from travelling, in a similar way to how football banning orders stop hooligans attending matches.

Police have been urged to step up patrols outside mosques and asylum seeker accommodation, according to the Guardian. It says at least 19 far-right rallies are being planned across England in the coming days. It says community leaders are increasingly fearful after attacks on mosques in Southport and Hartlepool and because of the actions of “intimidating” activists. 

The Daily Express and The Metro picture the 17 year-old accused of murdering the three girls at a children’s dance class after a judge ruled he could be named. Both use headlines declaring he has been “unmasked”.

Helen Tipper: Southport knife attack suspect Axel Rudakubana appeared in court on Thursday

The Times is one those to report that prisoners serving whole life terms will be banned from getting married under a fast-tracked law. The paper has been told it has been brought in by the justice secretary to stop an application by the serial killer Levi Bellfield for a civil partnership. Bellfield, who murdered three people including 13 year-old Millie Dowler, had previously won a case to be allowed to marry, but the wedding was called off.

The first cut in interest rates in four years is the lead story in the Financial Times. It says the decision came in a “knife-edge vote” that marks a boost to the Labour government’s promise to kick-start economic growth. It adds that the move is the latest sign of growing confidence among central banks that the “post-Covid price jump has been vanquished”. The i notes that the interest rate cut will lead to a £3bn drop in the government’s own debt repayments. But economists have told the paper the move comes too late to ease the chancellor’s plans for a spending squeeze.

“Say Goodbye to your doctor’s appointment” is the headline in the Daily Mail. It claims that patients face “months of misery” after GPs launched industrial action that will see some doctors drastically reducing their appointments. It says the move means “potential health risks for vast swathes of the population”. A spokesperson for the doctors’ union, the BMA, tells the paper GPs are “at the end of their tether”.

And there are plenty of tributes to Sir Andy Murray, whose defeat with Dan Evans at the Paris Olympics marks the end of his career. The Daily Telegraph says there “wasn’t a dry eye in the house” as he made an emotional farewell at Roland Garros. The Sun has “It all ends in Paris tears for Andy”. The Daily Mirror‘s caption is “Thank You Andy, it’s been ace”. The Daily Express asks “When will we see his like again?” and the Daily Mail sums it up simply with “Farewell Legend”.

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