A wide range of stories feature on Sunday’s front pages – which were printed before the US said it had struck key nuclear sites in Iran. The Sunday Telegraph leads on the arrest of a British man on suspicion of spying and terror-related offences in Cyprus. He is thought to have carried out surveillance for Iran on an RAF base. The paper points out that this comes as the conflict in Iran continues. Separately, it reports that the NHS is sending “rising numbers” of patients abroad for treatment. The health secretary tells the paper this is “unacceptable” and that the government is working to “turn the NHS around”.
The Observer splashes on the conflict in Iran as it enters its 10th day. It reports the US has sent B-2 stealth bombers to the US island territory of Guam, as President Donald Trump continues to weigh whether to join the conflict. It adds that the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “once governed a country, now he commands a bunker”.
Meanwhile, the Sunday Express focuses on UK stories. “Asylum hotels ‘farce'” reads its front page, as it reports that the Home Office has not collected £50m from firms “making massive profits” from housing asylum seekers, under rules which limit the amount they can make. A department spokesperson told the paper it had inherited an asylum system “under exceptional pressure” and was “urgently taking action to restore order and reduce costs,” including ending the use of hotels.
The Sunday Times continues to focus on the assisted dying bill, which dominated Friday and Saturday’s front pages. “Streeting: NHS has no cash for assisted dying,” reads its headline. It reports that the health secretary is “deeply concerned” about the impact of assisted dying on the NHS should it become legal, after MPs narrowly backed introducing it for some terminally ill adults in England and Wales on Friday.
In other news, the Prince of Wales is pictured on the front page of the Sunday Times and Sunday Mirror as he celebrates his 43rd birthday. “My pal Wills brings hope to planet,” reads the Mirror’s headline, as campaigner Robert Irwin tells the paper about the prince’s environmental “mission”.
The Mail on Sunday reports that Conservatives have urged business chiefs to oppose the deputy prime minister’s Employment Rights Bill, dubbing it a “wrecking ball for the UK economy”. Separately, it trails a story about a “bullying row” at BBC Breakfast – whose editor has taken an extended period of leave after allegations about his behaviour were reported in the media. The BBC previously said it did not comment on individual cases but that it took complaints about conduct extremely seriously.
While the US’s decision to move stealth bombers “within striking distance of Iran” also features on Sunday People’s front page, it separately reports on Dua Lipa’s debut show at Wembley Stadium. The pop star “turn[ed] up the heat,” says the paper.
The Daily Star Sunday turns its gaze skyward – and reports that actor Danny Dyer believes he has seen a so-called “little green geezer”. The EastEnders star now believes in life on other planets, the paper reports.
The Sun on Sunday leads on a “shock cell footage” which it says shows a convicted acid attacker, who is the ex-boyfriend of reality TV star Ferne McCann, getting a suspected steroid injection in prison.
The Sunday papers went to print before President Trump confirmed the US had struck nuclear sites in Iran, but the announcement was picked up by the news websites.
“US enters war with Iran” is the headline on the home page of the New York Times – which says the decision marks “the start of an unpredictable chapter in the Middle East”. Sources tell the BBC’s US partner CBS News that the Trump administration has told Iran it has no further strikes planned.
Elsewhere, the Sunday Times reports that a British has been arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of spying and terror-related offences. He is thought to have carried out surveillance for Iran on the RAF Akrotiri base on the island.
An open letter sent to business leaders by the Conservatives is published in the Mail on Sunday. The paper says it urges people to “rise up and fight” an overhaul of workers’ rights – which the Tories describe as a “wrecking ball to the economy”. The letter claims firms are “sleepwalking into disaster”. But the government says the Employment Rights Bill is “good for workers and the economy”.
The Sunday Express says that the Home Office has failed to recover more than £50m from companies involved in housing asylum seekers. Their contracts stipulate they must pay back any profits above 5%. The paper reports the money might not be collected until April next year.
It is revealed in The Sunday Telegraph that the NHS is paying to send an increasing number of patients overseas for treatment. The paper says the figure has jumped by 42% over the past two years, as waiting lists in England remain high. Health Secretary Wes Streeting describes the situation as “unacceptable”.
