'Burnham eager to get drilling' and 'Tardis fit for a King'
The papers on Friday have several reports on Andy Burnham, each focusing on different aspects of his first week in the top job. The Times says the new prime minister is "eager to get drilling in the North Sea", and is ready to "move quickly" to scale up oil and gas production as part of his "cost-of-living policy blitz". Sources told the paper that Burnham and his energy secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, are considering whether to give the green light to drilling in Rosebank, which it says is the "biggest undeveloped oil and gasfield in the UK".
Like many front pages, the Daily Express features a photograph of King Charles III and Queen Camilla making their grand entrance at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games - unusually, from the Doctor Who Tardis. "Tardis fit for a King" reads the caption. In its main story, the paper considers how Reform UK is responding to Labour's "controversial" early prison release scheme, which has been put on pause by the new prime minister.
The early prisoner release scheme is also the leading story for the Independent, which says Labour's plan to ease prison crowding will be put on hold until Burnham completes an "urgent review". The front page also carries a photograph of aerial firefighting in southern France, noting that wildfires are ravaging a "sweltering Europe" as the first part of the UK declares drought.
A similar headline leads the Daily Telegraph: "Burnham orders halt to early release". It investigates how the move could "threaten to plunge a prison system struggling with overcrowding into chaos", and says that some 6,000 prisoners had been set for release on a monthly schedule from early September. Neither Downing Street nor the Ministry of Justice have set a date for when they expect the scheme to be implemented again, the paper adds.
The prime minister has written a piece for the Guardian, where he says that "the era of fighting devolution is over". In it, Burnham writes that by shifting decision-making power out of London, he hopes to bring about the "much-needed sea change in the way Britain is run". The paper says it comes as Burnham becomes the first British leader to run government on a weekly basis from Manchester, referred to as No 10 North.
No 10 North is the main story for the Daily Star, which says the "King's in north" and will be working from home.
Burnham is pictured with a pint on the front page of the Metro, following his announcement that pubs, clubs and some music venues will receive a 20% rate cut from April. The paper says it has been a "historic start" to his premiership, adding that he is the first leader in a decade to kick off with a positive opinion from voters.
The i Paper says the new Chancellor John Healey has given a commitment that pensioners whose only earnings are the state pension will not pay income tax. It is "good news" for approximately 820,000 retirees, the paper says, as triple lock increases mean the state pension will be taxed from next year for the first time.
Oil prices have jumped to over $100 a barrel for the first time since May, according to the Financial Times. The paper says oils "blistering rebound this month" has been extended, as fears grow that the US and Iran are heading for a return to full-blown conflict.
AI has been branded a "clear and present" danger, the Daily Mail reports, after security experts said they had tested five AI models and all of them had tried to "trick their way around" the security controls in place.
The Sun says paralympian Ade Adepitan is set to be the first wheelchair user on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! According to the paper, the 53-year-old TV presenter is in "advanced talks" with the ITV series, and producers are looking at ways they can adapt the camp to accommodate him.
"Tragedy on beach trip" declares the Daily Mirror after a teenage girl and her mother drowned at a beach in Essex in a bid to rescue their seven-year-old relative. The paper says the child was taken to hospital in critical condition, along with three other members of the family.
