The Times focuses on yesterday’s announcement by the government about the early release of thousands of prisoners, to ease overcrowding in jails in England and Wales. It says Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has admitted that public safety could be compromised by the plans – which include violent offenders who have sentences of less than four years among those eligible for release after serving 40% of their time behind bars, rather than the standard 50%.
The FT Weekend says reform of the House of Lords is set to feature in the King’s Speech next week, with legislation to axe hereditary peers from the upper chamber among 30 bills expected to be unveiled.
It reports that the move is the first part of an effort to slim down the Lords, to be followed by forcing peers to retire at 80. To sugar the pill, the paper says, the ousted legislators would be allowed to retain access to the Palace of Westminster, including its bars and restaurants.
Writing in the paper, Lord Darroch claims it’s already “game over” for the 81-year-old, as clips of his disastrous TV debate against Donald Trump “will be replayed 1,000 times” before voters go to the polls in November. He says Mr Biden has a legacy of a leader who got things done, but warns that will be “tainted” if he fails to hand over power.
A number of front pages look ahead to the final of Euro 2024 on Sunday.
The Daily Express has launched a campaign for England’s manager, Gareth Southgate, to be knighted regardless of the result. It says fans agree it would be a fitting honour for the man who has turned England from perennial underachievers into a fearless force.
The Guardian reports that fans of a classic scene from Only Fools and Horses could be hit in the pocket if they quote lines from the sitcom on a visit to Bath Assembly Rooms in Somerset.
The episode in question sees Del Boy and Rodney bracing themselves to catch a chandelier, only to find Grandad has released the wrong fastening, sending a different one crashing to the floor.
Staff who look after the chandeliers at the Assembly Rooms are said to have heard the lines “One more turn, Del!” or “Brace yourself, Rodney, brace yourself” so often that they’re now encouraging offenders to pay a voluntary contribution to the venue’s conservation fund.