Many of the front pages focus on the deaths of at least six Afghan migrants, trying to cross the English Channel, and consider how to deal with asylum seekers.
The Observer reports there is “fresh anger” over what it calls the government’s “controversial” asylum policy, with demands from refugee charities for the introduction of safe routes for those trying to reach the UK. The tragedy has also created a “dreadful ending” for Rishi Sunak’s “small boats week”, the paper writes. It was meant to reinvigorate his “stuttering strategy” to tackle Channel crossings, but the paper says that has been repeatedly marred by “blunders and humiliation”, including the forced evacuation of the Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge.
“For pity’s sake, stop the boats,” laments the Sunday Express. It says MPs are demanding urgent action against what it calls the “cruel trafficking gangs” who are putting men, women and children in “overcrowded and unseaworthy death-traps”.
The Sun on Sunday says nothing highlights the vital need to stop the small boats more powerfully than Saturday’s fatalities. It declares that the “monsters who cram dozens on to flimsy inflatables, for cash, are nothing less than callous murderers”.
Image source, Reuters
Fifty-nine people were rescued following the sinking of the migrant boat near Calais
“How many more must die before the Tories get a grip?” asks the Sunday Mirror. The paper says MPs have demanded that ministers ditch what it calls “gimmicky policies”.
“Was a French patrol boat to blame for the migrant drownings?” is the question posed by the Mail on Sunday. It claims to have been told by a “well-informed source” that an overloaded small boat was “being escorted” by a French warship, towards UK waters, when the dingy sank yesterday. The paper reports that a French navy spokesman declined to comment saying a criminal inquiry had been opened by the Boulogne prosecutor’s office.
The Sunday Telegraph leads with a report that the government plans to hire more barges to house asylum seekers, as well as use office space and former student halls. The paper says ministers will bring more barges into service, despite traces of the Legionella being found on the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset.
Image source, EPA
England will face Australia in the Women’s World Cup semi-final after beating Colombia
The Sunday Times reports that tougher A-level grading will be “vital” to halt what it calls a “surge” in students dropping out of university. The paper says data shows that “close to 30%” of students graded by their teachers during the pandemic are quitting some degree courses. Writing in the Sunday Times, the education secretary, Gillian Keegan, says that qualifications must “hold value” so that universities and employers understand the distinction between grades when recruiting, and pupils get the opportunities they deserve. People will receive their A Level results on Thursday.
Finally, the papers celebrate the Lionesses “roaring” into the Women’s World Cup semi-finals after beating Colombia 2-1. The Sunday Express calls them the “Goalden Girls”, while the Daily Star says they showed “goal power”. “Bring on the Aussies,” declares the Sunday Mirror and the Sunday People, as England prepare to face the co-hosts, Australia, for a place in the final. The Observer praises the defender, Alex Greenwood, who’s pictured consoling Colombia’s Linda Caicedo, saying she has the “heart of a lioness”.
