'Burnham election call' and 'Too hot for tennis'
Key takeaways
- Front-runner to become the next PM, Andy Burnham, and the record-breaking heatwave across the UK and Europe are prominent across Saturday's papers.
- Image caption, The i Weekend leads with polling figures that suggest a Labour party led by the former Greater Manchester mayor would nudge ahead of Reform UK if a general election is called now.
- Image caption, Another warning for Burnham comes from former PM Sir John Major, who sat down with the Independent, saying that the former Greater Manchester mayor may not be prepared for the trials of the highest office.
Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.
Front-runner to become the next PM, Andy Burnham, and the record-breaking heatwave across the UK and Europe are prominent across Saturday's papers. Burnham is being urged by former Cabinet Secretary Lord Case to "be honest" with the public and call an early election, the Daily Telegraph reports. In an interview with the paper, Lord Case warns Burnham is "walking a very difficult tightrope" by promising change but having no mandate to deliver it.
Image caption, The i Weekend leads with polling figures that suggest a Labour party led by the former Greater Manchester mayor would nudge ahead of Reform UK if a general election is called now. The paper calls it the "Burnham bounce", but warns that the margin between both parties is "wafer thin".
Image caption, Another warning for Burnham comes from former PM Sir John Major, who sat down with the Independent, saying that the former Greater Manchester mayor may not be prepared for the trials of the highest office. Sir John also called for the UK to rejoin the EU's single market within the next five years and urged the next PM to prioritise closer relations with Europe.