“Milkshake tax looms” declares The Times, announcing Labour’s plans to expand a levy on certain sugary goods including San Pellegrino and Ribena soft drinks. The move “goes further than expected” in a bid to tackle obesity but UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faces claims it breaches a promise not to raise taxes “for working people”, the paper reports. Also in the headlines, “chaos across Iberia after power cut hits millions”. Facing “the biggest supply failure in two decades”, 286 people were rescued from lifts in Spain when electricity went down on Monday, according to The Times.
“No beer in Benidorm” laments The Sun, highlighting the power cut’s effect on “tills and taps” leaving “British holidaymakers high and dry”. The tabloid also writes of an internal review at the BBC that “admits stars’ abuse”, in which it says “chiefs failed to tackle the ‘unacceptable’ behaviour of a handful of staff”.
“Pain as Spain mainly off the mains” riffs Metro, in a take on the cuts calling back to a line from the musical My Fair Lady: “The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain.” A long line of travellers “stranded” at Madrid’s Atocha rail station after the power cuts are pictured on the front page.
The i Paper also headlines on the “chaos” of Spain and Portugal’s “rare weather event” leading to “mass blackouts”. While the grid operator says the cuts were due to an “atmospheric phenomenon”, Spain’s prime minister says the cause is “still being investigated”, it writes. Elsewhere, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is “open” to a Conservative pact on “tough terms” and the i asks if “cancel culture” has been “cancelled”.
“Trains halt and traffic snarls” writes the Financial Times in its coverage of the Spanish-Portuguese power cuts. Detailing the countries’ move to rely on electricity in a shift away from fossil fuels, the paper writes that the “crisis is likely to stoke concerns over power networks’ ability to meet the added demand”. The FT’s second most prominent headline reads “China’s economy planners say they can live without US farm goods and energy”. In spite of “the trade war with the US”, the country has said it will “achieve 5 per cent growth for the year”. Farage’s face is seen in a small photo with the question “Could Britain fall for Trump-style populism?” in parallel.
“Net zero blamed for blackout chaos” reads the Daily Telegraph’s main headline, saying 53% of Spain’s energy was being supplied by solar before the power cuts. “Starmer and EU to sign anti-Trump pact in releationship reset” the paper also reports. Like the Guardian, the Telegraph also features the story of “sex criminals banned from asylum in UK”. A large picture of the Duchess of Sussex in tears by a microphone takes up a large portion of the page, captioned “Meghan caught using HRH title”.
The giant power cut plunged Spain into a “state of emergency”, writes The Guardian, taking out ATMs, trains and phones. Sex offenders will face a ban on claiming asylum in the UK, the paper writes, quoting Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. It also reports that senior Whitehall officials have asked if the UK can host the 2028 Open championship at US President Donald Trump’s British golf course, Turnberry.
“Bad hols vibes” writes the Daily Star as it says “Portugal blames Spain” for the blackouts. Also on its front page, a boy puts his arm around Tesla CEO Elon Musk with the streamline “Elon down our chippy”.
It’s a “summer of discontent” for Labour, writes the Daily Mail, as “nurses, teachers and council staff issue strike threats”. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has “ruled out extra cash for public sector pay rises”, putting the government “on a collision course with unions” says the Mail. This, “despite Labour’s pledge to usher in a new era of industrial harmony”. The backs of the Duke of Sussex’s children’s heads are splashed across the top of the paper with a column promised inside titled “I know why we’re suddenly seeing so much more of Archie and Lilibet”.
An image of Leader of the Conservative Party Kemi Badenoch features next to the headline “I will not let Labour destroy rural way of life” on the front page of the Daily Express. She has “vowed to reverse the hated farm tax”, calling farming communities “the lifeblood of this country” in the paper.
