Newspaper headlines: Javid's no-deal spree and Hammond's secret talks By BBC News

Staff Published duration 28 July 2019

image copyright AFP

The morning papers are dominated by Boris Johnson's first few days in office.

The Sunday Times feels a Tory government that was dying on its feet has been re-energised

It acknowledges it is early days and that every new prime minister enjoys a bounce in support - but notes Mr Johnson leads a government with exactly the same parliamentary arithmetic as before.

The Sunday Telegraph strikes an optimistic tone.

At last, it concludes, Britain has a prime minister who is willing and able to make the case for Brexit.

The Mail on Sunday feels Mr Johnson is flawed in many ways, both personal and political - but it believes he still provides the country with the best chance of climbing out of the mess and frustration of the past three years.

The Sunday Mirror is not impressed by what it dismisses as a whirlwind of promises.

He has certainly hit the ground running but, says the paper, as people who have seen him in action will testify, it does not take long to see through him.

The Observer thinks his opening performances as prime minister were not encouraging - but says it would be a mistake to underestimate him.

image copyright Reuters image caption Boris Johnson said the full details of a Leeds-Manchester high-speed rail route would be published in the autumn

Several of the papers feature opinion polls which suggest support for the Conservatives has risen since he replaced Theresa May - with the party having a lead of between 2% and 10% over Labour.

The Mail on Sunday says Mr Johnson's move into Downing Street has led to a surge in support - or what it calls a "Boris bounce"

The Sunday Express leads with a ComRes poll which indicates nearly three quarters of voters believe he should be given a "proper chance" to take the UK out of the EU without parliamentary interference.

In his first three days, argues the Sun on Sunday, Mr Johnson has left Jeremy Corbyn looking flatter than a steam-rollered pancake.

It thinks the prime minister's pledge to turbo-charge the UK's regions and support a high-speed rail link between Manchester and Leeds will appeal to disillusioned Labour voters as well as Tories supporting One Nation Conservatism.

The Mail on Sunday interprets his decision to head north so soon as a deliberate effort to defuse the sense the Brexit referendum has deepened the north-south divide.

The Sunday People says little of Mr Johnson's speech was new - and it accuses him of empty rhetoric and hollow promises.

The Sunday Mirror reports 11 footballers in the Premier League have been secretly allowed to continue playing after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

The substances are said to have included amphetamine, morphine and Ritalin.

The paper says the revelation raises questions about whether there is a wider problem not being raised by the game's current testing regime.

image copyright Getty Images image caption Fewer pupils than ever are taking A-level English, new figures suggest

The Sunday Telegraph highlights new figures that suggest fewer pupils than ever are taking A-level English . Entries were down by 8% last year.

Experts are claiming students now favour subjects that have more vocational use.