The Papers: UK in \'meltdown\' as country hits \'boiling point\'
Newspaper headlines: UK in 'meltdown' as country hits 'boiling point'
By BBC NewsStaff
Image caption
The Metro splits its front page between the two main stories of the day - which it sums up as "Meltdown #1" and "Meltdown #2". On politics, it reports comments from the EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, who described Mr Johnson's Brexit plan as "unacceptable". The UK had an equally tough time with the weather on Thursday, the paper says, with the hottest July on record bringing "pure misery for commuters".
Image caption
Things also got heated in the Commons, where the Daily Mail says the new prime minister gave Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn "a roasting". Mr Johnson used his debut statement to MPs to issue an ultimatum, saying he would never accept the "divisive, anti-democratic" backstop arrangement negotiated by Theresa May, while attacking Mr Corbyn for his Brexit "flip-flop", the paper reports.
Image caption
While the nation basked in the heat, Mr Johnson promised "a new golden age", the Sun reports. The new prime minister also tore into the EU - warning he would "turbocharge" no-deal preparations in case it refused to agree a new Brexit deal by 31 October.
Image caption
The Daily Express describes Mr Johnson as on the "warpath" with the EU. The new prime minister told the Commons the UK would not be paying the £39bn "divorce bill" in the case of a no-deal Brexit, with the EU's chief negotiator branding his speech "combative".
Image caption
Although Mr Johnson pledged to ditch the Irish backstop from the UK's Brexit deal in his speech, the EU has signalled it is determined to stick to it, according to the Guardian. In a phone call with Mr Johnson after his Commons appearance, European commission president Jean-Claude Juncker reiterated that Mrs May's deal was "the best and only agreement possible", the paper reports.
Image caption
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson also faces challenges closer to home, according to the Times. His attempts to secure the support of hardline Tory Eurosceptics suffered a serious blow on Thursday when a senior Brexiteer turned down a ministerial role, the paper says. Steve Baker refused a job in the Brexit department because it would have left him "powerless", the paper reports.
Image caption
The i focuses on some of Mr Johnson's other pledges, including an amnesty for 500,000 people in the UK without papers. The new prime minister also promised to take the NHS off the table in US trade talks and abandoned Mrs May's target for cutting net migration to below 100,000 a year, the paper reports.
Image caption
The Daily Mirror leads on the heatwave, reporting that temperatures reached 38.1C (100.6F) on the second hottest day ever recorded in the UK. Police were called to two over-crowded pools, with 500 people flocking to one lido in London, the paper says.
Image caption
"Night of the living bed" is the headline in the Daily Star, which warns the UK's workers could be turned into "zombies", with the "incredible heat" stopping them getting a good night's sleep.
Image caption
The chief of the European Central Bank has paved the way for a fresh package of measures to boost the ailing eurozone economy, the Financial Times reports. Mario Draghi signalled on Thursday that he would cut rates and embark on a fresh round of asset purchases before he steps down from his role in October, the paper says.