The Papers: Win for \'hero\' Rashford as \'footie drought\' ends
Newspaper headlines: Win for 'hero' Rashford as 'footie drought' ends
By BBC NewsStaff
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"Back of the net," declares the Daily Mirror as it celebrates both victory for England forward Marcus Rashford's campaign to have provision of school meal vouchers continued during the summer break, and the return of Premier League football. It quotes World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst saying the latter will "give the country a massive lift".
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It's "Rashford 1 Johnson 0" for the i newspaper, which dubs Manchester United star Rashford a "working-class hero", after Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government performed a U-turn on extending the scheme to provide vouchers to vulnerable pupils in England.
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The Daily Star demands a promotion for Rashford, saying the number 10 on the back of his shift "should be on his front door". "If the lad could now sort out Covid, Brexit and the seagulls that's be smashing," it says.
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The U-turn is an "embarrassing about-face" for the actual prime minister, says the Guardian, alongside a beaming picture of the 22-year-old England striker.
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The Metro celebrates what it calls "an extra time U-turn" for Rashford. But it leads on research showing the drug dexamethasone is effective in treating patients seriously ill with Covid-19. University of Oxford scientists say up to 5,000 lives could have been "saved" had the £5 steroid "been used since the start of the outbreak", the paper reports.
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The Daily Mail reports that the steroid is the "first virus treatment anywhere to be proven to save life". It says it is "now the standard treatment for severely-ill Covid patients and has been added to a list of medicines that cannot be exported".
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The "wonder drug" is usually used to treat asthma and allergies, reports the Daily Express. The paper's front page also features a picture of the Prince of Wales, who it says has not regained his sense of taste and smell since contracting the virus in March.
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Mr Johnson's claim that Britain has enough supplies of the drug "even for a second peak" features in the Times's coverage. The paper cautions that it "was not shown to work on those who did not need help breathing".
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And the Financial Times says the chancellor's "willingness to break" the Tory party's "triple lock" state pension pledge is a sign the pandemic is "forcing the government to confront political taboos". Rishi Sunak has been told the value of pensions "could rise sharply" unless he breaks the manifesto commitment, the paper reports. The government says it is committed to supporting pensioners.