'Best of Britain' and the country on a 'war footing'








Sir Keir Starmer's announcement of a full national statutory inquiry into grooming gangs features on many of the front pages.
The Sunday Telegraph says it is a significant shift after the prime minister previously resisted calls for an investigation.
The paper says that he has "caved" after accepting the recommendation of a report by Baroness Louise Casey.
The Sunday Times and the Sun on Sunday both label Sir Keir's decision a "U-turn".
The Mail on Sunday highlights comments made by the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, that the prime minister should apologise for initially resisting the move.
A number of the papers lead on more RAF jets being sent to Middle East, as intense fighting between Israel and Iran continues.
The Sunday Times notes the decision was made after Tehran threatened to strike British bases in the region. Its headline is "Britain on a war footing".
"Jets scramble to Middle East" says the Sun on Sunday.
Reflecting more widely on the crisis, the Observer's international editor, Steve Bloomfield, says "this is no ordinary war".
He writes that as G7 leaders gather in Canada, even if they issue a call for calm, nothing they say is likely to prevent Iran and Israel from escalating the conflict.
The Sunday Telegraph says the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, has not ruled out "leaning more heavily" on the private sector to cut NHS backlogs.
He has written in the paper that he refuses to be "bound by outdated ideological battles", adding that using independent hospitals to provide taxpayer-funded care does not contradict the principles of the health service.
The paper says almost 1.5m people have had private care on the NHS since Labour came to power last year.
The Sunday Times reports that "breakthrough" drugs to treat Alzheimer's are due to be refused for use on the NHS this week.
The paper says the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is expected to knock back Lecanemab and Donanemab, which are both proven to slow the underlying cause of dementia.
The decision is said to be on the grounds of cost effectiveness. Health charities have said such a move would be "deeply disappointing".
And most of the papers feature photographs of the Royal Family attending Saturday's Trooping the Colour.
"The firm out in force" says the Sunday Telegraph.
The paper goes on to say that it was at the King's request to dedicate part of the event to honouring the victims of Thursday's Air India disaster.
This included a one-minute silence and black armbands being worn.
The Mail on Sunday covers a more light-hearted moment - the young princes Louis and George laughing as they shared a carriage journey.
The front page of the Sunday Times features a photograph of the boys giggling with the headline "chuckle brothers".

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