The prime minister’s first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump dominated front pages, with Mr Trump pressing for a review of the Chagos Islands sovereignty deal and branding it "terrible." Scientists warn a strong El Niño could cause roughly 451,000 deaths from droughts, wildfires and flooding over the next six months. Other headlines covered AI policy clashes with the US, Sir Charlie Mayfield urging an end to text-only sickness reporting, Piers Morgan’s reaction to Earl Spencer’s book, and a $20bn bid for Lukoil assets.
Burnham Meets Trump: Chagos Deal In Doubt as El Niño Death Toll Warning Dominates Front Pages
Many of the front pages carry the first face-to-face meeting - at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City - between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Andy Burnham since the latter took office. "Burn to be mild" is the Daily Star's take, quoting the president who says he "can do business" with the new British leader. As many of the papers emphasise, the front page also features Trump's criticism of the Chagos Island deal after he called it "terrible". [BBC]
Nearly every front page led with the prime minister's first in-person meeting with US President Donald Trump, with many papers zeroing in on an exchange over the controversial Chagos Islands agreement that would transfer UK sovereignty to Mauritius.
The Chagos dispute
Across titles, reporting focused on Mr Trump’s forceful reaction to the proposed handover. The Daily Telegraph says the prime minister "bowed to Trump on Chagos," reporting that he pledged to "do everything possible to find a resolution" and agreed to review the deal after a sideline meeting at the UN General Assembly. The Times framed the outcome as a Trump victory, saying the president secured a review of what he called a "ridiculous" deal while US forces continue to lease Diego Garcia — the joint UK–US base in the Indian Ocean.
The Independent and the Guardian also carried prominent coverage, describing the meeting as a tense diplomatic moment and quoting Mr Trump praising the prime minister as a "businessperson who gets it." The Daily Mirror described the encounter as a tricky but creditable showing for Burnham, while the Daily Mail and Daily Express highlighted the president’s criticism of the handover as "terrible."
El Niño climate warning
Separately, several front pages led with a stark climate warning: scientists estimate the developing El Niño could contribute to roughly 451,000 deaths over the next six months from droughts, wildfires and flooding. The Guardian called the event "Godzilla-level," citing climate experts' projections of severe and far-reaching impacts.
Other front-page stories
The i paper looked beyond the bilateral meeting to highlight the prime minister’s call for "a single set of global principles" to govern artificial intelligence — a stance the paper said could put the UK at odds with the US, where Mr Trump described resistance to any "globalist scheme" to control AI. The Metro led with a distressing local story about a school stabbing under the headline "knifed for saying no."
The Sun covered fallout from Earl Spencer’s new book about Princess Diana, reporting broadcaster Piers Morgan demanded copies be pulped after Spencer admitted an error about Morgan’s role in publishing intrusive photos. The Daily Mail ran a human-interest item on a Durham University study suggesting women prefer voices in a "moderate" pitch range — similar to Barack Obama and Gerard Butler — while the Financial Times reported that the White House and Gulf investors back a Todd Boehly-led bid for roughly $20bn of Lukoil assets after US sanctions.
Overall, front pages were dominated by three themes: diplomatic tensions over the Chagos Islands sovereignty transfer, urgent climate warnings tied to a strong El Niño, and a mix of domestic and celebrity stories ranging from workplace culture and sickness-reporting norms to books, film premieres and scientific studies.
"Burnham bows to Trump on Chagos" says the Daily Telegraph, writing that the prime minister pledged to do "everything possible to find a resolution to the issue". It explains that Burnham "reversed his position after a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly" over "plans to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius". [BBC]
The Times frames the outcome of the exchange as "Trump wins review of 'ridiculous' Chagos deal", further explaining that the president opposes the deal while the US is left "paying for a lease of Diego Garcia, a joint UK-US base in the Indian Ocean". Elsewhere, a separate headline quotes Sir Charlie Mayfield, the UK's work tsar, as urging that "calling in sick with a text or email must end". [BBC]
"Don well?" asks the Daily Mirror, embedding a photo of the two leaders shaking hands in New York City. "Nervous PM navigates minefield in first talks with volatile Trump but the differences remain," the paper says, declaring the exchange a "win" for Burnham. The paper also features photos of the Princess of Wales and Tom Cruise walking together on the red carpet at the Digger film premiere, under the caption "Reign man: Tom and the royals". [BBC]
"Chagos deal in doubt" says the Independent, as "president hails PM in first meeting as 'businessperson' who 'gets it'." It carries the same photo of the seated pair with the caption "historic handshake". [BBC]
"Trump praises Burnham" is the Guardian's take. Also splashed on the front page is "hot deaths from El Niño forecast to reach 451,000", as climate scientists estimate the deaths will be caused by "the impacts of the droughts, wildfires, and flooding". [BBC]
"Burnham wobbles on Chagos as Trump hits out," the Daily Mail says, writing that the prime minister was "forced to look on stony-faced as the US President rounded on Labour's 'terrible deal' to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius". [BBC]
The Daily Express continues with "Donald's attack on 'terrible' handover". [BBC]
Rather than focusing on a recap of the meeting, the i Paper throws forward with "Burnham warns world over AI", adding that the move "sets UK on collision course with America". As the prime minister tells "business chiefs he wants a 'single of global principles' to guard against rogue AI", the paper says it could "put him at odds with Donald Trump". It quotes the president, who says the US "rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme" to control the technology, also mentioning that he rebranded AI "super intelligence". [BBC]
The Metro leads with the headline "knifed for saying no" on a story of an "obsessed teen attack" after a 13-year-old girl was "stabbed ten times by a schoolboy she rejected". The paper compares it to the TV limited series Adolescence which portrays a boy who stabs a female classmate to death. [BBC]
The Sun reports on a new chapter in the fallout of Earl Spencer's book about his sister Princess Diana, with broadcaster Piers Morgan demanding copies of the book "should be pulped", after Earl Spencer "admits wrongly claiming the ex-tabloid editor was behind the Mirror Group's publication of intrusive photos of Diana in 1993". [BBC]
Finally, the Financial Times writes that the "White House and Gulf billionaires back [financier Todd Boehly] swoop on Lukoil assets", which were "put up for sale after the Russian oil company was hit with US sanctions last year". According to the paper, the portfolio is "valued at $20bn (£15bn)". [BBC]
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