What the papers say – July 19

A group of environmental activists jailed for planning to cause chaos on the M25 take centre stage on Friday’s front pages as five Just Stop Oil activists were sentenced to prison.

The Guardian, The Times and Daily Telegraph lead with the record length of the group’s co-founder Robert Hallam’s sentence, the longest for a non-violent protest in “living memory”.

The Daily Mail also splashes on the sentencing with a headline saying the judge “speaks for us all on eco-fanatics”.

Across the pond, the Financial Times reports on mounting pressure on US President Joe Biden to step down from the 2024 presidential race.

Back on British soil, the Daily Mirror and theThe Independent lead with a “damning” final report into former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the headline declaring the Tories “failed us all”.

The Metro reveals a damning report on a man who was jailed for 17 years after being wrongfully convicted of rape.

The front page of the Daily Express features a story on a British vessel taking migrants back to France as governments co-operate on the small boat crisis.

The i focuses on Labour’s planned worker reforms, saying the new rules would give employees the right to ignore messages and calls from their bosses on evenings and weekends.

Lastly, the Daily Star splashes on the mercury rising across the UK with some areas expected to experience temperatures of above 30C.