What the papers say – June 29

Sajid Javid’s plans to lift pandemic restrictions, England’s Euro 2020 clash with Germany, and more fallout from the Matt Hancock scandal feature on the Tuesday front pages.

The Daily Express calls the new Health Secretary “Mr Optimism” as it heralds the “end of the line for lockdown”, a message echoed in the i.

The Financial Times leads on Mr Javid’s call for Britain to learn to live with Covid as it plots a recovery.

The Times also covers Mr Javid’s vow not to extend restrictions past July 19, but leads on a story saying pupils are facing a total ban on mobile phone use at school.

The Independent also leads on Mr Javid’s July 19 deadline, as the Daily Mail says he is fighting for the nation’s freedom.

The Daily Mirror focuses on the football, with a front page photo of Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Gareth Southgate under the headline “A night made for heroes”.

Metro carries on that theme under a headline of “Now Boris rewrites history”.

The Daily Star combines football with Boris Johnson’s contrasting claims on whether or not he sacked Matt Hancock with a front page game of “Spot the bull”.

And The Sun ties together Harry Kane and the football with the Whitehall scandal under its headline of “Come on Harry … even Hancock scored”.

In other news, The Daily Telegraph splashes with a campaign to end the “madness” of isolating children amid the pandemic, contrasting the number of pupils sent home to self-isolate with the small number of positive cases among them.

And The Guardian says ministers are expected to announce pupils will no longer have to isolate after contact with a positive Covid case when schools return in September.