UK Front Pages React to Solar Eclipse Amid Climate and Asylum Debates

Dramatic images of the eclipse feature on almost all of the front pages. The Daily Telegraph calls it "the greatest show on Earth". "Once in a generation" is the headline in the i Paper, while, for the Daily Express, it was "heavenly wonder". The Daily Mail says Britain finally got a break from the Sun, if only for a few minutes.

The front page of the Sun shows simply the paper's name in its traditional masthead, style then the thin crescent of light visible during the eclipse, then the words "The Moon". The paper says John Lewis reported a 40% spike in colander sales, as people were able to use them to safely observe the sun's progress. "Unlike eclipse glasses," a spokesperson for the store said, "you can use it to strain your spaghetti for dinner afterwards". The Daily Mirror says hundreds of observers gathered in Greenwich Park, and a reveller tells the paper "there were Champagne corks popping" at the peak of the eclipse.

The Guardian leads on the warning from the Royal College of Nursing that its members are working in "inhumane" conditions, because of the high temperatures. Its general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger says this should be a "wake-up call" and the paper says Prime Minister Andy Burnham is being pressed to "fully acknowledge" the need to adapt to a changing climate.

The Daily Telegraph reports that the prime minister's plans to house asylum seekers in wealthier parts of the country would cost more money than current arrangements. The government tells the paper it seeks to "fairly" house asylum seekers across the UK.

The Times reports that the government's own analysis of its plans to restrict zero hours contracts suggests they will drive up costs for businesses by up to three-billion pounds a year. The government has said it is consulting on the proposals and is committed to giving workers greater income security.