WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Le Pen rises, England squeaks through, and a new headache for Farage

 
today's international story

Far-right ahead in French election

What happened 
Marine Le Pen’s populist right-wing National Rally party has made huge gains in the first round of France's snap parliamentary election. After polls closed, the first estimates projected National Rally to have won 33% to 35% of the vote; the left-wing New Popular Front to have secured 28% to 30%; and Emmanuel Macron's ruling centrist alliance trailing on about 22%.

Who said what
Le Pen said French people had shown their "wish to turn the page on seven years of the disdainful and corrosive (presidency)" of Macron.

"Never has the populist right done so well", said The Times. The party won 12 million votes – almost three times the 4.2 million it took in the last parliamentary election in 2022. Yet the result, if confirmed, is still "marginally better for Macron's camp" than anticipated.

Despite beating expectations this was still a "crushing humiliation" for the French president, said The Economist, which heralds a "dramatic new era" in French politics.

What next? 
The projected outcome of the first round of voting raises the possibility of a far-right government after the second round takes place on 7 July. But with some politicians already calling for tactical voting to deny far-right candidates power it's "not clear that any group will take an outright majority once the dust settles", said the BBC.

 
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today’s politics story

Reform candidate defects to Tories over racism row

What happened
Reform UK election candidate Liam Booth-Isherwood, who is standing in Erewash, has disowned his party and is instead backing the local Conservative candidate following what he called "reports of widespread racism and sexism".

Last week Nigel Farage's party distanced itself from two activists who were filmed by Channel 4 apparently making racist comments.

Who said what
At Reform's biggest rally of the election campaign in Birmingham over the weekend Farage admitted his party "had a few bad apples”, but said that "the bad apples are gone".

Reform UK's chairman Richard Tice claimed his party's candidates were being offered jobs and incentives "to persuade them to talk badly of Reform, stand down and then endorse the Tory candidate".

What next?
Rishi Sunak will "turn his fire on the Reform leader" today after Farage used the Birmingham rally to attack "slippery Sunak", said The Times. The Conservatives and Reform are now "locked in a fight for millions of disillusioned voters" who remain undecided about whether to "stick with the Tories" or support Farage's upstart party.

 
 
Today’s sport story

England squeaks through to Euro quarter-finals

What happened
Two late goals by Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane produced a "scarcely credible" 2-1 extra-time win against Slovakia that put England through to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals, said The Independent.

Who said what
The moment of salvation came via a spectacular overhead kick from Bellingham, followed by Kane's winner in extra time. Bellingham's goal was an "act of comic-book brilliance just when all seemed lost", said The Guardian.

The heroics came at the end of a match that featured "some bits of football so dysfunctional it was mind-blowing", said The Sunday Times. England's "stupefied ­supporters" went "potty" when the final whistle blew.

What next?
England will now face Switzerland in a quarter-final clash on 6 July. Gareth Southgate's side will have to "up their levels considerably" for the next match, said the Evening Standard. The Swiss are "soaring with confidence" after knocking out defending champion Italy in the opening last-16 tie.

 
 

It's not all bad

A new study suggests that specific gut bacteria may trigger compulsive eating and obesity, potentially leading to new treatments for food addiction. Researchers at Pompeu Fabra University in Spain identified bacteria linked to food addiction in humans and mice, as well as beneficial bacteria that prevent it. This discovery opens the way to developing potential new treatments for obesity-related behaviours that currently "lack any effective therapeutic approaches", said Professor Elena Martín-García who led the study.

 
 
under the radar

The 95% Muslim country that has banned the hijab

Tajikistan's parliament has approved a bill to outlaw the hijab, describing it as an "alien garment". It has also banned the practice of youngsters going door to door collecting money during Eid, said Free Press Kashmir.

The ban on headscarves is seen "as a reflection of the political line" that the government of president-for-life Emomali Rahmon has been "pursuing" since 1997, said Euronews.

His administration has "had its sights set on what they describe as extremism for a long time", added the news site, particularly since he blunted the influence of the Tajikistan Islamic Resurrection Party and then banned it altogether.

Rahmon is a polarising figure who has held on to power in elections that "fall far short of being free or fair", said the BBC. His measures have sparked international attention: in 2023 the US Commission on International Religious Freedom designated Tajikistan a "country of special concern".

Experts believe the hijab ban was influenced by a terror attack in Moscow in April. Four of the attackers were said to have had Tajik passports, according to Russian authorities.

There are restrictions on Islamic religious dress in other countries, including France, which prohibits wearing "symbols or clothes through which students conspicuously display their religious affiliation", and Austria. In addition, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Norway and Bulgaria have laws prohibiting the use of Islamic garments.

Several Muslim-majority countries have also banned the burqa and hijab in educational establishments and government buildings, including Tunisia, Kosovo, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

 
 
on this day

1 July 1972

The UK's first Pride march was held in London. The date was picked as it fell on the closest Saturday to the anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which took place in New York in 1969. More than 32,000 people attended Pride in London at the weekend, which was headlined by Bebe Rexha.

 
 
Today’s newspapers

The French right has "humiliated" Emmanuel Macron, says The Times, after National Rally was on course to win 33.2% of the vote. The Guardian leads on an interview with Keir Starmer, who "vows his party would work to restore faith in politics" if Labour wins the general election, but the Daily Mail says Rishi Sunak will warn disaffected Conservative voters that they risk "locking in a Labour government" for a generation. Meanwhile, "Saved by the Bell", is the headline in the The Sun, alongside a dramatic picture of Jude Bellingham's late equaliser which "brought England back from the dead" at the Euros.

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Court waits for dust to settle

A fashion stylist who claims that dust from building works being carried out at a neighbours' property has destroyed her designer handbags is seeking £250,000 in damages. Maria Serra told London's High Court that the renovations had made her home unliveable and ruined her 26 vintage bags worth £14,500. Lawyers for Serra's neighbours said the claimant had "grossly inflated" the collection's value and that the items could easily be cleaned.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Julia O'Driscoll and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Cyril Marcilhacy / Bloomberg via Getty Images; Justin Tallis / AFP via Getty Images; Visionhaus / Getty Images.