UK News The Sun: Headlines, History, and Today’s Top Stories

There’s a reason nearly every Brit has an opinion about The Sun — whether they read it religiously or wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole. This daily tabloid has been shaping UK news, sport, and showbiz coverage for over six decades, all while attracting both passionate loyalty and fierce criticism. Here’s a fact-checked look at how The Sun works, who owns it, and where it stands today.

Circulation (2022): Approximately 1.2 million daily · Owner: News UK (News Corp) · Founded: 1964 · Political Alignment: Conservative / Right-leaning · Headquarters: London, UK · Website: thesun.co.uk

The Sun’s vital statistics reflect its position as a dominant tabloid:

What are the latest Sun news headlines today?

Top UK political stories from The Sun

The Sun covers Westminster politics intensely, with editorials and exclusives often dominating the daily news cycle. According to Wikipedia’s overview of The Sun, the paper publishes multiple breaking news articles each day, with politics being a core beat. A typical front page might lead on a government policy leak, a Labour Party split, or a Conservative backbench rebellion.

Breaking news updates on thesun.co.uk

The Sun’s website is updated around the clock, with top stories refreshed every few minutes. The site combines traditional tabloid writing with SEO-optimised headlines, ensuring high visibility in Google News. The Sun’s own homepage currently leads with the day’s biggest breaking story, flanked by live blog widgets for major events. For another UK news perspective, see our coverage of Power Failure London Underground: Cable Fault Chaos.

Sun exclusive reports

The Sun has a long tradition of exclusive investigations, from the 2011 phone-hacking revelations to more recent sting operations. Its reporters often work with the News UK investigations unit, producing scoops that then ripple across other outlets. One notable pattern: Sun exclusives frequently originate from tip-offs to The Sun’s news tips page.

The implication: The Sun’s editorial choices directly influence national discourse.

How does The Sun compare to other UK newspapers like Daily Mail and Mirror?

Here is a direct comparison of the three tabloids on key metrics:

The Sun vs Daily Mail: circulation and readership

Both are tabloid-format newspapers with conservative leanings, but they target slightly different audiences. The Daily Mail owns the “middle-market” space while The Sun is a classic “red-top.” In 2022, The Sun printed around 1.2 million daily copies, while the Daily Mail printed roughly 1.1 million, though Mail Online’s massive web audience gives it a clear digital lead. A Media Reform Coalition report shows that together with the Mirror, the two papers control a plurality of UK print copy sales. For a deeper look at the Daily Mail’s digital presence, see How to Get Daily Mail Classic Homepage UK (2025).

The Sun vs Mirror: political stance

While The Sun has historically endorsed the Conservative Party, the Daily Mirror has backed Labour in every general election since 1997. The political split is stark: Wikipedia notes that The Sun is widely characterised as conservative and right-wing, whereas the Mirror is avowedly left-leaning. In terms of coverage, The Sun devotes more space to showbiz and sport, the Mirror to celebrity and human-interest stories.

The Sun vs Express: breaking news speed

The Daily Express, another Conservative-leaning tabloid, competes on “first to break” politics and royal stories. The Sun tends to produce more exclusive investigations and opinionated columns, while the Express runs shorter wire agency updates. On breaking news, both papers’ websites now publish live blogs within minutes of major events.

The pattern: The Sun retains print dominance while Mail Online leads digitally.

What is the history and ownership of The Sun?

Founding of The Sun in 1964

The Sun was launched on 15 September 1964 by IPC Media as a broadsheet replacement for the Daily Herald. Its early years were unremarkable. But everything changed when it was purchased by Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited in 1969 and converted to a tabloid (Britannica – British newspapers timeline).

Acquisition by Rupert Murdoch and News Corp

Murdoch’s ownership turned The Sun into a populist powerhouse. The paper adopted a brash, aggressive style and targeted working-class readers. Today, The Sun is published by News Group Newspapers, a division of News UK, which is wholly owned by News Corp. Wikipedia documents that the corporate structure links to Lachlan Murdoch as chairman.

Key editors and controversies

Notable editors include Kelvin MacKenzie (1981–1994), who pioneered the newspaper’s confrontational style, and Rebekah Brooks (2003–2009), later at the centre of the phone-hacking scandal. Six senior editors and journalists faced misconduct proceedings in 2014, as Britannica reports. The current editor, Victoria Newton, took over in 2021.

Specifications at a glance:

The catch: Murdoch’s control raises questions about editorial independence.

What is the political stance and influence of The Sun?

The Sun’s support for Conservative Party

The Sun has historically endorsed the Conservative Party in most general elections. Britannica explains that it supported Labour in the early 1970s, switched to the Conservatives under Margaret Thatcher in 1979, briefly backed Labour in the late 1990s, and returned to the Conservatives by the early 21st century.

Influence on UK elections

The paper famously ran the headline “It’s The Sun Wot Won It” after the 1992 general election, crediting itself with the Conservative victory. However, Wikipedia records that the extent of its influence is disputed by political scientists, who point to other factors like the economy and leadership.

Columnists and commentary

The Sun’s opinion pages feature regular columns by figures such as political editor Harry Cole and star columnists like Jeremy Clarkson. Their commentary often sets the tone for right-leaning debate in the UK, but also attracts criticism for being divisive.

The pattern: The Sun’s editorial position is a major driver of its brand loyalty — readers know where the paper stands, which both attracts and repels.

Where to find Sun news headlines live online and on social media?

The Sun website (thesun.co.uk)

The Sun’s main digital platform, thesun.co.uk, offers free access to all articles, video, and live blogs. It is one of the most visited newspaper sites in the UK, with a reported 50 million monthly unique users.

The Sun YouTube channel for video news

The Sun’s YouTube channel has over 1 million subscribers and posts daily video packages on current events, sport highlights, and showbiz gossip.

Social media accounts

The Sun is active on Twitter (@TheSun), Facebook, and Instagram, where it pushes breaking news updates several times an hour. Its social strategy relies on click-driving headlines that often generate high engagement — and controversy.

The implication: The Sun is proactively diversifying its distribution to counter platform risks.

Timeline: Key moments in The Sun’s history

• 1964 – The Sun launched as a broadsheet by IPC Media (Britannica – British newspapers timeline)
• 1969 – Converted to tabloid format; acquired by Rupert Murdoch’s News Limited (Wikipedia – The Sun page)
• 1992 – Famous “It’s The Sun Wot Won It” headline after Conservative election win (Wikipedia – The Sun page)
• 2011 – Phone-hacking scandal; closure of News of the World, The Sun faced scrutiny (Britannica – British newspapers timeline)
• 2013 – The Sun launches its online paywall (later removed) (Wikipedia – The Sun page)
• 2023 – Record digital traffic under editor Victoria Newton (Wikipedia – The Sun page)

The timeline signal: The Sun’s trajectory shows a paper that reinvented itself twice — from broadsheet to tabloid in 1969, and from print-first to digital-first after 2013.

What’s confirmed and what remains unclear

The balance: More questions than certainties remain about The Sun’s future trajectory.

Quotes from authoritative sources

The Sun dominated the circulation market for daily newspapers from the late 1970s to the late 1990s, later losing its claim to be the most read newspaper in Britain.

Encyclopaedia Britannica – British newspapers overview

The Sun is widely characterized as conservative, right-wing, Eurosceptic, and populist in political alignment.

Wikipedia – The Sun (United Kingdom)

News UK (The Sun and Times titles), DMG Media (Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday) and Reach plc account for over four-fifths of print copy sales.

Media Reform Coalition – Who Owns the UK Media? (2019)

Britannica says The Sun supported Labour in the early 1970s, switched to the Conservatives under Margaret Thatcher in 1979, switched back to Labour in the late 1990s, and returned to the Conservatives by the early 21st century.

Encyclopaedia Britannica – British newspapers timeline

The common thread across all these sources: The Sun’s influence is undeniable but its methods and consequences remain hotly contested.

For any UK news publisher plotting their digital strategy, the choice is clear: follow The Sun’s model of aggressive SEO and multimedia, or invest in a distinct editorial identity that doesn’t rely on Murdoch’s corporate machine. For readers, the implication is clear: The Sun will keep delivering headlines that grab attention — but with that power comes responsibility to check sources and question motives.

For a deeper look at the newspaper’s ownership and political bias, see UK News The Sun.

Frequently asked questions

These answers provide a concise reference for common queries about The Sun.