The Times is among those leading on the government’s plans to release thousands of prisoners early.

It describes the move as a way to “ease the crisis in the justice system” after a warning from police chiefs that inaction could lead to a breakdown of law and order “within weeks”. It says the measure is only expected to apply to prisoners serving sentences of less than four years.

The Daily Mail says Conservatives have “blasted” Labour’s warnings about full prisons as “shameless scaremongering”.

The Tory MP Neil O’Brien tells the paper “the idea we would be safer if lots of criminals were let out of jail is absolute nonsense”.

The Daily Telegraph reports that the Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has ordered an immediate ban on drilling in new North Sea oilfields.

It calls it an “unusual intervention” into what is usually an apolitical process. It adds that the move could trigger a wave of legal action from the oil industry which has spent millions on preparing bids for licences.

The paper says the government has also withdrawn support for the first new coal mine in 30 years in Cumbria – describing the move as “a potentially lethal blow”.

Sir Keir Starmer is on a collision course with unions, according to the Guardian.

It says the prime minister has played down the chance of real terms pay increases for public sector staff – prompting warnings of a crisis in recruitment and staffing.

It adds that while Number 10 is not ruling out some settlements above inflation, Sir Keir said the unions would not get everything they wanted and that finances were in a “very poor state”.

The i reports on another problem for the prime minister – who is said to be facing a mutiny from his own backbenchers who oppose the two-child benefit cap.

It says some Labour MPs hope to “bounce” him into a concession by pushing for a King’s speech vote on the matter next week. The i says the estimated cost of lifting the cap is between £2.5bn and £3.6bn.

The Daily Mirror front page carries pictures of friends of the crossbow victims Carol Hunt and her daughters hugging each other at a vigil, with the headline “United in Grief”. The three were killed at their home in Hertfordshire.

The Daily Express is backing a campaign to ban the weapons – saying one of its reporters was able to buy one within minutes, with no questions asked.

The Financial Times has a story that the global population will shrink sooner than expected because of a “plunge” in fertility rates.

According to a UN report, women from Italy and Spain to China and South Korea are having fewer babies, meaning that by the end of this century the world will have 200 million fewer people than previous forecasts had predicted.

The study says Europe’s population will shrink by 21% from its 2020 peak – the largest decline in any continent.

And the Metro looks ahead to the England football team’s Euro 2024 final on Sunday. It picks up on the King’s congratulations and his quip to avoid last minute drama in the final.

Its headline uses some royal wordplay for the message “May you reign over Spain”.