Today’s news summary – Paper Talk: ‘Commons chaos due to threats made to MPs’
No one single story dominates Friday’s front pages, instead, a mix of domestic and international topics find space on the front splashes. However, most papers continue their coverage of Wednesday’s Commons chaos, as it emerged the Speaker of the House bent the rules due in part to fears over the safety of MPs.
‘Islamists are now in control of Britain’
‘Bullied our country into submission’
The right-wing papers are outraged at the reports the Speaker ‘ripped up’ the rule book due to fear over the safety of MPs. The papers feature articles about ‘Islamic extremists’ and ‘MPs being bullied by the far-left’. The articles push hard the belief that fear of MPs being attacked played the biggest role in why the Speaker ripped up the rule book.
The Daily Telegraph features a piece written by former Home Secretary Suella Braverman who claims “Islamists are now in control of Britain” after the Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said he ignored protocol during the Gaza debate because of threats made to MPs. Braverman claims Islamists have “bullied our country into submission” and the UK is “sleepwalking into a ghettoised society” threatening free expression and British values.
The Times’ editorial declares that fear is now a factor in British democracy because concern for the safety of MPs clearly played a major role in what the paper describes as the Speaker’s “ill-advised decision to rip up the Commons rule book.”
The Daily Mail says setting aside parliamentary procedures in response to intimidation by Islamist extremists and their far-left fellow travellers is not just intolerable, it’s is staggeringly self-defeating. It sends the message that political violence works, warns the paper.
The Sun says Parliament has surrendered to a “violent Hamas-backing mob”. In an editorial, the paper says this is a shaming, chilling, highly dangerous moment. It says the only reason why the Commons debated a ceasefire in Gaza was for left-wing MPs to assure voters that they backed the Palestinians.
The Daily Mail and the Daily Express are asking why police didn’t stop pro-Palestinian protesters from beaming a contentious slogan onto Big Ben, during the debate in Parliament. Both papers describe the phrase as genocidal. Scotland Yard said it was not a criminal offence.
The i newspaper suggests the Speaker is clinging on to his job after letters of no confidence began to emerge. Sir Lindsay has apologised multiple times for the Commons chaos.
‘Everything but the Commons chaos’
For many of the left-leaning papers, there isn’t much room for the Commons situation, with many of the papers focusing on other domestic and international stories. It’s worth noting that some of the traditional right-leaning newspapers have also opted to ditch the story – perhaps an indication that not all Tories want the Speaker ousted.
‘New Brexit deal: EU offer for closer trade ties’
The front page of the i newspaper leads on the UK’s relationship with Europe, citing EU officials who say that a new Brexit deal could be “agreed with Labour” if they win the next general election.
The Guardian’s front page reports on a study which suggested that seeing the same doctor at every visit to the GP improves patients’ health and reduces doctors’ workload. Researchers found that people seeing the same doctor have 18% longer intervals between visits compared with those who saw different doctors. That suggests that continuity of care could free up millions of appointments, says the Guardian.
The Metro leads on the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The paper refers to “tyrant” Putin’s campaign in Ukraine, which the paper says has killed at least 10,000 Ukrainians.
The Daily Telegraph’s main story reports on the lack of ammunition on the Ukrainian front line. The paper’s headline quotes a Ukrainian serviceman as saying, “I have the Russian soldiers in my sights, but no shells to fire at them.”
The Times leads on “fake tears and tricks of the charity fundraisers,” the paper says the UK’s fundraiser watchdog has launched an inquiry into door-to-door pressure-selling techniques used by a children’s charity after a Times investigation.
For the Financial Times, tech stories dominate its front page. The paper’s main story is about Nvidia, which has seen soaring profits which has helped rally the stock market and add £205bn to its value in the process. There’s also a story about Google – which has temporarily halted its AI model Gemini following a backlash about how it represents different ethnicities and genders.
The Mirror has an image of Roger Clark who has spoken to the paper following his incarceration for smuggling £1m of cocaine on a cruise ship.
The Sun leads on singer Ellie Goulding and a surf instructor, suggesting the married singer is in a new relationship.
