‘Natalie Elphicke’s defection’ & ‘Champions League heartbreak’ – Paper Talk
Editorial 09 May 2024.
Thursday’s front pages focus on the defection of MP Natalie Elphickle from Conservatives to Labour – with neither the left-leaning or right-leaning newspapers particularly happy about the situation.
For the left-leaning newspapers, controversial figure Natalie Elphickle has ‘split the Labour Party’ with several of the papers unhappy that Sir Keir welcomed her into the party. Natalie Elphickle is known for far-right views and had previously defended her convicted sex offender former husband. For the right-leaning newspapers, her defection is a betrayal, especially given the timing, with a general election around the corner.
Several of Thursday’s newspapers carry photos of King Charles and Prince Harry who were both at London events yesterday in the sunshine. Harry is back in the UK for a three-day charity event.
Elsewhere, away from the main leads, the UK front pages cover a variety of domestic news.
The back pages cover last night’s Champions League final as Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich 2-1 (4-3 agg), and the controversial late equaliser that was ruled out for Bayern. Real Madrid will meet Borussia Dortmund in London for the final.
‘Natalie Elphicke’s defection’
The Daily Express calls Elphicke’s defection “shameless” and suggests Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer “lacks principles”.
The Times says her admission into the Labour Party has “split” it. The Telegraph says Labour is facing backlash from MPs who are uncomfortable about her previous policy positions. In its editorial, The Sun says Labour has embraced “an unprincipled opportunist who has trashed them for years and whose views change like the weather”.
The Times parliamentary sketch describes Natalie Elphicke’s appearance on the Labour benches at PMQs as a “fireworks display”, adding “somebody, somewhere might find they’ve been badly burned”.
The Mirror’s editorial says “when the likes of Ms Elphicke decide Britain will be better served with Keir Starmer in Number 10 it shows how much Labour has changed”.
The Daily Mail notes that he saw only three Labour MPs shake Ms Elphicke’s hand, but that she “soaked up the sunrays of everyone’s attention”, before leaving the chamber, shoulder-to-shoulder with Labour’s leader, as they shared an awkward silence.
@c4news Tory MP Natalie Elphicke MP, until recently, has been highly critical of Labour’s border policy, but today she defected to Labour in a move that to many was highly unexpected. #NatalieElphicke #Tories #Conservatives #Labour #KeirStarmer #Politics #Channel4news
“Semi-dystopian era”
Away from the main story, other front pages lead with domestic topics.
The Guardian has conducted a poll of hundreds of climate experts, who say they expect global temperatures to rise by at least 2.5C this century. Many predict what the paper describes as a “semi-dystopian” era – including famines, conflicts, floods, wildfires and storms of an intensity and frequency far beyond what’s been seen before. “I could not feel greater despair over the future,” one scientist is quoted as saying.
The Financial Times reports on the significantly reduced fortunes of companies that boomed in the pandemic era. It says conference call business, Zoom, and home exercise firm, Peloton, are among 50 companies whose share price has fallen by a combined £1.2 trillion since 2020.
The i has assembled a panel of economic experts who predict the first interest rate cuts won’t come until August at the earliest. The pollster Chris Hopkins, from the firm Sevanta, tells the paper that lower rates aren’t likely to help Rishi Sunak’s political outlook because, he says, the Conservatives need a miracle “and it’s not going to come with a small interest rate cut”.
The Daily Mirror is one of the tabloids that leads on Prince Harry and King Charles claiming the pair are “worlds apart” after father and son did not meet, despite being just two miles away from each other in London. Harry was back in the UK for charity work. He is expected to leave today.
The Sun newspaper also leads with the royals. The front page notes Princess Diana’s siblings were in attendance at Harry’s charity event in central London yesterday.
The Metro reports on a girl born completely deaf who can now hear after receiving “world-leading” gene therapy.
