Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Thursday’s newspaper front pages are another tough read for Prime Minister Liz Truss. Yesterday saw yet another day of chaos at Westminster and it’s reflected on the front pages as Suella Braverman’s resignation and reports of chaos during the fracking vote dominate the news.
There was confusion around whether last night’s vote was a confidence vote as well as confusion as to whether the Chief whip and deputy whip resigned- it was confirmed hours later that they had not.
There were accusations that members of the cabinet ‘manhandled’ Tory MPs into voting with the government.
Watch – Hilariously bad start for Liz Truss at PMQ
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‘Broken’ ‘Freefall’ and ‘Chaotic’ – Pro-Tory press
The pro-Tory press has well and truly turned on Liz Truss.
The Daily Mail says the PM’s premiership is in freefall and senior Tory MPs are urgently discussing strategies for ousting her. The paper says she could be forced to step down by the weekend, and possibly as early as today.
The Daily Express – perhaps Liz Truss’s biggest supporter – describes the PM’s leadership as being in meltdown after MPs turn on each other in the Commons on Wednesday. “Beyond belief” is how the front page describes the latest events in Westminster. The paper uses its editorial to say people are wanting a stable government at a time when the nation faces huge challenges.
“Broken” is the Sun’s headline under a picture of the PM yesterday. The paper says she saw her government collapse around her.
The Daily Telegraph says Tory plotters believe the PM will be ousted within days and Cabinet ministers are now considering a move against her. The paper says it’s speculated that between 50 and 100 letters of no confidence in her have been sent to Sir Graham Brady. He met PM Truss on Wednesday – the second meeting in just three days.
The Times describes the scenes last night as chaotic – the paper reports that at one point the PM lost her security detail as she ran after her chief whip to convince her not to quit.
Suella Braverman’s resignation has left the PM more isolated, because those on the right of her party, who played a massive role in making her the leader, could now turn against her.
The Mail says multiple sources say Braverman quit after a “90-minute shouting match” with Liz Truss. The paper says raised voices could be heard outside the room and Braverman was furious at being asked to relax immigration rules in order to boost economic growth.
An editorial in the Times agrees with the PM on immigration, saying Britain is experiencing labour shortages in a number of sectors.
‘Utter chaos’ ‘clowns’ and ‘laughable’ – Left-wing papers mock government
The Daily Mirror’s front page declares “Utter chaos” and says the PM’s leadership was hanging by a thread. The paper quotes one Tory MP who said Truss had “hours not days” left in No 10.
The paper’s editorial describes the government as “a grotesque cavalcade of clowns and misfits.” Adding, their “ineptitude would be laughable were it not for the fact that their decisions have broken the country’s economy.”
“Braverman’s bombshell puts Truss on the brink” says the front page of the Guardian. The paper says the government looks set to collapse as the former home secretary attacked the PM. The paper says Braverman’s resignation risks the PM experiencing the mass resignations that forced Boris Johnson to resign.
The Financial Times reports divisions within the party are making it difficult for the chancellor to find tax increases and spending cuts to fill a hole of about £40bn in the public finances. The paper says some Tory MPs are hugely resistant to tax rises and are warning that they would vote against them.
