Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
PM Liz Truss’s resignation and her potential replacement dominate Friday’s front pages.
Liz Truss resigns after 44 days
The Guardian and the i use close-ups of Liz Truss standing in front of the famous No 10 black door delivering her resignation speech.
The Guardian calls it “The bitter end,” saying she presided over “one of the most politically turbulent and economically damaging periods in modern history.”
Whilst the i’s headline reads: “Gone in 44 days” – adding that Britain will have its third prime minister in seven weeks by Friday.
“The worst PM we’ve ever had” – that’s the headline of the Metro which describes Liz Truss’s time in office as “the shortest and most chaotic premiership in British history.”
Who will be the next prime minister?
Many of the papers are looking at who could replace Liz Truss. At the moment Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt are the front runners – with many expecting Rishi to get the top job due to many seeing him as being the best with finances.
The Daily Express asks: “He couldn’t, could he … will Boris bounce back to Number Ten?”. The paper says Boris Johnson remains the favourite among grassroots Conservatives.
The Sun describes Boris Johnson as “eyeing the mother of all comebacks” if he can get the 100 MPs he needs to back him as a leadership candidate. But it goes on to say his backers fear a “stop BoJo stitch-up” to prevent his return to power.
Johnson has told the Tories he is the only one who can save them from “election wipe-out” according to the Daily Telegraph. The paper also claims Johnson has reached out to Rishi Sunak for the pair to “get back together” – a move it describes as “a remarkable olive branch after their public falling out at the top of government.”
The Daily Mail has a different take on Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak working together. The paper says it’s “Boris v Rishi” and it’s a “fight for the soul of the Tories.”
The front runners – Rishi Sunak v Boris Johnson v Penny Mordaunt
The Times predicts it’s between Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt.
The Daily Mirror uses its front page to call “general election now” – the paper says it is the demand of the British people. Associate editor Kevin Maguire says “democracy isn’t a game of pass the parcel played exclusively by the Conservative Party”. He says a third PM in less than two months would be “Tory tinpot tyranny.” He calls for Brits to “take to the streets” if the Tories resist a general election.
The Financial Times argues the British people deserve a general election and says Liz Truss’s short premiership “trashed not only the UK’s economic standing but also its reputation for political stability.”
On the topic of a potential Boris Johnson comeback, the FT says: “The Tory party has shown itself inept, riven with factionalism, contemptuous of the rule of law and exhausted of credible economic ideas.”The Daily Star’s famous lettuce features on the front page and the paper celebrates it outlasting Liz Truss. The paper says the world has been watching the “green hero” and headlines it as “Lettuce Rejoice.”