Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Most of Sunday’s front pages report on the fallout from Boris Johnson’s resignation as an MP – and the scathing statement he released about being ‘forced out.’
All of Sunday’s papers carry photos of Manchester City’s win in the Champions League final in Istanbul – Saturday night’s win has bagged Man City the infamous treble.
Boris Johnson resignation
Opinions differ across the papers as to what knock-on effect Boris Johnson’s resignation will have on Rishi Sunak’s government.
The Sunday Times says the former prime minister’s mutiny failed to gain traction, as sources close to Johnson claimed that up to six more Tory MPs would quit, but many of his supporters promptly distanced themselves from any plot.
The Sunday Telegraph and the Sunday Express suggest that more MPs aligned wth Boris Johnson may also step down as MPs. Both newspapers highlight a meeting between Johnson and Sunak earlier this month as the crux of the conflict.
According to allies of Johnson, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak initially agreed to endorse Boris Johnson’s entire honours list but later omitted some key allies and donors when the list was published on Friday. Downing Street denies this, asserting that the PM merely adopted the names “approved” by the House of Lords Appointments Commission.
The Observer reports a growing dissatisfaction with Boris Johnson within the Conservative Party, pressuring Sunak to prevent him from running as a Conservative candidate in the next election.
An anonymous member of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, who previously supported Johnson, tells the paper that “the pantomime has to end.”
However, in his article in the Mail on Sunday, former Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg argues that Johnson’s dramatic resignation “puts him in pole position to return as Conservative leader if a vacancy should arise.”
In an editorial, the Mail contends that British politics has become too narrow-minded if there is no space for Boris Johnson. The paper points out that he won a stronger mandate than any other Tory leader since Margaret Thatcher in the last election, only to be brought down by behind-the-scenes machinations.
Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, urges PM Sunak to “show some backbone” and call for an early general election in his writings for the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People. Sir Keir asserts that Sunak lacks a mandate and the strength to confront what he calls “Tory berserkers” determined to drag the country down.
Man City treble
Manchester City’s win dominates both the front and back pages, celebrating their Champions League triumph and treble.
The Sun on Sunday exclaims “Three-mendous,” while the Mail and the Express refer to the team as “history makers.”
The Star on Sunday highlights the pending investigation into alleged breaches of financial rules as the “elephant in the room.” Nonetheless, the paper asserts that the team’s manager, Pep Guardiola, has become a “footballing immortal,” and a statue of him in Manchester is surely forthcoming.