Editorial 18 March 2024.
Monday marks a bank holiday in the UK, but politics doesn’t stop and Tory party infighting continues to dominate the front pages.
The political drama has led to speculation of whether a snap election will be called this half of the year, and whether the Tory party will oust Rishi Sunak as prime minister before the next general election – at the moment being suggested to take place around November.
Will the rebels topple Rishi?
A number of the front pages suggest rebel MPs are planning to challenge the prime minister’s leadership and replace him with Penny Mordaunt.
‘Plans to oust Sunak’
The Daily Telegraph’s splash reports PM Rishi Sunak is urging MPs to “stick with him” and that he’s issued a rallying cry to backbenchers telling them “the economy is turning a corner.” The paper says he told them that 2024 will be the year the UK “bounces back.” It adds that Sunak was forced to speak out after days of speculation that right-wing Tories plan to oust and replace him with Penny Mordaunt.
The Daily Mail says Sunak’s allies are “furious” that Penny Mordaunt has not distanced herself from recent reports she’s being lined up as the “unity candidate.”
The Daily Express quotes cabinet minister Esther McVey as saying some colleagues are putting “leadership ambitions” ahead of the party’s interests, adding that plotting to topple the PM is “self-indulgence.”
The Guardian’s front page says the PM will attempt to calm nervous Conservatives this week. The paper says the PM’s allies fought a rearguard action over the weekend. Mark Harper told the party to have confidence and that “Politics is a team game.”
The i newspaper notes some Tory MPs have called the plan to replace Suank with Mordaunt “insane”.
Elsewhere, Metro’s Monday edition also reports on the prime minister’s future – but the paper quotes Tory minister Mark Harper, who insists the PM will not be axed and replaced with Mordaunt – despite him facing questions over the extent of his relationship with Tory donor Frank Hester. The businessman has been embroiled in a race row after comments he made about Diane Abbott – in which he also said she should be shot.
‘NHS cover-up culture’
Away from politics, many of the front pages also feature domestic stories.
The Guardian reports NHS Ombudsman Rob Behrens has told them that hospitals are burying evidence about poor care in a “cover-up culture” that leads to avoidable deaths and families being denied the truth about their loved ones.
The Daily Mirror reports there will be a protest at Parliament today about the crisis in the dentistry sector which it says has left patients removing their teeth. The paper says more than 200,000 people have signed a petition for better dental care.
The front page of the i newspaper reveals that Fujitsu – the IT company at the centre of the Post Office Horizon scandal – is still managing a “highly classified” British military computer system despite having lost the contract to do so in 2022. The paper says it is because of delays in vetting replacement contractors.
The Sun newspaper reports the Princess of Wales was spotted at a farm shop in Windsor over the weekend as speculation over her health continues on social media.
