by A blood-curdling oath to fight to the death, despair among Tory greats at the impending loss of their champion, and disbelief that Boris Johnson is still hanging on: it’s all part of the mix as UK newspapers celebrate another blockbuster day. . theater in Westminster.
In what he calls an “exclusive” on Defiant Boris’s “message to the Conservative rebels,” the Sun splashes with the headline “You’ll have to wet your hands in blood to get rid of me.” A “key ally” of the prime minister repeats news line number 10 that the rebels will have to override the “will of the people” if they want to topple Johnson.
Johnson’s alleged comeback is also the subject of the daily mail cover, with the headline “Boris stares at riot” and a sneak peek of his inside coverage on “poison” and “conspiracies”.
Its columnist, Stephen Glover, laments the inevitable downfall of the onetime hero of the Tory party.
“The truth is that it’s all over,” he writes. “Boris Johnson must go now, for his own good, for the good of his party and for the good of the country. This may be a cruel way to treat a man who has done some good things, but who said politics was fair?
Joining the post at the Downing Street bunker is the Expresswhose front-page headline reads: “PM’s Latest Stand: Support Me or Face Political Oblivion.”
However, it is a colder world outside the bunker, with the Telegraph sounding resigned to the fact that Johnson will have to go. “Morally Wounded Prime Minister Defies Cabinet Demands That He Resign,” reads his headline.
Also on its cover, Camilla Tominey laments Johnson’s betrayal of her party’s values and her failure to follow Thatcher’s polestar.
“Much of the criticism leveled at Mr. Johnson in recent months has been as much for his lack of commitment as for his lack of judgment. It is not just his character and his competence that has been called into question, but his conservatism.”
“Johnson fights for his life” says the front of the Timeswith the same image as the Telegraph showing the Prime Minister gritting his teeth and clenching his fists in the House of Commons.
Inside, Max Hastings welcomes the prospect of a more “serious” resident at number 10.
“For three years we have allowed ourselves to be governed by people overwhelmingly self-interested, devoid of a credible prospect for our society. Now we need a prime minister who will restore dignity and self-respect to the country and its government.”
“Desperate and hopeful PM clings to power,” says the of the guardian splash. He reports that while Johnson remains in office, much of the party has already begun to consider who should replace him, with Sajid Javid the favorite.
the financial times it’s suitably understated with its welcome headline of “Johnson rocked by cabinet revolt.”
the Meter uses one of Johnson’s favorite lines against him in the front-page headline: “Make the exit, Boris.”
“Cabinet coup” says the Yowhich lines a rogue’s gallery of cabinet ministers who, in echoes of the fall of Margaret Thatcher, came to see Johnson on Wednesday to tell him it was time to go.
the Daily log however, he provides a tidy summary, with the title “Endless Tory”.
