After limping along in the wake of the Partygate investigation, multiple sex scandals and successive policy failures, Boris Johnson is approaching the endgame of his time in Downing Street, according to the papers.
“On the brink”, “hanging by a thread” and “Last chance saloon” are just some of the metaphors employed by the headline writers to describe the prime minister’s predicament on Wednesday morning after he was deserted by two of his most senior cabinet ministers.
“Finally” says the banner headline in the Mirror, adding that “after years of backing toxic PM, Sunak & Javid wield knife”.
Tomorrow’s front page: Finally #TomorrowsPapersToday https://t.co/afY51cJcey pic.twitter.com/pmUQIX2Jj3
— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) July 5, 2022
The Sun has the headline “Last chance saloon” and also paints a bloody, Shakespearean scene by adding that “Boris knifed in day from hell”.
On tomorrow's front page: Boris clings to power as Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid resign and lay into the leadership https://t.co/PQ33wBpNVf pic.twitter.com/shK7D5q9Lp
— The Sun (@TheSun) July 5, 2022
“Can even Boris the Greased Piglet wriggle out of this?”, asks the Mail, adding that their “excoriating” resignation letters damn the prime minister’s lack of “integrity” and “grip”.
Wednesday’s @DailyMailUK #MailFrontPages pic.twitter.com/a54tzlezB2
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) July 5, 2022
The Telegraph clears its front page to cover the crisis in one huge story. Its headline is: “Johnson hanging by a thread as Sunak and Javid walk out” and publishes prominently scathing quotes from their resignation letters. It describes the PM as “scrambling” to shore up his cabinet.
The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph:
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) July 5, 2022
'Johnson hanging by a thread as Sunak and Javid walk out'#TomorrowsPapersToday
Sign up for the Front Page newsletterhttps://t.co/x8AV4O6L2Y pic.twitter.com/hKGoAM0q4c
The Times says “Johnson on the brink’” and highlights Rishi Sunak’s words in his resignation letter saying “I’ve been loyal… but we cannot continue like this”.
The Times: Johnson on the brink. #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/iHyRhfsI86
— George Mann 🫧⚒️🫧 (@sgfmann) July 5, 2022
The Guardian front page says “PM on the brink as Javid and Sunak quit” on what it calls a day of “dramatic walkouts”.
Guardian front page, Wednesday 6 July 2022: PM on the brink after Javid and Sunak quit pic.twitter.com/7xeQbmDkHv
— The Guardian (@guardian) July 5, 2022
The Financial Times goes with a similar line and what, for the pink ‘un, is the unusual treatment of spreading the story right across the front of the paper. “Johnson on brink as ministers quit”, it says.
Just published: front page of the Financial Times UK edition Wednesday July 6 https://t.co/wX5ccd2JcR pic.twitter.com/Akz1PReAVq
— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) July 5, 2022
“Going! Going! Gone?” says the Metro, and it has the clever line that the prime minister has been caught in a “Pincher movement”.
Tomorrow's paper today 📰
— Metro (@MetroUK) July 5, 2022
GOING! GOING! GONE?
🔴 Ministers in a pincher movement - PM is still clinging on to power#tomorrowpaperstoday pic.twitter.com/M0UTHaEhwm
“The whole rotten lot need to go” says the Record, while the Herald has “Johnson on the brink”.
Here's your first look at Wednesday's Daily Record front page, which leads on Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid's resignations leaving Boris Johnson clinging onto power #ScotPapers #TomorrowsPapersToday @hendopolis pic.twitter.com/kFNT97EStY
— The Daily Record (@Daily_Record) July 5, 2022
It’s left to the ever-loyal Express to put a positive spin on the crisis, which it tries to paint as an opportunity for a “liberated” Johnson to lay out his “true blue Tory agenda”, perhaps hinting at past tensions with the former chancellor Sunak. It claims a coup has already failed. The headline: “Boris fights on! Declaring … I’m now free to cut taxes”.
Tomorrow's front page - Boris fights on! Declaring ... I'm now free to cut taxes#tomorrowspaperstodayhttps://t.co/pvX7ZREaWV pic.twitter.com/ccN4FyJPY4
— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) July 5, 2022
