The Conversation (0)
Becca Monaghan
Jul 06, 2022
Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid resign over Pincher scandal
Independent TV
The papers painted a grim picture for Boris Johnson after he was faced with a number of Cabinet and Government resignations.
The Guardian, The Times and The Sun reported that the prime minister is “on the brink” after Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid quit their respective roles as chancellor and health secretary on Tuesday. The story is also carried by the Financial Times.
Sunak said “the public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously”, adding “I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.”
In his letter, Javid said the British people “expect integrity from their government” but voters now believed Johnson’s administration was not “acting in the national interest”.
The former health secretary echoed Sunak in his resignation letter, saying the government was not "acting in the national interest".
Steve Barclay and Nadim Zahawi have since been appointed health secretary and chancellor respectively.
Here's how the national mastheads reacted to the mini-reshuffle:
The Guardian:
\u201cGuardian front page, Wednesday 6 July 2022: PM on the brink after Javid and Sunak quit\u201d— The Guardian (@The Guardian) 1657055017
The Times:
\u201cThe Times: Johnson on the brink. #TomorrowsPapersToday\u201d— George Mann \ud83e\udee7\u2692\ufe0f\ud83e\udee7 (@George Mann \ud83e\udee7\u2692\ufe0f\ud83e\udee7) 1657057217
The Sun:
\u201cOn tomorrow's front page: Boris clings to power as Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid resign and lay into the leadership https://t.co/PQ33wBpNVf\u201d— The Sun (@The Sun) 1657058638
Financial Times:
\u201cJust published: front page of the Financial Times UK edition Wednesday July 6 https://t.co/wX5ccd2JcR\u201d— Financial Times (@Financial Times) 1657053907
The Telegraph:
\u201cThe front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph:\n\n'Johnson hanging by a thread as Sunak and Javid walk out'\n\n#TomorrowsPapersToday\n\nSign up for the Front Page newsletter\nhttps://t.co/x8AV4O6L2Y\u201d— The Telegraph (@The Telegraph) 1657056742
Metro:
\u201cTomorrow's paper today \ud83d\udcf0\n\nGOING! GOING! GONE?\n\n\ud83d\udd34 Ministers in a pincher movement - PM is still clinging on to power\n\n#tomorrowpaperstoday\u201d— Metro (@Metro) 1657055343
The i:
\u201cWednesday's front page: End game - Boris Johnson on the brink\n#TomorrowsPapersToday \n\nLatest by @HugoGye @ChaplainChloe: https://t.co/kIpNyCx3r1\u201d— i newspaper (@i newspaper) 1657054964
The Mirror:
\u201cTomorrow\u2019s front page: Finally #TomorrowsPapersToday https://t.co/afY51cJcey\u201d— The Mirror (@The Mirror) 1657057900
Daily Express:
\u201cTomorrow's front page - Boris fights on! Declaring ... I'm now free to cut taxes\n#tomorrowspaperstoday\nhttps://t.co/pvX7ZREaWV\u201d— Daily Express (@Daily Express) 1657058722
Daily Mail:
\u201cMail: Can even Boris the Greased Piglet wriggle out of this? #TomorrowsPapersToday\u201d— George Mann \ud83e\udee7\u2692\ufe0f\ud83e\udee7 (@George Mann \ud83e\udee7\u2692\ufe0f\ud83e\udee7) 1657057832
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The prime minister's father Stanley Johnson was convinced his son would carry on as he accused others of "playing the man and not the ball".
The 81-year-old told the Mail: "I am 100 per cent behind him. One hundred per cent and I am absolutely convinced that he will carry on."
The older Johnson would not be drawn on his personal communication with his son in recent days.
"But believe me this is a man, who is a robust man and he will not fold up the flag and sneak away. He believes that is the right thing to do," he said.
"I hope Boris toughs it out. Lessons learned playing the Eton Wall Game should stand him in good stead. An eye for a tooth!"
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