Newspaper headlines: 'Boris v Rishi' amid 'bitter end' for Liz Truss

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By BBC News
Staff
PA Media

The Guardian and the i both show close-ups of Liz Truss as she made her announcement in Downing Street.

The Guardian calls it "The bitter end", saying she presided over "one of the most politically turbulent and economically damaging periods in modern history".

The i headline says simply "Gone in 44 days" - adding that Britain will have a new prime minister by next Friday - the third in seven weeks.

The Metro headline calls Ms Truss "the worst PM we've ever had" - describing her time in office as "the shortest and most chaotic premiership in British history".

There's much discussion about her likely replacement.

The Daily Express asks: "He couldn't, could he... will Boris bounce back to Number Ten?"

The paper says Mr Johnson remains the favourite among grassroots Conservatives.

The Sun describes Boris Johnson as "eyeing the mother of all comebacks" if he can get the 100 MPs he needs to back him as a leadership candidate.

But it goes on to say his backers fear a "stop BoJo stitch-up" to prevent his return to power.

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According to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Johnson has told his party that only he can save them from "election wipe-out".

The paper also says he has asked his rival Rishi Sunak to reach out and "get back together" - a move it describes as "a remarkable olive branch after their public falling out at the top of government".

The Daily Mail doesn't see the pair working together.

It sets out the succession race as "Boris v Rishi" - calling it a "fight for the soul of the Tories".

The Mail says both men are racing ahead in terms of nominations.

The Times predicts it will be a three-horse race - with Penny Mordaunt the other contender.

The Daily Mirror doesn't discuss the leadership candidates on its front page.

It's filled with the words "general election now" which it says is the demand of the British people.

Associate editor Kevin Maguire argues that "democracy isn't a game of pass the parcel played exclusively by the Conservative Party".

He says imposing a third prime minister in less than two months would be "Tory tinpot tyranny". He ends with a call for Britons to "take to the streets" if the Tories resist a general election.

The Financial Times' editorial also argues that the British people "deserve" a general election. It says Liz Truss's short premiership "trashed not only the UK's economic standing but also its reputation for political stability".

It describes the possible return of Boris Johnson as "farcical" and goes on to say: "The Tory party has shown itself inept, riven with factionalism, contemptuous of the rule of law and exhausted of credible economic ideas."

The Financial Times concludes that "the only thing that unites Conservative MPs is the fear of a general election".

And the Daily Star puts its now famous lettuce on the front page, and celebrates that it has outlasted "wilting" Liz Truss.

The paper claims the world has been watching whether its plucky "green hero" would last longer than her grip on power. Its headline is "Lettuce Rejoice".