Newspaper headlines: 'Johnson quits over Partygate'

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By BBC News
Staff
Getty Images

Former US President Donald Trump has been charged over his handling of classified documents after he left the White House.

"The party's over now", declares the Times in its coverage of Boris Johnson's resignation as an MP.

The Sun calls the announcement a "resignation bombshell", with the former prime minister said to be "raging" having learnt the findings of a Parliamentary inquiry into whether he knowingly misled the House of Commons about lockdown parties. The paper says the affair risks "reopening years of bitter Tory civil war", with Priti Patel among a group of Johnson supporters threatening to resign.

The Daily Express says "in what appears a co-ordinated move" Mr Johnson's resignation as an MP came just hours after a similar announcement from the former culture secretary, Nadine Dorries. The Tories now face the prospect of two by-elections. Labour sources quoted in the Daily Mail are predicting the party will "win big" in Mr Johnson's old seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip where he won in 2019 by just over 7,000 votes. In Ms Dorries' constituency of Mid Bedfordshire, the Daily Telegraph reports that the Liberal Democrats will deliver their first campaign leaflets today and have "dozens" of activists out over the weekend.

Much of the focus is on what the resignation means for the prime minister. "Boris Johnson declares war on Sunak as he quits Parliament" is i Weekend's main headline. The Daily Mirror calls the announcement a "fresh bombshell" for Rishi Sunak while the Daily Mail reports that the prime minister was "stunned" at what happened. The paper adds "there was dismay in Number Ten at a fresh round of Tory bloodletting".

The Sun says Mr Johnson's departure is a "sad loss to Parliament" and the paper's columnist, Trevor Kavanagh, predicts "he won't disappear". The Times reports he has been spotted in his former constituency of Henley in Oxfordshire, where the long-standing MP is standing down. But the Daily Telegraph says while the former premier had "long been rumoured" to be switching constituencies, a general election is due before the end of next year "leaving little time for an about turn".

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"Could he go to jail", is the question posed by the Guardian about Donald Trump, after he was charged over mishandling classified documents. Writing in the Daily Mail, the author, David Cay Johnston, says if found guilty, the former president could receive a 100-year sentence. He adds that while such a term is "improbable" the clear strength of the case against him deals a blow to his "crumbling reputation" and chances of regaining the White House.

"Obsession" is the Sun's take while the Times opts for "missing piece of the jigsaw" as the sports sections preview Manchester City's attempt to win a first Champions League title on Saturday night. "City fans hoping for Turkish delight on final night", is the Daily Express headline, because victory against Inter in Istanbul would complete a treble. The feat was last achieved by Manchester United in 1999. The Daily Mirror has a "good luck" message for City in its editorial and the paper's advice for United fans: at least there is a weekend of glorious sunshine ahead.