Newspaper headlines: 'Boris and Rishi at war' and 'Partygate report due'

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By BBC News
Staff
Getty Images

The Times leads on what it says are the findings of the MPs who investigated Boris Johnson and Downing Street parties, reporting that they conclude he deliberately misled parliament.

It says the Privileges Committee report is expected to be published on Wednesday and that Mr Johnson was not told by officials that social distancing guidelines had been followed at all times, as he repeatedly claimed. According to the paper the then prime minister was warned by one senior official that making such a claim was "unrealistic". The Times adds that the report would have sanctioned Mr Johnson with a suspension of more than 10 days if he hadn't resigned as an MP last Friday.

The row between Rishi Sunak and Mr Johnson over his honours list prompts Metro to declare it's "all out war" between the two politicians. It describes them as trading "vicious blows". The Daily Mirror accuses the PM and ex-PM of bickering "like toddlers", and on the day that public hearings at the Covid Inquiry get under way, it calls their behaviour a "new insult" to victims of the pandemic.

The Guardian reports that Mr Sunak will block any attempts by the former prime minister to return to the Commons before the next election after their public clashes. It says the "bitter and long-running dispute" between the senior politicians has been brought into the open and caused a wider rift within the Conservative party. One unnamed senior Tory is quoted as saying it is "obvious" that Mr Sunak would not allow his former boss onto a candidate list, adding "the party needs to move on from this clown show". That's not the view of the Daily Express, which says a "defiant" Boris Johnson has made a pledge to its readers that he will return to front line politics.

The row is much more low key in the Daily Telegraph, which leads on a promise by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to put the UK on a path to lower taxes. He's launched a review into how to make the public sector more productive so it can drive growth and increase living standards. The paper adds that three forthcoming by-elections will increase the pressure on the PM to set out firm plans to cut taxes.

The i reports that a Russian agent is living freely in London and his family were able to join him in the UK through the "homes for Ukraine" refugee scheme. The paper says the "revelation" has reignited security fears about the programme. The i says it has seen documents indicating that the FBI suspects the Ukrainian businessman is a foreign asset of Vladimir Putin, and that Western intelligence officials have expressed their anger at the situation.

And most of the papers have pictures of Manchester City players celebrating on a rain-hit parade after a season which saw them win three trophies including the Champions League. Jack Grealish makes the front page of the Sun, apparently being held up by team-mate Kyle Walker. He's "Jack the Lad" according to the Telegraph, describing the open-top bus going through Manchester. The Daily Star's caption is "I guess this is what you call a 'treble decker'".

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