What the papers say

'Meltdown in Downing Street': How the UK papers covered the resignation of Johnson's top aides

The resignation of Paul Givan as First Minister of Northern Ireland did not feature on the front of any of the UK’s major papers.
7.19am, 4 Feb 2022
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THE FRONT PAGES of the UK’s leading newspapers focus on the resignation of the Prime Minister’s top aides, as well as the energy rebate announced by the Chancellor to cushion the blow of the cost-of-living crisis in the months ahead.

The Guardian reports four of Boris Johnson’s key aides have quit as the fallout continues from the partygate scandal.

The Independent also covers the “clearout at No 10”, with the paper reporting one of the aides quit over a smear Johnson made which linked Keir Starmer with the paedophile Jimmy Savile.

Downing Street is in “meltdown”, the Daily Mail declares in its splash, with the paper claiming Johnson ordered the “brutal clearout” himself in a “bid to shore up his troubled leadership”.

Johnson’s “top team” walked out “en masse”, i reports.

Elsewhere, the Daily Express covers the impending cost-of-living crisis, carrying Rishi Sunak’s announcement of a £350 per-household energy rebate aimed at easing the “grim reality of the biggest fall in living standards for 30 years”.

Sunak’s rescue plan is also splashed across Metro, along with the “perfect storm” Britons face in the months ahead.

The Daily Telegraph calls the looming crisis “the big squeeze”, reporting senior Cabinet ministers have urged the PM to rethink the Government’s net zero plans as the pace of the planned switch to renewable energy is too fast and will increase costs for struggling consumers.

“They’re all laughing” declares the Daily Mirror’s front page in reference to the Britain’s “worst financial squeeze in 30 years” and the Tories plan to stick with the National Insurance hike.

The Times adds that Britons are “facing the biggest drop in living standards” since records began.

The Sun similarly carries the crisis: “Families will be an average of £2,417 worse off this year despite a £9 billion bailout announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak.”

The Financial Times says household budgets will suffer the biggest blow in three decades with energy prices heightening “inflation pain”.

And the Daily Star writes Britain is “facing a snacks crisis” after hackers targeted chip and nut companies.

The resignation of Paul Givan as First Minister of Northern Ireland did not feature on the front of any of the UK’s major papers.

However, yesterday’s Stormont developments was the focus of front pages across Ireland’s newspapers. The Belfast Telegraph notes that the DUP’s move has been branded a “selfish stunt” by opposition parties.

It adds that the Traditional Unionist Voice and the Orange Order support Givan’s resignation.

Additional reporting from Céimin Burke

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