The front pages of top British publications are exceptionally personal today, as they focus not on general dramatic scenes now unfolding in Westminster, but largely on the person at the centre of the Brexit skirmish – Boris Johnson, and his purported defiance of the Supreme Court’s ruling over the illegality of the parliament’s suspension.
The Mirror, in its characteristic tabloid manner, opted for a straight-forward front cover headline reading “Man with no Shame”, claiming the sitting PM felt “no remorse” before proceeding to blast Johnson for his hitting “a new low” after he brought up murdered MP Jo Cox as an argument for the urgent delivery of his Brexit pledges.
Tomorrow's front page: Man with no shame #TomorrowsPapersToday https://t.co/ykW5qPZ3yl pic.twitter.com/j3IALb15tx
— Daily Mirror (@DailyMirror) September 25, 2019
The paper added that the “vile jibe leaves MPs in tears”, with many more outlets echoing the rhetoric, despite using more reserved words: for instance, the Guardian dwelled on the response to Johnson’s comments, noting there were “gasps as PM uses memory of Jo Cox to bolster Brexit case”.
The Times, meanwhile, chose to report the prime minister’s exact words for a more balanced approach on the matter, citing him as saying that the “best way to” pay tribute to Jo Cox, who was murdered during the 2016 referendum, was to “get Brexit done”.
Thursday’s TIMES: Commons hits boiling point #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/jYRzTM0HR3
— Helen Miller (@MsHelicat) September 25, 2019
The Telegraph appears to be showcasing consecutive reporting, with its Thursday’s front cover headline, a direct quote from the prime minister’s fiery speech, closely following and elaborating on the previous one:
“Parliament must stand aside or face its days of reckoning,” the newspaper cover says a day after Wednesday’s ‘Let’s be in doubt, there are a lot of people who want to frustrate Brexit.”
Thursday’s TELEGRAPH; ‘Parliament must stand aside or face its day of reckoning’ #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/w0XORNkaKm
— Helen Miller (@MsHelicat) September 25, 2019
The morning article details the way Johnson accused his political rivals, including Jeremy Corbyn, of “running scared” of a snap vote after the latter turned down the chance “to topple the prime Minister with a confidence vote” on Thursday.
Many media outlets picked a metaphoric way of introducing the top issue affecting the UK’s domestic politics: for instance, the Times went for the same wording as the i:
“Commons hits boiling point,” the news outlet i said, using flowery language to depict how “tempers inflamed after the Attorney General had dismissed Parliament as ‘dead’ and the PM being accused of using "dangerous" language.
The Times, meanwhile, while describing the scenes at Westminster as “bitter” and “vitriolic”, rushed to cite the prime minister hitting back at accusations of using foul words and referring to them as “humbug” claims.
“The day of reckoning” comment was naturally recurrent throughout the mass media articles, with the Express, for instance, differed from the broadsheets by using opinionated phrases to describe Boris Johnson challenging his opponents with a snap election option:
“Furious Boris: Brexit rebels face ‘day of reckoning'," the publication posted, alongside a picture of a raving and storming Johnson “daring remainer MPs to topple him in a tempestuous day at Westminster”.
Thursday’s EXPRESS: Furious Boris: Brexit rebels face ‘day of reckoning’ #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/JNjQTwAaki
— Helen Miller (@MsHelicat) September 25, 2019
The Daily Mail went still further, citing a survey it had conducted earlier that found 64% of people who voted for Labour during the last election wanted an early vote and that the majority think “the Establishment is determined to stop Brexit”. “Poll: give us election now”, the splash headline reads.
Thursday's @DailyMailUK #MailFrontPages pic.twitter.com/L3NlNUJI9M
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) September 25, 2019
Meanwhile, there are publications that decided to add some creativity to the prime minister's "defiant" image, as the Financial Times' headline puts it. For instance, a cartoon image of the prime minister shows his wooden Pinocchio nose break in two pieces:
This week's New Statesman cover: A special issue on our political and constitutional crisis, with pieces from @stephenkb and @steverichards14. Plus, @harrytlambert profiles Dominic Cummings and @ameliargh on why we should say "I don't know" more often. pic.twitter.com/9zQHK1KjT3
— New Statesman (@NewStatesman) September 25, 2019
Amid a fierce Brexit deal debate and ongoing negotiations both at home and in the EU, the UK’s Supreme Court ruled that the prime minister’s decision to prorogue parliament was unlawful, despite Johnson’s argument that the five-week suspension was tied to the Queen’s upcoming speech.
However, opponents regarded Johnson’s move as undemocratic and designed to silence those who opposed a no-deal Brexit; he had famously pledged to leave the EU “with or without a deal” by the Halloween deadline of 31 October, arguing in his signature strong-worded manner that he would prefer to “be dead in a ditch” rather than agree to a Brexit prolongation.
