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Newspaper headlines: Tom Watson’s ‘shock’ resignation
Tom Watson’s resignation as Labour deputy leader and MP – announced on Wednesday evening – features on several front pages. The Guardian says it raises “new questions” about the direction of the party. He is one of the party’s “best-known MPs”, the paper says, but also a “hate figure” among some on the left for clashing with leader Jeremy Corbyn. It recalls this year’s Labour conference when party members unsuccessfully tried to abolish Mr Watson’s post.
The Daily Telegraph says Mr Watson’s departure from Parliament is unexpected and calls him the “most high-profile casualty” of Labour’s “civil war over Brexit and anti-Semitism”. The paper says there were reports on Wednesday night that more resignations of moderate Labour MPs could follow. And it quotes a friend of Mr Watson as saying he had become increasingly disillusioned with Mr Corbyn’s refusal to officially back Remain.
For the Times, Mr Watson has been “increasingly isolated” since the 2017 election which “tightened” Mr Corbyn’s influence on Labour. It says some anti-Corbyn Labour MPs who had trusted Mr Watson to “wrench the party back from left-wing control” will be frustrated and angry by the news.
The i – which turns its front page largely red to cover the Labour news – looks at what Mr Watson’s shock announcement might mean for the party, saying it “reignites” the battle for its soul. Sources tell the paper that centrist Labour MPs have been left “stunned and furious in equal measure”. The paper adds that it will also be “hugely welcome news” for Boris Johnson, whose “own election campaign has got off to a difficult start”.
The Daily Mail says Mr Watson quitting marks an “embarrassing” start for the Labour campaign. Mr Watson, who will stay on as the party’s second-in-command until the election, insisted his decision was “personal, not political”, the paper says. It quotes sources close to Mr Watson as saying he had “simply had enough”.
The “shock” of Mr Watson quitting is also on the Daily Mirror’s front page, but its top story is on those still in the party – specifically John McDonnell. The shadow chancellor will give a speech today promising £150bn for schools, hospitals, social care and council houses. The North will be one of the regions to benefit, the paper says, as the party targets areas “left on their knees by nine years of Tory cuts”.
The Metro is one of several papers comparing Mr Johnson to Winston Churchill after the PM was photographed making the V-sign with his fingers. Wartime prime minister Mr Churchill used the hand gesture to signal “victory” as part of the Allied campaign in World War Two. Mr Johnson launched the Conservative election campaign on Wednesday after what the Metro calls a “tricky 24 hours” for the party.
The Daily Express also leads with Mr Johnson’s election campaign launch alongside a picture of Mr Johnson’s “Churchillian” hand gesture. The paper focuses on Mr Johnson’s claim that a Labour government would be a “horror show”. He called on the public to “come with us and get Brexit done,” the paper adds.
The Sun has CCTV footage of Arsenal footballer Sead Kolasinac chasing off two masked moped attackers on 25 July. The footage was released by police after a second man pleaded guilty to trying to rob Bosnian defender Kolasinac and teammate Mesut Özil in a moped ambush in Hampstead, north-west London. The paper describes Kolasinac as “fearless” and a “hero” and the headline on the story is a football-style scoreline – “Knifemen 0 Gunners 1”.
The Daily Star looks ahead to this year’s battle for the Christmas number one, reporting that football pundit Chris Kamara is releasing a debut single. It will go up against the late George Michael’s new release. “Unbelievable Jeff” is the paper’s headline, in a reference to Kamara’s Soccer Saturday catchphrase on Sky.
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