What the papers say – July 21
The front pages liken the contest between the final two Tory candidates as a ‘dog fight’.
The papers on Thursday revolve around the results from Tory MPs’ final round of voting which saw Penny Mordaunt eliminated and Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss finishing in the top two places.
“Blue on blue dogfight as Sunak and Truss face off”, The Guardian says as the contest heats up, with a Tory source reportedly telling the paper the battle is about to get even “dirtier”.
The i, Metro, The Daily Telegraph and the Financial Times all write that, according to bookmakers and opinion polls, Ms Truss is the favourite to defeat Mr Sunak, although the latter newspaper notes that the margin is slim.
“A fresh start for Britain?” questions The Independent in relation to the two contenders for PM.
The Times leads with the former chancellor going “on the offensive” and claiming that his rival will be unable to beat Sir Keir Starmer at the next election.
The Daily Mirror, meanwhile, summarises the end to Boris Johnson’s reign and the start to another as: “Out of the lying man & into the dire”.
The Daily Mail splash points to an op-ed by Ms Truss in which she again pledges immediate tax cuts.
The Daily Express bids farewell to Mr Johnson, adding that he delivered a “parting shot” to his former number two by hinting that he intends to make a comeback.
Elsewhere, The Sun‘s splash features the mourning family members of Dame Deborah James at her funeral yesterday.
And the Daily Star has the head of Netflix saying that TV “will be dead in 10 years”.
