The Papers: \'Revenge is sweet\' in race for Number 10
Newspaper headlines: 'Revenge is sweet' in race for Number 10
By BBC NewsStaff
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The newspapers react to another day of ballots in the Conservative leadership race, when the four remaining candidates were whittled down to two - Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt. The i suggests frontrunner Mr Johnson feared being up against Michael Gove in the final two and so his campaign employed "dirty tricks" to increase Mr Hunt's votes instead.
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"Revenge is sweet" says the Daily Express, calling Mr Johnson "ruthless" for ending his "arch-rival" Mr Gove's hopes of becoming prime minister. It refers to what happened in the 2016 leadership contest - which Theresa May won - when Mr Gove had initially backed Mr Johnson before changing his mind and deciding to run himself.
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The Daily Telegraph also speaks of revenge and a "voting plot". It says Mr Gove's team grew suspicious when five MPs publicly promised to support Mr Johnson, but his vote share only increased by three votes. One supporter of Mr Johnson said Mr Gove "had it coming", the paper reports. Former Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson - who is running the whipping operation in Mr Johnson's campaign - has been accused of organising the tactical voting.
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The Guardian also reports on the same suspicions about the voting, saying Mr Johnson's team believed Mr Hunt - who voted Remain - would make a "less formidable adversary" than Brexiteer Mr Gove. But one member of the Johnson campaign denied it had deliberately helped Mr Hunt get into the final two. And Mr Gove's campaign manager, Mel Stride, also said "it would appear to me everybody has behaved pretty much as one would hope".
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The Times says supporters of Mr Johnson "boasted" that they had exacted revenge. One supporter tells the paper: "Gove stabbed us in the back - we've stabbed him in the front." The paper says MPs made "extraordinary allegations" about Mr Johnson's tactics, with one claiming a text was sent to a junior minister (who was backing another candidate) which read: "How are you enjoying your job? Do you want to carry on?" Mr Johnson's campaign said claims it had orchestrated Mr Hunt's success was "absolute nonsense".
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The Metro also reports on Mr Johnson's "revenge", and suggests his team "used dark arts" to see off his old rival. The final decision on who becomes prime minister out of the remaining two candidates now lies with Conservative Party members.
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The Daily Mail's headline takes the same view as others, focusing on Mr Johnson's "revenge". The paper calls Thursday a "dramatic conclusion" to the ballots by MPs in the leadership race. Mr Hunt has promised to give his adversary the "fight of his life", the paper adds.
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The Daily Mirror focuses on the option facing Tory members when they vote for their next leader next month. The Mirror makes claims about Mr Johnson and his past behaviour and Mr Hunt's time as health secretary.
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The Financial Times says Mr Johnson's team was relieved he will now face the "mild-mannered Mr Hunt" rather than the "spiky Mr Gove". The paper looks ahead to the four-week battle which comes next. "I'm the underdog, but in politics surprises happen," Mr Hunt said on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Bank of England intends to allow tech companies to bank digital currencies in its vaults.
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The Sun's main story is about the BBC, which it says is under fire over claims a Mastermind contestant won the quiz by giving a wrong answer. Judith Lewis, 59, appeared to say the mascot of the Army's Desert Rats was a gerbil - not a jerboa. A spokeswoman for BBC Studios said proper checks had taken place during the recording and her fellow contestants were satisfied with the answer.
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Friday's Daily Star reports on the comedian Jimmy Carr, who it says cracked a "sick joke about dwarfs".