Newspaper headlines: No 10 \'chaos\' as \'defiant\' PM defends Cummings

Newspaper headlines: No 10 'chaos' as 'defiant' PM defends Cummings

By BBC News Staff
The i front page 25 May
Image caption Monday's front pages are dominated by the growing pressure facing Boris Johnson to sack his senior adviser Dominic Cummings, who has been accused of breaking lockdown rules. The headline in the i is "Chaos in No 10 as Cummings clings on with PM's support". The paper describes the atmosphere in Downing Street as a "farce" following Mr Johnson's "extraordinary" television address to the nation on Sunday, where he insisted his senior adviser did not do anything wrong.
Daily Mail front page 25 May
Image caption "What planet are they on?" is the question leading the Daily Mail's front page on Monday. Angled on the backlash the PM has received - both from within the Conservative Party ranks and externally - the paper is critical of what it says is Boris Johnson's "extraordinary" defence of his senior adviser. The Mail's comment says Mr Cummings' actions have "given every selfish person a licence to play fast and loose with public health".
Daily Mirror front page 25 May
Image caption The Daily Mirror leads with the headline: "A cheat and a coward." The paper, which, with the Guardian, broke the original story of Mr Cummings travelling 260 miles to visit his parents' house in Durham while the country was in lockdown, calls the latest developments a "scandal". Photographs of Mr Cummings and Mr Johnson feature on the front page, with the senior aide described as a "law unto himself" and Mr Johnson accused of being "scared to act".
The Guardian front page 25 May
Image caption "No apology, no explanation: PM bets all on Cummings" is the headline on the Guardian's front page. The paper highlights the "fury" from Tory MPs and experts over the senior aide's actions, as well as Mr Johnson's defence at the daily Downing Street press briefing that Mr Cummings "followed the instincts of every father and parent". The paper also highlights its editorial suggesting there is a widening gap between the actions of those closest to the PM and the behaviour expected of the British public.
The Daily Express front page 25 May
Image caption The Daily Express describes Mr Johnson as "defiant" and quotes the PM saying his senior adviser acted "responsibly and legally". The paper reports Mr Johnson's comments that Mr Cummings had "no alternative" to staying away from his home in London because he was seeking childcare for his young son.
The Times front page 25 May
Image caption The Times also leads with Mr Johnson's staunch support of his top adviser in the face of a backlash from Cabinet and Conservative MPs. "Cummings acted like any father, insists PM," is its headline.
The Daily Telegraph front page 25 May
Image caption The Daily Telegraph headlines on the PM's quote: "He has acted responsibly, legally and with integrity." But the paper reports on concerns from ministers the developments risk "seriously undermining" the government's lockdown strategy. A comment piece also appears on the front page, describing the "inconvenient truth" that the PM needs an "enforcer".
The Sun front page 25 May
Image caption Combining the controversy engulfing No 10 with plans for schools to return next month, the Sun leads with "Backed to school" on its front page. The paper reports on the PM's defiance to keep his senior adviser, and says that primary children will return on 1 June.
The Financial Times front page 25 May
Image caption While the Dominic Cummings row features prominently on the Financial Times' front page, the paper's main story is centred on a Treasury "bailout plan" being drawn up to save "strategically important companies" affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The government would assist companies whose failure would "disproportionately harm the economy", the paper reports.
The Daily Star front page 25 May
Image caption The Daily Star is the only newspaper not to feature the main political dispute on its front page. Instead, the paper reports a demand from Conservative MP Damian Collins for presenter Jeremy Kyle to face a Commons committee probing the pressures faced by guests on TV. It follows the death of a man who had taken part in his ITV show.

Despite his attempts to draw a line under Dominic Cummings' lockdown travels, Boris Johnson will find little of comfort on Monday's front pages.

The Daily Mail is particularly wounding. Its main headline speaks of the prime minister "brazenly" backing the "svengali" who flouted his strict rules, and says the whole country is asking: "What Planet Are They On?"

In a front page editorial, the Mail says Mr Cummings has clearly "violated the spirit and letter of the lockdown" - and "given every selfish person a licence to play fast and loose with public health". The paper says Mr Cummings must now resign - or be sacked.

The Daily Telegraph headline carries Mr Johnson's verdict on his chief adviser at Downing Street briefing: "He has acted responsibly, legally and with integrity."

But the paper adds that members of the cabinet have said that the prime minister's full backing for Mr Cummings risks costing lives if the wider public use it as justification for ignoring social distancing.

Image copyright AFP
Image caption Coverage of Dominic Cummings' alleged lockdown breach continues in Monday's papers

Both the Telegraph and the New Statesman report Mr Cummings' mother revealing that his uncle died on the day the adviser was seen in his parents' garden.

She is said to have refused to say whether this influenced his decision to drive to County Durham.

Both the Sun and the Daily Express characterise Mr Johnson as defiant and "standing firm".

But the Sun adds that he is facing what it calls a "full-blown cabinet revolt" over his decision to stick by his aide. One unnamed minister is quoted as saying: "Cummings is going to burn us all."

Distinctly unsympathetic to the prime minister are the Guardian and the Daily Mirror, which together broke the story on Friday night.

"No apology, no explanation" is the Guardian's verdict. It says Mr Johnson is staking his political reputation on saving Mr Cummings' career.

Both papers report that the adviser is now facing a possible police investigation into allegations that he broke self-isolation rules by travelling a further 30 miles to Barnard Castle.

The Mirror's front page pictures Mr Cummings and Mr Johnson with the headline: "A Cheat And A Coward."

Image copyright PA Media

Away from the row over Mr Cummings, the Financial Times reports that the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has authorised a plan to save strategically important companies from drowning in debt because of the pandemic.

According to the FT, the Treasury is ready - as a last resort - to take a stake in viable firms whose failure would "disproportionately harm the economy".

The paper lists aviation, aerospace and steelmakers as among the sectors facing acute problems, and it also says the car maker, Jaguar Land Rover, is talking to the government.

As preparations are stepped up for the resumption of professional sport in England, the i reports that staff at the firm which distributes the screening of all Premier League games overseas have voted overwhelmingly in favour of piping artificial crowd noise into matches played behind closed doors. However, the Premier League might not agree.

And the Daily Mirror reports that West Ham are consulting their fans about showing their faces on big screens instead. The paper notes that several clubs have rejected an alternative idea: constructing sets of cardboard cut-out supporters.

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