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Newspaper headlines: Labour in 'crisis' as Jeremy Corbyn suspended

By BBC News
Staff

Published
image captionMost of the front pages lead with the suspension of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn from the party over his reaction to a report on anti-Semitism. The i describes the report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission as "damning", finding that the party broke the law three times under his leadership. Mr Corbyn was suspended after he rejected some of its findings and claimed the issue was overstated for political reasons, the paper reports.
image caption"Corbinned" is the headline for the Metro, which quotes current Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer as calling it a "day of shame" for the party. The watchdog found that Labour had "harassed" and "discriminated" against Jews and interfered with the complaints process to protect senior party figures, including Mr Corbyn, the paper says.
image captionMr Corbyn's statement in response, where he described the issue of anti-Semitism within Labour as "dramatically overstated" by opponents for political reasons, prompted shock and dismay in the party's HQ, according to the Guardian. A senior Labour source told the paper the party's deputy leader Angela Rayner spoke to Mr Corbyn and urged him to apologise - but he did not - and his suspension was announced at 13:00 GMT, with the former leader finding out from a cameraman.
image captionSir Keir Starmer pledged a "zero-tolerance approach" to anti-Semitism after the suspension of Mr Corbyn, the Mirror reports. It describes the move as "swift and decisive".
image copyrightDaily Mail
image captionThe Daily Mail says Labour "exploded into open warfare" after what it describes as an "extraordinary day". Lord Mann, the UK's anti-Semitism tsar, who is a strong critic of Mr Corbyn and resigned as a Labour MP last year, said the report was "the moment of greatest shame in the history of the Labour Party", the paper says.
image captionThe "shaming" of Mr Corbyn has sparked a "Labour civil war" according to the Telegraph. MPs, unions and members loyal to the former party leader have demanded his reinstatement, with some union figures discussing the possibility of forming a breakaway party, the paper says.
image copyrightThe Times
image captionSir Keir now faces "a battle for the soul of the Labour Party" and a struggle to keep different factions together, according to the Times. Len McCluskey, a key ally of Mr Corbyn and general secretary of the Unite union, condemned the suspension as "an act of grave injustice" and warned it would "create chaos within the party", compromising its chances of a general election victory, the paper reports.
image captionIn other news, The Financial Times leads with a story about the US election, reporting that "record growth" for the country's economy has offered President Trump the opportunity to tout the recovery in a late pitch to voters ahead of Tuesday's poll. The paper says the US economy grew at its fastest post-war pace in the third quarter, bouncing back from coronavirus lockdowns.
image captionFinally the Daily Star front page carries what it describes as a "leadership bid" from children's TV character Basil Brush, who tells the paper he wants to see campaigning footballer Marcus Rashford as prime minister, with himself as deputy. "Put Mr Marcus and me in No 10 and Britain will boom! Boom!" he says, using his famous catchphrase.

"Corbinned," is the Metro's take on the decision by Labour to suspend the party's former leader, Jeremy Corbyn, following his reaction to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's anti-Semitism report.

The Guardian says Mr Corbyn had been reassured by his successor, Sir Keir Starmer, that he would face no action as a result of its findings, but the situation changed after he put out a statement saying anti-Semitism within Labour had been "dramatically overstated for political reasons".

Party sources have told the Guardian there was "shock, dismay and total disbelief" at Labour headquarters over Mr Corbyn's response.

The Times reports that Sir Keir now faces "a battle for the soul of the Labour Party" as he attempts to deal with the fallout over the decision to suspend Mr Corbyn.

Figures on the left believe the action has plunged the party into "a full-scale civil war". One is quoted as saying the issue will "consume" Sir Keir's premiership for the next four years and "tank his chances at the next general election".

The i says the division will "come to a head in the coming months" as supporters decide who sits on the left-controlled national executive.

image copyrightPA Media
image captionMany of the front pages focus on the fallout from Mr Corbyn's suspension

Away from Labour, the Daily Telegraph reports that the government is considering a new nationwide lockdown either side of the festive period amid concerns local interventions are not controlling the virus.

The paper says there would be a "Christmas window" in between to allow people to meet friends and family.

The Sun lays bare the division between ministers and medics. Despite the deputy chief medical officer, Jonathan van Tam, delivering an "extremely bleak" update on the pandemic, Home Secretary Priti Patel is quoted as saying the prime minister will "try everything" to avoid a national lockdown.

The Sun suggests the row may all "end in tiers".

A government aide has told the Financial Times the coming weeks will see more and more regions put into the highest tier of English coronavirus restrictions. They go on to say that "virtually everywhere" will be subjected to the most stringent measures by December.

The FT report also adds that Mr Johnson's ability to tighten restrictions is "limited" because of opposition within his own party to the tier system already in place.

image copyrightGetty Images
image captionThe Daily Telegraph suggests there could be a nationwide lockdown either side of Christmas

"Hospitals could run out of beds" by 17 December is the bleak warning in the Daily Mail. A "well-placed source" has told the paper that if no further action is taken hospitals in England would be forced to turn people away.

The paper says the forecast also includes capacity in the temporary Nightingale hospitals. A Downing Street source confirmed it had been advised beds could run out by Christmas but declined to give a precise date.

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And finally the Times reveals the launch of Amazon's new Swedish website has not gone as planned due to a series of cultural gaffes and mistranslations.

Customers saw frying pans listed as items for woman, a swastika-emblazoned shower curtain for sale and a silicone baking mould described as suitable for "faeces".

The errors are reportedly the result of a poorly designed computer programme unable to cope with multiple meanings of certain English words.

Amazon thanked people for pointing out the errors and said it was "always keen" to improve customers' experiences.