BBC News

Newspaper headlines: 'Trump must go' and 'Boris battle plan for jabs'

By BBC News
Staff

Published
image captionMany of Friday's papers lead with calls to remove US President Donald Trump from office before the end of his term, after the violent invasion of the Capitol building in Washington DC by a mob of his supporters. The Daily Telegraph describes the riot, in which four people died, as "America's day of shame", and reports that Democratic leaders have threatened impeachment unless the cabinet forces the president's exit. Removal would need Republican support and only a few have so far backed it.
image captionThe Guardian reports that an inquiry has been launched into why the Capitol was so poorly defended against what it calls a "predictable assault". A 2 metre fence has now been erected around the building, it adds. US president-elect Joe Biden described the riot as "one of the darkest days" in the country's history, the paper says. And he accused his predecessor of unleashing an "all-out attack" by "domestic terrorists" on US democratic institutions. The paper also carries claims that serious flaws have been discovered in care home Covid safety.
image caption"Trump faces the wrath of America", the i newspaper states. White House aides have quit in the wake of the events, it says, and Mr Trump's cabinet has been urged to remove him from office using the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution, which allows the vice-president to step up if the president is unable to perform his duties owing to a mental or physical illness.
image captionThe Financial Times says Mr Trump is facing increasing isolation over the mob attack, as several members of his administration quit in protest, and Facebook closed his account indefinitely - alongside the calls for his removal from office. US Transport Secretary Elaine Chao was the first cabinet-level official to depart, it notes. On Thursday, Mr Trump finally pledged to an "orderly transition" - but repeated once again his unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud.
image captionThe Metro splashes with a demand to "lock him up", alongside a picture of the outgoing US president. It says Mr Trump is accused of a "coup bid".
image captionThe Times splashes with a striking image of staff in Washington raising their hands as armed police secured the Capitol during Wednesday's chaos. It also declares "new hope for Covid patients" after two arthritis drugs - tocilizumab and sarilumab - have been found to cut deaths by a quarter in patients who are sickest with Covid. The Times focuses on tocilizumab, which it says NHS hospitals will be encouraged to use in the treatment of some patients from Friday.
image captionThe Daily Mail leads with the PM's "battle plan for jabs". At a news conference on Thursday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged that hundreds of thousands of coronavirus vaccines would be administered per day by 15 January, the paper says. He also vowed that everyone would have a vaccination centre within 10 miles of their home, and that there would be a national booking system for jabs.
image captionThe Army has been called in to help achieve the daily vaccine target, the Daily Mirror reports. Hundreds of vaccination centres will open this week, it adds.
image captionThe Daily Express says the war on Covid has been given a "double shot in the arm" with the news that arthritis drugs can cut the risk of dying by a quarter, and the recruitment of the Army to help with vaccinations.
image captionFinally, the Sun's front page bears a "call to arms". Britain's biggest firms and more than 500,000 staff will help with the vaccine rollout after the paper called for volunteers to join the programme, it claims.

The aftermath of Wednesday's riot at the Capitol building in Washington DC leads many of the front pages.

"Trump faces the the wrath of America", declares the i on its front page.

"Lock him up!" Metro suggests, saying the US president could be prosecuted for inciting rioting.

With an allusion in its headline to his former TV show, the Daily Mail suggests Washington is plotting to tell Donald Trump: "You're Fired!"

Both the Daily Telegraph and Times report that the "threat of impeachment" is more likely.

The Daily Star mocks Mr Trump by offering help in the form of an eight-page cartoon pullout from its agony aunt, suggesting he is clearly out of his mind.

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The storming of Capitol Hill, the Financial Times reasons, was "shocking and entirely predictable all at once". The Times says the "seeds... had been sown long before".

The Guardian asks simply "What took so long?" and dismisses the Republican condemnation of his actions now - likening it to inviting in an arsonist, supplying him with accelerant and then offering a "cup of water to douse the inferno".

Several papers contrast how critical British politicians are of Mr Trump now with how they once accepted him.

The Guardian accuses Michael Gove of having fawned over him four years ago and quotes Boris Johnson when he spoke in 2018 of his increasing admiration for the man.

The Daily Mirror lists seven Tories who it claims "sucked up to him". But the i suggests Theresa May handled her relations with him with dignity, and praises Sadiq Khan and John Bercow for keeping their distance.

'Shot in the Army'

The Mirror calls the use of the military to help with vaccinations "a shot in the Army"; the Mail, the "Boris battle plan for jabs". Its Pugh cartoon shows an alarmed pensioner getting her shot from a syringe, attached in lieu of a bayonet to the end of a soldier's rifle.

The Telegraph says the increase in sites will mean nobody is more than 10 miles from a vaccination centre.

The Daily Express celebrates the new coronavirus treatments that can cut the risk of dying by a quarter as "lifesaver arthritis drugs". The Times calls them a "new hope for Covid patients", saying hospitals already have supplies of the medicines.

There is a warning in the Guardian about what it calls "serious flaws" in the Covid safety of care homes. Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission have found employees, who have tested positive, working because of staff shortages.

The regulator also discovered some residents not being isolated after returning from hospital and the poor use of PPE.

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The Financial Times raises fears there could be border disruption next week, saying hauliers have been warned to expect tougher French customs controls from Monday.

UK trade groups and Whitehall officials have been told checks this week showed nearly all lorries arriving from the UK were not meeting post-Brexit rules. But the French insist there are no plans to step up controls.

The Telegraph suggests the post-Brexit red tape is causing Cornish fishermen to leave their catches to rot. Their goods need to be inspected by an approved vet of which there are not enough. One vet tells the paper that "it's been absolutely ridiculous."

And as millions of people work from home it is probably of little surprise that slippers have gained popularity. According to the i there has been a 60% rise in sales of sheepskin slippers.

The Telegraph says John Lewis sold out of its own slip-on version. While the online retailer, Sheepland, says demand is up three-fold - it believes because "people want toasty toes."