The papers are dominated by Tuesday’s Supreme Court ruling, which is described as “historic” and “crushing”. …
Image caption Unsurprisingly, the Supreme Court ruling that Boris Johnson’s suspension of Parliament was unlawful dominates the front pages. “He misled the Queen, the people and Parliament,” reads the Guardian. The paper says Mr Johnson struck a “defiant” tone in response to the “crushing” judgement. Image caption “Get rid of me if you can,” is the headline on the front page of the Metro. The paper characterises yesterday’s drama as “The Hulk vs Spider Woman” in reference to Supreme Court president Lady Hale’s now iconic brooch and Mr Johnson’s earlier comparison of himself to the Incredible Hulk in his determination to leave the EU. Image caption The Financial Times describes the Supreme Court’s decision as a “damning indictment” of the prime minister and a “historic moment in the evolution of the UK constitution”. It reports that Tory MPs have privately called for the sacking of Mr Johnson’s chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, who “masterminded the abrasive” Brexit strategy. Image caption The i describes yesterday’s events as a “crushing blow” for the “humiliated” prime minister. Image caption Mr Johnson “declared war on the judiciary” following yesterday’s ruling, the Daily Mail says. It quotes one “ally” of the prime minister as saying: “The effect of this is to pose the question, who runs this country? Are the courts saying they want to run the country now?” Image caption The Daily Mirror riffs on a historical theme, with Mr Johnson pictured alongside some of the UK’s shortest-serving prime ministers, next to the headline: “There’s a special place in history waiting for you, prime minister.” The paper says after just 63 days in the job, he may soon join their ranks after a “shambolic and disastrous term”. Image caption The Sun leads on readers’ reactions to the ruling, saying the paper was “bombarded” with messages of support for the prime minister. People reacted with “fury”, it reports, quoting reader Dave Martin, of Sheffield, as saying: “The elite have shafted us again.” Image caption “PM flies back to chaos,” says the Times, as Mr Johnson prepares to head back to London from a United Nations summit in New York. The paper quotes an unnamed cabinet minister who claims the ruling will mean the prime minister will be able to position himself as an “insurgent”, representing the “will of the people” and taking on the establishment. Image caption The Daily Telegraph says the prime minister will try to force a general election this week following the judgement. Senior cabinet ministers have urged Mr Johnson to prorogue Parliament for a second time if he loses that vote, according to the paper. Image caption “Unlawful? What’s lawful about denying 17.4 million Brexit!” is the emphatic front page of the Daily Express. The paper reports that Mr Johnson vowed to press ahead with Brexit despite yesterday’s “shattering” ruling. The prime minister previously insisted it was “claptrap” that the suspension of Parliament meant MPs could not scrutinise Brexit policy. Image caption Departing from the rest of the front pages, the Daily Star reports that children have been banned from playing football on school fields after neighbours complained the referees’ whistles were too loud.
The Supreme Court ruling dominates the front pages.
“He misled the Queen, the people and parliament”, is the Guardian’s headline. It describes the judgement as a crushing unanimous verdict against the prime minister.
The Daily Telegraph says the justices chose the most extreme possible course of action.
For the Financial Times, the court has dealt a severe blow to Boris Johnson’s authority, and MPs are returning to Westminster seeking retribution.
The Mirror’s front page has pictures of Britain’s shortest serving prime ministers – and suggests that, after just 63 days in the job, Mr Johnson could break the record. “There’s a special place in history waiting for you, prime minister”, is the headline.
Image copyrightReutersImage caption Campaigner Gina Miller spoke outside the Supreme Court after its ruling
Other front pages draw attention to the battle for supremacy between the executive and the judiciary. The Daily Mail’s headline quotes what it calls a senior ally of the prime minister as asking: “Who runs Britain?”
The Daily Express headline also questions the court ruling: “Unlawful? What’s lawful about denying 17.4 million people Brexit?”
The Sun’s main story focuses on the reaction of its readers – saying they expressed fury, and bombarded the paper with messages of support for the prime minister.
The Financial Times, the Guardian and the Mirror all call on Mr Johnson to quit.
In the view of the FT, faced with such a damning judgement, any premier with a shred of respect for British democracy and the responsibilities of his office would resign.
Image copyrightEPAImage caption The prime minister was at a UN summit in New York when the ruling was announced
But the Guardian says he won’t go because he has no honour and no shame. The precedent such an act of defiance sets ought to be unthinkable, it adds.
Other leader writers turn their fire on MPs and judges.
The Sun accuses the Supreme Court of doing the bidding of Remainer MPs. In one act of constitutional vandalism, it says, 11 judges have become an unelected political entity, granting themselves immense power to overrule the government.
The Mail says the only way to resolve Brexit now is for the opposition parties to agree to a general election – but, it adds, they are terrified of the prime minister’s popularity with voters and his determination to leave the EU.
Image copyrightUK Supreme Court/Getty ImagesImage caption Lady Hale wore the spider brooch, left, when she delivered the court’s ruling
There’s plenty of interest in the president of the Supreme Court, Lady Hale, who delivered the judgement.
The i says many watching the televised hearing were captivated by her large spider brooch. For the Guardian, it had the optics that made it a story of its own.
By the end of the afternoon, the Times says, she had become an internet star. Inspired by the brooch, Macer Hall in the Express writes that she “ensnared” Boris Johnson in a tangled legal and political web.
The Mail’s Andrew Pierce says Lady Hale is famed on the court circuit for her oversized insect and animal brooches – including a frog and a butterfly.
