The Papers: ‘Ferocious scenes as Commons hits boiling point’

i front page 26/09/19 — Image caption Thursday’s papers are dominated by yesterday’s debate in Parliament after it returned following the Supreme Court’s verdict that its suspension was unlawful. Many papers note the vitriolic tone in the House – “Commons hits boiling point” is the front page of the i.

Metro front page 26/09/19 — Image caption “Come and have a go then!” reads the Metro’s headline. It joins several other papers in featuring a photo of baby Archie with his mum Meghan, from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s tour of South Africa.

Daily Telegraph front page 26/09/19 — Image caption The Daily Telegraph leads on the prime minister’s offer of a vote of no confidence in his leadership to all opposition party leaders who “fancy a go” at getting rid of him. Downing Street says the opposition parties’ refusal to trigger an election would be taken as a sign that they had “confidence in the government”, according to the paper.

Daily Mirror front page 26/09/19 — Image caption “Man with no shame,” headlines the Daily Mirror, as it says the prime minister hits a “new low”. The paper says Mr Johnson “failed to show an ounce of remorse” following the Supreme Court “slapdown”. It also reports he angered MPs by saying the best way to honour murdered MP Jo Cox was to “get Brexit done”.

The Guardian front page 26/09/19 — Image caption The Guardian says Mr Johnson dismissed fears that his use of language such as “surrender” and “betrayal” was dangerous – to the “fury” of opposition MPs. It says he continued to use the “people versus parliament” rhetoric that has “become a signature of his premiership”.

Daily Express front page 26/09/19 — Image caption “Furious Boris: Brexit rebels face ‘day of reckoning’,” is the front page of the Daily Express. It describes Tuesday as “another tempestuous day at Westminster” as the prime minister launched a “furious attack” on the “paralysed Parliament”.

The Times front page 26/09/19 — Image caption The Times describes “extraordinary” and “bitter” scenes in the Commons. It quotes Labour MP for Hove Peter Kyle saying the prime minister had proved that “when you live behind a wall of armed police officers you can be as irresponsible as you like with your language because you will never have to live with the consequences”.

The Daily Mail front page 26/09/19 — Image caption The Daily Mail leads on a Survation survey for the paper which found that 64% of those who voted Labour in 2017 want an early election. It says leader Jeremy Corbyn “faces a mass revolt by millions of Labour supporters” over his refusal to agree to a snap general election before no-deal has been ruled out.

Financial Times front page 26/09/19 — Image caption The Financial Times says the prime minister has “paved the way for an acrimonious ‘people versus Parliament’ general election with a defiant defence of his Brexit strategy”. Describing yesterday’s debate as “ferocious”, it quotes senior Tories as saying Mr Johnson has no escape other than negotiating a new Brexit deal in Brussels – and that EU leaders can sense his weakness.

The Sun front page 26/09/19 — Image caption The Sun diverges from the rest of the front pages, splashing instead on Royal baby Archie’s meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa. “Adorable,” the papers says, next to a picture of the Duchess of Sussex holding her smiling son.

The Daily Star front page 26/09/19 — Image caption “Drought of order,” is the headline on the front of the Daily Star, as it reports that millions of “baffled Brits soaked through by torrential downpours were warned to prepare for a hosepipe ban”.

“Commons hits boiling point” is the headline in both the Times and the i.

The Times describes what it calls “extraordinary” and “vitriolic scenes” as MPs accused Boris Johnson of using “violent language” and “Mr Johnson indicated that he was preparing to claim a mandate for a second prorogation”.

The Guardian says the prime minister “went on the attack”, having been “dragged back to Westminster against his will” and used what it calls the “people versus parliament rhetoric that has become a signature of his premiership”.

For the Daily Mirror, the prime minister is a “man with no shame” who “failed to show an ounce of remorse” following the Supreme Court “slapdown”.

Image copyright UK Parliament

The Independent says there was “applause but no apology”, suggesting he attempted to “brazen out his humiliation at the hands of the Supreme Court” by attacking the judges and promising to make time for a no confidence vote.

It says “Downing Street sources even indicated that Tory MPs would vote out their own government to secure a public poll”.

“Come ‘n have a BoJo if you think you’re hard enough” is the Sun’s take on Boris Johnson’s challenge to Jeremy Corbyn, describing it as a “barnstorming performance” in which he “goaded” the Labour leader and “confronted his critics head-on”.

Andrew Gimson, on the Conservative Home website, considers it a “bare-knuckle encounter… which suggested inner doubts and raised no one’s spirits”.

He says that “in the present adverse circumstances” the prime minister had to show he was “ready to bludgeon his way out of trouble”.

Paul Waugh, for HuffPost UK, believes he “may come to regret his ‘surrender act’ rhetoric”.

He says Mr Johnson is “imprisoned in a purgatory where he is not allowed the election he craves”, and further angering his opponents is unlikely to get them to grant his wish.

Stephen Bush, in the New Statesman, argues that Mr Johnson “knows exactly what he’s doing” and that he is aiming for “an election campaign in which he pumps yet more vitriol into the public bloodstream” and comes away with a large majority.

Image copyright UK Parliament

One in four state secondary school pupils is said by the Times to be receiving private tuition to improve their exam results.

A study by the Sutton Trust found around 80,000 teachers in England are offering tutoring outside their normal classes.

“Leave it drought” is the headline in the Sun – “Drought of order” is the Daily Star’s version – as they reveal that a water company warned of a potential hosepipe ban on one of the wettest days of the year.

Image copyright PA Media

Affinity Water insisted that the past three years had seen “much less rain than normal” and could mean customers having to restrict their shower times next spring.

The Times points out that the firm was fined in July for failing to meet targets for dealing with leaks.

Several papers carry the story of a former Household Cavalry trooper who won an auction to buy the horse he rode while protecting the Queen.

Ezphia Rennock had written to the Queen’s Guard to explain his close bond with Agricola, who was being retired at the age of 23.

He recounts their reunion in the Daily Mail: “It was a really emotional moment. He recognised me instantly”.