Three big stories dominate Friday’s front pages – and none of them are good news for Boris Johnson. Editors were spoilt for choice with the “big squeeze” in living standards, the “bloodbath” of departing Downing Street aides and Rishi Sunak’s less-than-total backing for his leader.
Several papers combine the stories in what the Mail calls “Meltdown in Downing Street” above an image of a forlorn-looking prime minister and the subhead, “will the last one to leave please turn out the lights” evoking the Sun’s infamous 1992 election front page.
Across the top of the page, the Mail runs through the litany of the latest disasters to strike Johnson’s ailing premiership: “Four aides go”, “Sunak puts knife into PM”, and “rates, energy bills and inflation soar”.
The Sun’s splash headline says “Ouch!” and then breaks out the strands of what it dubs on what others called “Black Thursday”. “Brits £2,417 poorer”, one subhead says, along with “Partygate bloodbath” and “Rishi knifes PM”.
Tomorrow's front page: Families will be an average of £2,417 worse off this year despite a £9billion bailout announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak https://t.co/1PWspF8E3b pic.twitter.com/bNDnkJXQjk
— The Sun (@TheSun) February 3, 2022
The Mirror says “They’re all laughing” with a picture of the Tory frontbench sharing a joke in the Commons juxtaposed with some hard-hitting facts about the cost of living crisis.
Tomorrow's front page: They're all laughinghttps://t.co/fDXVQy7v7c#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/3rKuL8PJA2
— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) February 3, 2022
The Guardian focuses on the shenanigans in Downing Street as four of Boris Johnson’s senior aides left in the fallout from the parties scandal: “PM hit by No 10 exodus as four aides quit in one day”. One of them, policy chief Munira Mirza, accused the prime minister of “scurrilous” behaviour when he falsely linked Keir Starmer to the failure to bring paedophile Jimmy Savile to justice. It also reports that households are “braced for further fuel bill rises”.
Guardian front page, Friday 4 February 2022: PM hit by No 10 exodus as four aides quit in one day pic.twitter.com/2hYg5ug9XA
— The Guardian (@guardian) February 3, 2022
The i has a similar theme with “Johnson’s top team quits No 10 en masse”, while the Yorkshire Post reports “Johnson aides quit amid slur against Starmer”.
YORKSHIRE POST: Johnson aides quit amid slur against Starmer #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/dxQuTa7V3o
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) February 3, 2022
The headline in the Times is “Britons facing biggest drop in living standards” and a large picture of the chancellor. It also carries a story saying that “Johnson doubts grow after aides quit and Sunak takes swipe”.
TIMES: Britons facing biggest drop in living standards #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/ZAlp8WjYZD
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) February 3, 2022
The Telegraph has a similar running order with a splash headlined “The big squeeze” and another smaller story down the page saying “More pressure on Johnson as four top aides quit in one day”.
The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph:
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) February 3, 2022
'The big squeeze'#TomorrowsPapersToday
Sign up for the Front Page newsletterhttps://t.co/x8AV4Oomry pic.twitter.com/TZRv2wzcKd
Ditto the FT which has a main story saying “Household budgets suffer biggest blow in three decades”, and underneath it reports “Sunak distances himself from Johnson over Savile remarks as close aides quit”.
FT UK: Household budgets suffer biggest blow in three decades #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/EsOsHoB5IV
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) February 3, 2022
In Scotland the Daily Record says “Half a million Scots to go hungry” because of the rising cost of household energy.
Friday's Daily Record front page: Rishi Sunak’s energy bills rescue package will not stop half a million Scots from going hungry. #TomorrowsPapersToday @hendopolis pic.twitter.com/3ql3ayrnyB
— The Daily Record (@Daily_Record) February 3, 2022
The Express says “Tighten your belts … Britain in grip of biggest squeeze ever”.
Tomorrow's front page: "Tighten your belts… Britain in grip of biggest squeeze ever” #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/HF1cQHNVK6
— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) February 3, 2022
