Penny Mordaunt, a former defence secretary, has been reportedly tipped to succeed Rishi Sunak as Tory leader, according to some of Saturday’s papers
A number of Saturday morning’s front pages consider the future of Rishi Sunak as leader of the Conservatives and as Prime Minister.
According to the Daily Telegraph, a Tory source says Penny Mordaunt is “now seen as the most likely person to stem the losses“.
“Plot to crown Mordaunt as PM”, is the headline on the Daily Mail as the paper claims MPs on the right of the Conservative Party have held secret talks with moderates about uniting behind the Leader of the House of Commons.
Another Tory insider tells the i newspaper paper they are “100%” certain Mr Sunak will face “some sort of challenge” in the coming months – warning “the party is just utterly despondent” and an election is all Tory MPs “have left”.
Sticking with politics, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt promises pensioners he will not let them down on major tax change, according to the Daily Express. The paper says government insiders have hinted the triple lock, which increases state pension payments, will be kept at the election.
In other UK news, the government’s former adviser on equality, Lord Sewell of Sanderstead, tells the Times the Church of England made a “political decision” in starting a fund to help repair damage caused by its historic links to slavery.
Unions representing GPs and health workers have called on the Conservative donor Frank Hester to stand down from running NHS contracts, according to the Guardian. It cites the British Medical Association as saying his “racist and misogynistic comments” breach its fit and proper person test. Mr Hester has apologised for making “rude” comments about the former-Labour MP but said his remarks “had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”.
The Sun’s lead story focuses on part of the M25 being closed for the first time in decades. “Mission Impassable” is the headline as the tabloid says Hollywood actor Tom Cruise has gone into “crisis mode” and hired helicopters to ensure the cast and crew are able to keep shooting the latest Mission Impossible film in Surrey.
Finally, the Daily Mirror reports on a grandmother from Cheltenham who was convicted in Indonesia a decade a ago and sentenced to the death penalty. The tabloid says after languishing on death row for more than 10 years fearing each morning may be her last, Lindsay Sandiford finally has hopes of a reprieve.
