The papers focus on Boris Johnson’s future after he admitted on Wednesday to attending a drinks gathering in Downing Street’s garden during the first national lockdown. The Herald describes the admission simply as “indefensible”.
The same story features on the front page of The National. Its headline is “liar” – and says the PM “thinks the rules don’t apply to him”. The paper also notes that Mr Johnson claimed “he didn’t realise the ‘BYOB’ party he attended at No 10 was a party at all”.
The Metro reports that the prime minister faced a “barrage” of calls to resign after giving what he called a “heartfelt” apology, while insisting he thought the event was a work gathering.
“Rules are only for you little people”, quips the Daily Star. The paper adds: “Luckily for him, rules only apply to decent folk so he won’t be resigning.”
The i reports that Conservative MPs have begun submitting letters of no confidence in the prime minister in an attempt to oust him from Downing Street. Fifty-four letters are needed to trigger a leadership contest.
The Daily Express says the Scottish Tories have said an apology can not save the PM. The party’s Scottish leader Douglas Ross said he had a “difficult conversation” with Mr Johnson on Wednesday afternoon, and that he would write to the 1922 Committee to register his lack of confidence in his leadership.
The same story leads the Daily Record. On Wednesday Mr Johnson admitted for the first time that he attended the event. This came two days after an email was leaked to ITV News in which 100 staff were invited to a “bring your own booze” event in the Downing Street garden, at a time when government guidance was not to meet up with more than one person from another household.
The Scotsman says the Scottish Conservatives are leading the rebellion against Mr Johnson. Calling for the PM’s resignation, Mr Ross said he believed Mr Johnson was “genuine” in his apology, but that “it was wrong to attend the event”. The majority of Scottish Conservative MSPs quickly backed Mr Ross, with Murdo Fraser saying that the prime minister had “lost public trust, and in the interests of the country and the Conservative Party he should step down”.
The Scottish Daily Mail reports that Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has called for Boris Johnson to resign after he admitted attending the Downing Street party during lockdown. He said the prime minister’s position was “no longer tenable”.
The Times reports that the Conservatives have slipped to their lowest poll rating against Labour in almost a decade. The paper says the party has fallen 10 points behind Labour – the biggest gap since December 2013.
The Daily Telegraph notes that Chancellor Rishi Sunak declined to fully endorse the prime minister until he had seen the results of the investigations into allegations of lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street. The paper says the chancellor issued a carefully-worded message on Twitter after eight hours of public silence following the PM’s apology to the House of Commons.
The Sun reports that Prince Andrew is to face a civil case in the US over allegations he sexually assaulted a woman when she was 17. Virginia Giuffre is suing the prince, claiming he abused her in 2001. His lawyers said the complaint should be dismissed, citing a 2009 deal she signed with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. But a New York judge ruled the case could continue. The prince has consistently denied the claims.
The Edinburgh Evening News reports that a majority of MSPs on a Holyrood committee have backed plans to introduce a licensing scheme for short-term let properties in Scotland.
The Evening Telegraph reports on the impact of the Scottish government’s decision to defer fertility treatment for all patients who are not fully vaccinated – unless they are waiting to become eligible for a booster. It said the decision was based on uncertainty about how pregnant women were affected by the Omicron variant.
The Glasgow Times reports on what it calls a controversial planning bid to transform a derelict nursing home into serviced apartments in the east end of the city.
The Courier reports that an abusive boyfriend sent a series of texts to his partner while she was discussing his behaviour with officers at the police station, and when he tried to call her, her phone was answered by an officer. A court fined Daniel Sweeney, 25, of Perth, for his behaviour.
Aberdeen’s Evening Express reports that a city street was closed after a man was hurt in a disturbance. Arrests were made after what the paper describes as a “serious injury”.
