What the papers say – March 18

The ongoing uncertainty at the top of the Conservative Party features heavily on Monday’s front pages.
What the papers say – March 18
PA Archive
Pa Reporter18 March 2024

A defiant Prime Minister, Conservative leadership rows, health issues and royalty jostle for attention on the front pages of Monday’s newspapers.

The Daily Telegraph focuses on Rishi Sunak, saying he has urged Tory MPs to stick with him and his economic plan after continued speculation about his future.

The Times follows suit with Mr Sunak saying Britain is about to bounce back. Both papers are also among several titles to carry a picture of Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, as she voted in the country’s election in Berlin by writing her late husband’s name on the ballot paper.

Mr Sunak’s bid to fight back occupies the front of the Daily Mail which says allies are furious at Leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt for not distancing herself from reports she was being lined up as an alternative leader.

Conservative MP Esther McVey throws her support behind Mr Sunak in the Daily Express, labelling the plot to oust him as “self-indulgence”.

The Metro follows similar lines with Transport Secretary Mark Harper insisting Mr Sunak will lead the party into the next election.

Health issues occupy the front pages of other titles, The Independent saying more than 4,000 vulnerable patients were discharged by the NHS in a year to “no fixed abode”.

And The Guardian hears from the departing NHS ombudsman Rob Behrens, who criticises a “cover-up culture” putting “reputation management” ahead of being open with relatives.

The Daily Mirror turns its attention to dentistry, saying thousands of people have backed the paper’s call to provide NHS treatment for all.

The Princess of Wales dominates the front page of The Sun, which says she visited a farm shop in Windsor with her husband and watched her children play sport over the weekend as she was spotted in public for the first time since abdominal surgery.

The i says Fujitsu, the IT firm at the centre of the Post Office Horizon scandal, is managing a British military computer system two years after its contract was due to expire.

US interest rates occupy the front of the Financial Times, which hears from economists that the Federal Reserve will need to keep them at a high level.

And the Daily Star warns of an Easter full of storms and floods.

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