What the papers say – June 26
The Health Secretary’s intimacy with an aide he appointed at the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) leads most of the Saturday papers.
The Times has Matt Hancock “fighting” for his job, The Independent says the politician “hangs on” amid the revelations, and The Guardian reports there have been calls for him to quit over the affair.
TIMES: @MattHancock fighting for job #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/mJIXQj4c0X
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) June 25, 2021
INDEPENDENT DIGITAL: Hancock hangs on #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/y7F3Skjyft
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) June 25, 2021
Guardian front page, Saturday 26 June 2021: Calls for Hancock to quit after affair with key aide pic.twitter.com/FJhqltNsEl
— The Guardian (@guardian) June 25, 2021
“Cheat & liar…So PM backs him” is the headline of the Daily Mirror, with the Daily Express also saying Boris Johnson has thrown his support behind his embattled colleague, and the Daily Star summarising the situation as “Hopeless love rat backs hopeless love rat”.
Tomorrow's front page: Cheat and liar… so PM backs him #TomorrowsPapersToday https://t.co/m7cODV1lhx pic.twitter.com/DaxgcYb7fV
— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) June 25, 2021
EXPRESS: Boris backs Hancock over ‘affair’ with aide #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/LMg5Whq55M
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) June 25, 2021
Tomorrow's front page: 'Hopeless Love Rat Backs Hopeless Love Rat' https://t.co/zHTc8usOsa#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/diq80gm447
— Daily Star (@dailystar) June 25, 2021
Bereaved families of Covid victims have told i weekend Mr Hancock is a “hypocrite” and the PM’s failure to sack him is “a slap in the face”.
I WEEKEND: Outrage as ‘hypocrite’ @MattHancock hangs on #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/RMAt5JuqoQ
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) June 25, 2021
“How can he cling on?” asks the Daily Mail, alongside a photograph of Mr Hancock embracing his aide Gina Coladangelo, while The Daily Telegraph says public reaction to the affair is likely to determine the Health Secretary’s fate.
Saturday's @DailyMailUK #MailFrontPages pic.twitter.com/NCpJFQ2WgI
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) June 25, 2021
The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph:
'Hancock faces sack if affair turns into a ‘Barnard Castle moment’'#TomorrowsPapersToday
Sign up for the Front Page newsletterhttps://t.co/x8AV4Oomry pic.twitter.com/XHwWJXXEsP
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) June 25, 2021
And finally to the continent, where the FT Weekend reports Spain has firmly rejected German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s effort to secure an EU-wide quarantine policy for British tourists.
Just published: front page of the Financial Times UK edition Saturday June 26 https://t.co/SF31mh5PnE pic.twitter.com/UqOsInFyGh
— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) June 25, 2021