Newspaper headlines: 'Hunt takes control' amid 'secret plot to oust PM'
- Published
Sunday's papers make uncomfortable reading for Liz Truss, with reports of MPs plotting and holding secret meetings to try to force her from office.
The . One source likens Ms Truss's critics to "suicide bombers", telling the paper they are intent on inflicting "maximum damage" on the party.
The . The with a unity candidate, while the which would see her "swift removal" as leader.
Who would be her successor if Ms Truss was forced from office? The Times says former chancellor Rishi Sunak has told allies he's ready to take over. The . The . But the Observer says many MPs still regard Boris Johnson as the best option. And the Mail suggests former PM Theresa May could be in line for a "shock comeback".
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace
The Times, again, claims to have details of the negotiations which took place in the run-up to the appointment of a new chancellor. It says Ms Truss was sounding out a replacement for Kwasi Kwarteng as early as the party conference in Birmingham. The paper believes former chancellor Sajid Javid was approached at one point but talks did not progress.
As Jeremy Hunt begins his new job as chancellor, both the Times and the Telegraph believe he will delay the planned one penny cut to the basic rate of income tax. The Treasury says no decisions have been taken. Several papers note how powerful Mr Hunt has become. As the Telegraph observes: "Truss clings to the lifeboat, but No 11 holds the oars.
In other stories, both the Mirror and the . The general secretary of the Unite union, Sharon Graham, tells the People workers should join forces in coordinated action.
Former PM Sir John Major has criticised Netflix's drama series The Crown
The and the who's serving a 20-year prison sentence in the US on child sex trafficking charges. The former socialite describes Prince Andrew as a "dear friend" and says she feels "bad" that he is paying what she calls "such a price" for his association with Jeffrey Epstein. The author and filmmaker, Daphne Barak, who spoke to Maxwell, says she's locked up for 23 hours a day with three other inmates in a cell measuring 8 by 10 feet.
And the and the , describing one plotline as "malicious nonsense".