Tuesday's front pages feature politicians’ partying during the pandemic, Leaving Cert plans and a Garda manhunt following an attack on a teenage girl in Kilkenny.
The Irish Times focuses on politicians’ partying during the pandemic, with Boris Johnson facing fresh calls to resign in the UK, while the former secretary general of Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs has been asked to make a €2,000 donation to charity in light of a gathering where staff drank sparkling wine.
The Irish Examiner reports students will sit a traditional Leaving Cert with "some elements of choice" under new plans to be approved by Cabinet, with the Government set to ignore demands from students for a hybrid model.
The Echo in Cork highlights record hospital overcrowding, with the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO)’s first monthly Trolley Watch of 2022 showing 8,636 patients on trolleys in January, a 132 per cent rise on this time last year.
The Irish Sun, the Irish Daily Mail and the Irish Daily Star all lead with reports on a Garda manhunt currently under way after a 17-year-old girl was attacked while out walking in rural Kilkenny on Monday.
In Northern Ireland, the Belfast Telegraph reports a woman whose mother died after contracting Covid-19 in a Belfast care home has said Downing Street partied through the pandemic “as thought we meant nothing.”
In Britain, the front pages are consumed by reaction to the handing down of a heavily abridged report by senior civil servant Sue Gray into lockdown-busting parties at Downing Street.
The Guardian reports that Boris Johnson faced “a wall of anger from Conservative MPs” in the House of Commons after Ms Gray’s report into 16 parties found many were “difficult to justify” and condemned No10 and the Cabinet Office’s “failures of leadership and judgement”.
Guardian front page, Tuesday 1 February 2022: ‘Failures of leadership’: Tories turn on PM over Gray report pic.twitter.com/YPI1D28NzP
— The Guardian (@guardian) January 31, 2022
The British prime minister pleaded “for his job” in the wake of the report, however the full verdict has been “muzzled” by Met Police, i writes.
Tuesday's front page: PM pleads for his job#TomorrowsPapersToday
Latest from @HugoGye: https://t.co/o32FnttQHg pic.twitter.com/FFFOtrXs4X— i newspaper (@theipaper) January 31, 2022
The Daily Express called the day in the House of Commons “bruising” as Mr Johnson issued his apology in response to Ms Gray’s “scathing” report.
EXPRESS: Yes PM, you got it wrong…now get it right! #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/ssiiSLOxRS
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) January 31, 2022
Still on the partygate report, the Daily Mail demands: “Now release the whole damn thing”. The paper slammed the publication of just 12 pages of the 500-page report, saying it has left “Britain in limbo”.
Tuesday's @DailyMailUK #MailFrontPages pic.twitter.com/ABVFiN32Ei
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) January 31, 2022
Metro carries a direct quote from the report about the Downing Street parties, its headline declaring: “A failure of leadership”.
Tuesday’s front page:
A FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP#tomorrowspaperstoday #BBCPapers #skypapers pic.twitter.com/LNkTwmt1QY— Metro US (@MetroUS) January 31, 2022
The Independent also runs with the “failures of leadership” line from the dossier, reporting that Mr Johnson was “forced into a humiliating apology”.
INDEPENDENT DIGITAL: ‘Failures of leadership’ #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/2xogseQn08
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) January 31, 2022
The Daily Telegraph adds that Mr Johnson will ask Ms Gray to produce a new report in an attempt to “quell growing anger from Conservative backbenchers” in a bid to save his leadership.
TELEGRAPH: PM to ask Gray for new report #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/aLqwK9cjO1
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) January 31, 2022
“Zero shame” declares the Daily Mirror’s front page, making reference to Keir Starmer’s “crushing” comments about Mr Johnson, claiming he won’t “do the decent thing and resign… because he is a man without shame”.
Tomorrow's front page: Zero shamehttps://t.co/qZvrKzGvJZ#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/PcEgjUCfbu
— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) January 31, 2022
The Daily Star similarly carries the fallout from the report too, albeit with its usual off-kilter framing.
Tomorrow's Front Page: No10 party probe - 50 Shades of Gray #tomorrowspaperstoday
Read here: https://t.co/PN2Y0HxEnV pic.twitter.com/vr1d6ey9eP— Daily Star (@dailystar) January 31, 2022
The report itself disclosed “almost no details of the parties” due to Scotland Yard paring it down as it continues its own investigation, according to The Times.
TIMES: Police investigate PM’s four lockdown parties #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/iiPBchzeRO
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) January 31, 2022
The Financial Times leads with Mr Johnson’s ongoing refusal to quit despite the widespread backlash which is consuming his own party.
Just published: front page of the Financial Times, UK edition, Tuesday 1 February https://t.co/Ip4DWYw6u2 pic.twitter.com/06IkOSLKNn
— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) January 31, 2022
The Sun also carries the report on its front alongside a full page photo of pregnant pop star Rihanna.
On tomorrow's front page: Boris Johnson and Carrie face police quiz over lockdown party within DAYS as cops sift through 300 rule-breaking pics @MrHarryCole https://t.co/w5IibLG7XX pic.twitter.com/xr08r0qpop
— The Sun (@TheSun) January 31, 2022
