Some titles can’t resist focusing on new PM’s girlfriend, Carrie Symonds, who arrived in Downing Street wearing pink

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The front pages all lead with Boris Johnson’s cabinet reshuffle, with the Mail reporting that Johnson has started his tenure as prime minister with “All guns blazing”.

The paper calls it a “cabinet massacre” from “Barnstorming Boris” and also features a picture of Carrie Symonds, Johnson’s girlfriend, who was pictured outside No 10, with the caption: “And look who was tickled pink to be at No 1o” in a reference to her pink dress.

The Sun calls it “Night of the blond knives”. The paper says that Johnson “executed the bloodiest reshuffle ever seen to build a war Cabinet to deliver Brexit” and highlights the fact that Jeremy Hunt, Johnson’s rival for the job, was axed. It features a large picture of Carrie Symonds, Johnson’s girlfriend who was at No 10 yesterday.

Kate Lyons (@MsKateLyons) The Sun front page : Night of the blond knives pic.twitter.com/Z25gwx72vY

The Guardian reports: “Ruthless Johnson takes his revenge”, with the paper saying his decision to sack more than half of May’s cabinet and appoint “Vote Leave veterans and rightwing free marketeers” signals his “ruthless determination to deliver Brexit and stoked speculation about an early election”.

The Guardian (@guardian) The Guardian front page, Thursday 25 July 2019: Ruthless Johnson takes his revenge pic.twitter.com/dKCCLEtl4l

There is also talk of an election in the Times, whose splash is: “Johnson’s afternoon of cabinet carnage”. The paper calls it “the most brutal cabinet purge in modern political history” and says that the scale of the sackings “has put Westminster on election alert”.

The i focuses on the political views of Johnson’s new cabinet: “Brexiteers take over”, says the paper, which reports that “after his pledge to unite Britain, new Prime Minister Boris Johnson fires or forces out most of Cabinet, sending powerful critics to the back benches”.

i newspaper (@theipaper) Thursday's front page: Brexiteers take over the government as Boris Johnson pledges to unite Britain #tomorrowspaperstoday #skypapers #bbcpapers pic.twitter.com/jjQi3BkUQJ

The Express has a similar focus, reporting: “Boris waves in a new era” and saying that Johnson has begun his new era as PM with a “historic clear-out” of cabinet.

Daily Express (@Daily_Express) Tomorrow's @Daily_Express #frontpage



- #BorisJohnson waves in a new era in historic clear-out of cabinet

* Sajid David is chancellor, Priti Patel Home Secretary

* #Brexit deadlock 'will be cracked with a better deal'

* Social care tops agenda#tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/j1NdaurxzF

The FT notes that Johnson “ripped apart” Theresa May’s team in a “remarkable bout of political bloodletting” that has left Johnson with a “hardcore team of Brexiteers”.

Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) Thursday’s FINANCIAL TIMES: “Johnson picks hardcore cabinet to meet 99-day Brexit deadline” #bbcpapers #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/rIwZOCT5n9

The Telegraph splashes with a quote from Boris Johnson’s first speech as prime minister: “The people who bet against Britain are going to lose their shirts”.

As well as recapping his speech, the paper details Johnson’s cabinet cull, which it likened to Johnson’s espoused favourite film moment: the retribution scene from The Godfather.

Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) Thursday’s Daily TELEGRAPH: “ ‘The people who bet against Britain are going to lose their shirts’ “ #bbcpapers #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/EUPa5CrhAI

The Mirror, not a fan of the new prime minister, reports on Johnson’s apparent “first gaffe as PM”, after he discussed the content of his private chat with the Queen when he went to see her to seek permission to form government. She apparently told him: “I don’t know why anyone would want the job”, which is the paper’s headline.