Newspaper headlines: May's future and Boris Johnson 'targets No 10' By BBC News

Staff Published duration 17 May 2019

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Many of the front pages feature stories about Theresa May's decision regarding her future as Conservative leader.

The Financial Times says Mrs May has finally bowed to the inevitable by confirming her departure in June, regardless of whether she secures support for her Brexit deal.

The Daily Mirror describes how she was left in tears after being forced to announce a date to finally quit.

Tears welled in her eyes as she made her argument to stay in Downing Street a little longer, says the Daily Telegraph, but the sympathy and patience of senior Tories on the 1922 Committee had run out

The Guardian says the heavy hint that Mrs May will resign if her withdrawal bill legislation is rejected once again is likely to incentivise even more Tory Eurosceptics to vote against it.

The Daily Mail thinks her chances of success are slim, so a dignified exit is now probably for the best.

Johnson's leadership bid

The Daily Telegraph believes her successor must learn from her mistakes - and take a clear pro-Leave line on Brexit and stick to it.

It suggests they make the case for what they are doing with conviction, because the country has not got the patience for another enigma.

Inevitably, much of the speculation about who replaces her focuses on Boris Johnson. The Daily Express says his supporters see him as someone who could neutralise the growing threat to the Tories posed by Nigel Farage's Brexit Party.

The Daily Mail feels Mr Johnson has many flaws and divides opinion like no other politician, but acknowledges that he is charismatic

James Forysth in the Spectator says he is not only back in contention but is now the man to beat

The editor of the i newspaper, Oliver Duff, suggests the former foreign secretary remains the biggest obstacle to his own ambitions, lacking the judgement and work ethic to succeed in high office.

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The Independent's chief political commentator, John Rentoul, says that whether the new leader is Mr Johnson or the traditional surprise candidate, they will face the problem that the Tory party is finished if it fails to deliver Brexit

With the opinion polls suggesting Nigel Farage's Brexit Party will make big gains in the European elections, Philip Collins in the Times argues that letting Brexit happen may be smarter than allowing Mr Farage to nurse a grievance about the failure to respect the referendum result.

Middle East tensions

The main story in the Guardian tells how Iran's most prominent military leader has met Iraqi militias in Baghdad and told them to prepare for a proxy war in the Middle East

The paper says the move to mobilise Iran's regional allies is understood to have triggered fears in the US that its interests in the area are facing a pressing threat.

The Times says President Trump summoned the Swiss President to the White House on Thursday to ask him to open a communications channel with Iran amid fears that hawkish senior advisers were leading the US into an unwanted conflict with Tehran.

The Guardian expresses concerns about the government's approach to the probation service after a series of failings led to the scrapping of the partial privatisation of the system.

The Financial Times suggests the renationalisation leaves several issues unresolved , including the decision to boost the participation of voluntary groups and charities - a goal of the original reforms that was never realised.

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The Daily Telegraph interprets Prince Harry's successful legal action against a news agency which took aerial photographs of his home in the Cotswolds as a timely reminder that the normally non-litigious royals will act when they feel a line has been crossed.

The Guardian thinks the prince's decision to apply for the terms of the settlement to be read in court lays down a marker in his fight to protect the privacy of his family

In Australia, there are many tributes to the country's former Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, who has died at the age of 89.

The front page of the Herald Sun, which has the headline "Legend", says he will be remembered as a great Australian - and many would say the greatest Australian of the post-war era.

Residents were baffled when the structure was erected weeks after a local service was axed.