Newspaper headlines: 'Revenge is sweet' in race for Number 10 By BBC News

Staff Published duration 21 June 2019

The latest in the Conservative leadership contest and a theme of "revenge" features widely on many of Friday's newspaper front pages.

"Boris gets his revenge" is the Daily Mail's headline. It reports that former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has been accused of lending the votes of his supporters to Jeremy Hunt, after Michael Gove wrecked his previous campaign to become leader of the Conservative Party.

A friend of Mr Gove tells the paper he has been the victim of "dark dealings".

The Daily Telegraph has the same story under a similar headline: "Boris exacts his revenge", while the Daily Express describes Mr Gove being knocked out of the leadership contest as a moment of "sweet revenge" for the frontrunner.

The Times goes further, claiming that Mr Johnson's supporters "boasted" about their revenge on Mr Gove.

It quotes one unnamed MP as saying: "Gove stabbed us in the back - we've stabbed him in the front".

"Was the result fixed?" asks the Guardian. It says Boris Johnson's camp believes Mr Hunt, who is dubbed "Theresa in trousers" by some at Westminster, will make a less formidable adversary than Mr Gove.

image copyright Getty Images image caption Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt are in the final two

The Financial Times comments that Conservative MPs were once labelled "the most sophisticated electorate in the world". But after a day of dark rumours of skulduggery, one MP sighed: "Better to say we're the most duplicitous."

The Daily Mirror complains that after the latest round in the Conservative leadership race, "shameless Johnson " or "callous Hunt" will be the next prime minister - and voters don't get a say.

But the Daily Telegraph thinks that finally the country has what it needed three years ago: a public contest for the leadership of the party. It sees the vote as an historic opportunity to remind the candidates what the voters think beyond the world of Westminster.

ASBO 'for elderly woman's bikini'

Meanwhile, new types of antisocial behaviour orders are being issued at record levels for "offences" such as owning noisy roosters and having a messy garden, according to the Times.

Civil liberties group, the Manifesto Club, claims there's been an increase of 58% in Community Protection Notices, issued by local authorities or the police, since 2014.

In Stockport, an 81-year-old woman was apparently issued with a CPN that banned her from wearing a bikini inside her home if she was near the windows.

The Daily Telegraph says 10 councils issued CPN's against people feeding birds - and one took action against a woman who installed cat deterrents to stop other pets entering her property.

Elsewhere, the Guardian believes Frankie Dettori almost brought Britain's betting industry to its knees yesterday after winning the first four races on Ladies' Day at Ascot with a flawless series of rides.

Bookmakers described it as one of their worst days at the royal meeting.

Gerbil or jerboa?

Under the headline, "Disastermind", the Sun reports that the BBC is "under fire" amid claims that the new champion of Mastermind won with a wrong answer.

Judith Lewis appeared to say the mascot of the Army's Desert Rats was a gerbil rather than a jerboa.

Viewers have taken to social media to criticise the host, John Humphreys, for failing to spot an incorrect answer.

But the winner tells the Sun that she said "jerbo" because that's how she thought it was pronounced. The BBC says proper checks were made - and other contestants were satisfied with her answer.

image copyright PA

The end of the Fab Four is how the Times describes the decision by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to break away from the charitable foundation set up by Prince William and Prince Harry a decade ago.

The paper believes the split - which comes amid rumours of tensions - represents a comprehensive change from the atmosphere of collaboration between the two couples.

The Sun says it's been told by a source that the split will improve relations by letting the "brothers be brothers".

Meanwhile, the Guardian observes that Andy Murray "had a blast" during his doubles win at Queen's Club yesterday.

The paper notes that after undergoing "career-saving" hip surgery, he fell once, rolled athletically and did not limp nor grimace at any time.

Murray is back "with a bang" says the Times. For the Daily Telegraph, the win was a "stunning comeback".

And scientists at the University of St Andrews have trained seals how to "sing" popular tunes such as the Star Wars melody, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Seals have a natural bark but researchers found they were so versatile that they could copy sounds outside their natural repertoire.