Newspaper headlines: Boris Johnson's 'Whitehall revolution' after election win By BBC News

Staff Published duration 15 December 2019

Some of Sunday's front pages picture the moment Boris Johnson found out he was heading for a landslide election victory - as the findings of the exit poll were revealed at 22:00 GMT on Thursday.

The Mail on Sunday describes how the Prime Minister leapt to his feet, shouted with joy, and was congratulated by his girlfriend, Carrie Symonds.

The Sunday Telegraph observes that their table had beer, coffee and snack pots at the ready.

The paper also reports that Mr Johnson is planning a dramatic overhaul of Whitehall in a drive to demonstrate that his government "works for the people".

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It says his chief aide, Dominic Cummings, will spearhead a programme of radical reform of the civil service, including a review of the processes for hiring and firing officials, to ensure the Prime Minister's agenda is delivered.

According to the Sunday Times, up to a third of the cabinet face the sack in a February reshuffle after the UK has left the EU - so that "fresh faces" can be brought in to create a "transformative" government focused on the needs of working-class voters.

Insiders are quoted as saying new ministers will be selected according to their ability to drive change rather than because they are good media performers.

Under the headline: "I'm Jez So Sorry", the Mirror says Mr Corbyn has been humbled.

In the Observer, the Labour leader argues that the party paid the price for a Brexit policy that was seen by some as an attempt to straddle the divide between Remainers and Leavers, and by others as wanting to re-run the referendum.

But Mr Corbyn also defends his record - blaming a political system that he says has been volatile since the financial crash, as well as the media and what he describes as Mr Johnson's "dishonesty".

The move to enshrine in law a commitment to increase spending on the NHS is the lead story for the Sunday Express, which describes it as an "historic pledge".

It's also the main political story in the Sun on Sunday. The paper says Mr Johnson wants to build on his election victory by proving to those who voted Tory for the first time that he can be trusted

And as the government contemplates decriminalising non-payment of the BBC licence fee, the Sunday Telegraph suggests that Downing Street has decided to boycott Radio 4's Today programme - because of what it describes as pro-Remain bias.

The next five years are unlikely to prove plain sailing for the prime minister, and the Telegraph also carries a warning of an early event that it believes could turn into a crisis.

It suggests that the proposed rescue of British Steel by the Chinese firm, Jingye, is close to collapse as a deadline approaches to finalise terms.

British Steel's previous owner declared it insolvent in May, since when the business has been propped up by the taxpayer.