British papers’ front pages have naturally been dominated by election-related stories, including the never-ending TV licence debate, as the national vote is just two days away. However, quite a bit of drama was added to news agents’ windows by the deadly New Zealand volcano catastrophe.
Some appeared to have combined the two right on their front cover. The Express, for instance, focused on the licence story, with an image of Boris Johnson pointing his finger as he “threatens to axe BBC TV licence". The volcano picture is also there, sitting at the top of the cover, with the headline expressing “fears for British tourists in the volcano horror".
The Telegraph meanwhile squeezed in a Tory party memo contending that the chances of Jeremy Corbyn leading a coalition government have been “seriously underestimated", adding Labour could come to power without winning extra seats. The title picture for the cover sports a murky volcano scene.
The Sun splashed out on business magnate Alan Sugar’s call for Labour voters to replace Corbyn as the head of the party, saying it is the best way to save the day and safeguard the party’s political future. “You’re fired Corbyn", the front cover story’s headline unambiguously reads.
The Mirror took a dig at the prime minister, bringing up the NHS issue on its cover featuring an image of a baby lying in a chair awaiting treatment:
“Here is another picture you won’t want to look at, Mr Johnson", the disparaging headline reads.
The word “another” apparently references the moment Johnson, now fully into campaigning for Labour-occupied seats in northern England, was accused of a lack of sensitivity when shown the image of a boy lying on the floor of an A&E department.
Brits will go to polls this Thursday, 12 December. Following the last pre-election debate between the two top candidates to occupy 10 Downing Street – Johnson and Corbyn - Pollster YouGov released a “snap poll” over “who performed best in the debate". Johnson was found to have come out on top during the debate, albeit with a slim margin.