Rishi Sunak’s sudden return to the top of British politics and the unveiling of his new cabinet dominate UK headlines on Wednesday.
The Guardian headlines “First day’s makeover bid in office” and carries a picture of Rishi Sunak meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
The newspaper writes that Sunak “pledged to bring ‘integrity and accountability'” but “played to restore Suella Braverman to the Home Office less than a week after he was fired for a security breach”.
Under the headline “I’ll fix mistakes, Sunak vows as he brings in continuity cabinet”, The Times notes that “a third of ministers” have kept their jobs.
The i calls it “Sunak’s crisis cabinet”. He says the Prime Minister has stacked his front benches with “political rivals” in a “bid to unify warring Tories”.
But the newspaper quoted a Conservative source as saying that “all the guys are in the top jobs” and that “the sniping won’t stop”.
The Mail splashes with “Leave it to me, Your Majesty!” and a full page image of the new Prime Minister and Monarch.
The paper’s political editor writes that “Sunak selected a unity cabinet last night as he pledged to ‘fix the mistakes’ made by Liz Truss”.
The Telegraph quotes the prime minister as saying on its front page: “Mistakes have been made. I will fix them.” It says Sunak warned that “‘tough decisions’ were needed” as he blamed part of the economic mess on his predecessor”.
The Financial Times says that “Sunak faces a ‘deep crisis'”. He notes that Jeremy Hunt has “remained as a chancellor focused on stability and confidence” and that there were early signs that Sunak’s election had “eased turbulence in the markets”.
The Mirror highlights the scale of the crisis facing the Prime Minister, with the headline “Meanwhile… in the real world”.
He writes that “As millionaire Rishi Sunak takes office as prime minister, people are desperate for the cost of living. Some staple foods have risen by nearly two-thirds in a year.”
The Sun says “PM returns familiar faces” and “At least I got rid of the other Mogg, Larry” above a photo of Sunak and Downing Street’s resident cat, Larry.
The paper notes that “the new Prime Minister sacked 11 of his predecessor’s top team, including Jacob Rees-Mogg”.
Finally, the Daily Record calls Sunak a “wee feartie”, a Scottish word for coward. The newspaper writes that “Opponents denounce the new prime minister for having presented fear of the general election”.