
The papers are mostly led by the Omicron outbreak’s impact on Christmas celebrations and the ongoing fallout from the Tory party scandal.
The Times, The Guardian and The Sun lead with the effect the Omicron outbreak is having on the hospitality industry as customers cancel Christmas bookings.
THE TIMES: @RishiSunak in talks on bailout for pubs and restaurants #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/B5rYnh9UQf
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) December 16, 2021
Guardian front page, Friday 17 December 2021: Sunak forced to return to UK for crisis talks amid Omicron surge pic.twitter.com/E3jtBGXYW4
— The Guardian (@guardian) December 16, 2021
On tomorrow's front page: Brits face choice of parties in pub with mates or spending Christmas day with their families as Omicron cases soar https://t.co/SY2HN8Hy13 pic.twitter.com/3m5kcPBhng
— The Sun (@TheSun) December 16, 2021
The Independent and the Daily Mirror carry the latest in the “Tory Christmas scandal”, reporting the Met will interview more alleged witnesses.
INDEPENDENT DIGITAL: Johnson ‘joined No10 party’ in first lockdown #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/GheiJjqxZj
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) December 16, 2021
Tomorrow's front page: Cops quiz party pair https://t.co/smblBvePVS #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/JFBUVf8GTC
— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) December 16, 2021
The Daily Mail reports that Tory MPs are lining up to “take aim” at chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty over his warning to Brits to rein in Christmas partying as the Omicron outbreak worsens.
Friday’s @DailyMailUK #MailFrontPages pic.twitter.com/W1tZp0jYJ9
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) December 16, 2021
The i also leads with the UK shutdown in an effort to stop the spread of Omicron in the week before Christmas.
Friday's front page: UK shuts down in bid to save Christmas #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/V3gWlAAi35
— i newspaper (@theipaper) December 16, 2021
The Telegraph runs with a call from the Archbishop of Canterbury, urging political leaders to “put their hands up” and acknowledge wrongdoing as he expresses his disappointment over the Tory party scandal.
TELEGRAPH: Archbishop appeals for honesty in public life #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/cDGu8BN77s
— Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) December 16, 2021
Meanwhile, Metro and the Daily Express report that the Queen has cancelled her Christmas celebrations, with the latter saying she is setting an “example” for Omicron-hit Britain.
Friday’s front page:
QUEEN CANCELS XMAS LUNCH#tomorrowspaperstoday #BBCPapers #skypapers pic.twitter.com/yZwHYmqC8y
— Metro Newspaper UK (@MetroUKNews) December 16, 2021
Front page: Queen sets 'example' by calling off Christmas party#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/FA8F69nAOP
— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) December 16, 2021
Elsewhere, the Financial Times leads with the Bank of England raising interest rates for the first time in three years.
Just published: front page of the Financial Times, UK edition, Friday 17 December https://t.co/08ASbGYPrK pic.twitter.com/vHbxUobDxS
— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) December 16, 2021
And the Daily Star leads with the Tory Christmas scandal and the Met’s plans to interview witnesses, adding that even “Mary, Jesus and the wee donkey” were invited to lockdown parties.
Tomorrow's front page: Mother of Plod, plus 'Mr Big sex pest claim' #TomorrowsPapersToday https://t.co/zSK7e9z0TJ pic.twitter.com/0T8dBq6uzJ
— Daily Star (@dailystar) December 16, 2021