It would be ‘wrong’ to dwell on the subject of Theresa May’s £1,000 leather trousers, says the Times in its editorial this morning. But equally it’s a mistake to pretend those trousers don’t exist when Tory backbenchers think the cost of them brings the PM’s judgement into question, the paper argues. The Times criticises Theresa May’s adviser, Fiona Hill, for the manner in which she hit out at the PM’s trouser critic, Nicky Morgan. The Mail on Sunday revealed yesterday that Hill sent a text to Morgan’s colleague, Alistair Burt, saying: ‘Don’t bring that woman to Downing Street again’, after the former education secretary criticised May’s sartorial choice. So what does this all tell us? And amidst the looming prospect of Brexit, should we really be worried about trousers? Yes, says the Times, which points out that if Downing Street had dealt with this issue properly and ‘floated above it’, we might not have needed to. Instead, Hill’s remarks are ’all too reminiscent of Gordon Brown, the last prime minister to occupy the post without winning an election’. The Times concludes by warning that May must not be so thin-skinned if she wants to show ‘who really wears the trousers’.
The Sun meanwhile throws its weight behind another MP who fell foul of Theresa May last week. The paper says that Boris Johnson, who came in for criticism from Downing Street last week over his comments about Saudi Arabia, is right to deny Tony Blair’s ‘latest bid’ for taxpayer cash. The Sun says Boris’s refusal to grant the former PM more Foreign Office resources – which was revealed in the paper this morning – is the right call, and the Foreign Secretary is ‘bang on the money’. The Sun goes on so say that Blair ‘already gets nearly £3million a year from the public purse’ – and that he shouldn’t be entitled to anything more.
What will Brexit mean for Ireland? The Guardian tackles that sticky subject in its editorial this morning. It says that the ignorance of Brexit backers over the consequences for Irish politics is ‘one of the most shameful and consequential’ of the ‘many historic irresponsibilities that led to the Brexit vote’. The paper says that many in Ireland feel let down by the ‘lamentable’ decision of the British electorate. But, finally the Guardian suggests, it’s good this subject is finally being addressed, in the form of a paper from the House of Lords EU committee. The report ’is absolutely right’ to back the idea that Ireland should get a ‘unique solution within any wider Brexit settlement’, the paper says. But what should that settlement look like? The Guardian says it’s vital that the land border stays open and, crucially, that the people of Northern Ireland be given the right to Irish citizenship. ‘The EU ought to embrace this approach, as should the UK government’, the paper concludes.
Donald Trump might have shocked the world with his election win, but the president-elect isn’t reneging on his ability to confound his critics, the Daily Telegraph says – pointing out that his possible decision to appoint Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state shows his ability to surprise is alive and well. The Exxon Mobile chief executive has ‘raised eyebrows’ but the appointment fits a pattern of Trump’s choices, in selecting candidates ‘whose “real world” expertise is striking’. Tillerson, however, has faced criticism over his apparent links to Vladimir Putin. But ‘there is sense in being surrounded by people who understand the thinking of the Russian leader’, the paper argues. And while Obama ‘delivered very little’, the news that Trump is appointing those to top jobs who ‘know how deals are made’ is ‘no bad thing’.
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