‘Jingle Polls’, ‘Grinch’ and ‘New Year’s Leave’ – How the UK Press ushered the December Election
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Political parties are gearing up for a general election in 43 days’ time after the House of Commons approved a 12 December ballot.
Within minutes of the House of Commons voting in favour of the first December election since 1923 last night, party leaders delivered their key messages in an early attempt to shape the nature of the coming campaign.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed it was “time for the country to come together” as he offered the Conservative Party’s pledge to “get Brexit done and go forward”.
Wednesday’s British papers all look ahead to a festive snap election with titles mentioning turkeys, a Grinch and even a New Year’s Leave party.
The Guardian carries a large picture of a packed Commons and casts the election vote in terms of Brexit. The headline is “Parliament breaks deadlock with December 12 election.” It notes that the national poll could be the most unpredictable in a generation and that nearly half of Labour MPs either abstained or were absent for the vote.
On the otherhand, Metro goes with a cheery “Jingle polls!” for its headline and says it is the first December election in almost a century. The Daily Mail strikes a more sinister tone, with a cartoon Boris Johnson dressed as Santa and a green-skinned Jeremy Corbyn riding a sleigh. The paper focuses on the threat the Brexit party and the Lib Dems pose to the Tory vote, with the headline: “Don’t let the Grinch steal your Christmas.”
The Daily Telegraph chooses a picture in which Corbyn and his shadow cabinet resemble Christmas carollers, above the simple headline: “Christmas election.”
These are the front pages of Wednesday’s main British newspapers.
MPs approved the pre-Christmas general election just hours after European Council President Donald Tusk announced the EU had formally accepted a three-month extension to the Article 50 negotiating period.
He warned the UK’s latest Brexit delay – reluctantly requested by Mr Johnson – may be “the last one”, adding: “Please make the best use of this time.”
The House of Lords is expected to rubber stamp a bill for the 12 December election on Wednesday, with parliament then due to be dissolved a week later to fire the starting gun on the official campaign period.
