Brief overview: Guess who’s back? Michael Gove has reemerged and today’s papers cannot get enough of it. Across the right-left split, the papers report the significance of his return as May seeks to strengthen her position amid rumours of a leadership challenge.

The Daily Mail

Political leaning: Right

Today’s leading headline: Theresa tears up manifesto.

Today’s paper reports that following her hugely unsuccessful campaign this election, May now plans to restructure her manifesto. The paper reports that various parts will be changed, such as the triple lock on pensions, fox hunting, and a means test for winter fuel allowance. The latter two points brought wide scorn upon her and the party during the election cycle, as did her proposed plan to reintroduce grammar schools.

The return of Gove to the cabinet was widely covered across all the papers. Pundits view his return as May trying to beef up her support from prominent Tory members, as rumours run riot about her party’s loyalty.

Afterthought: Over the weekend, two of May’s top campaign advisors lost their jobs. Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy were blamed for the weak campaign, and accused of having too much power over the Prime Minister. It is interesting to note that May now feels the need to steeply edit her manifesto to keep her own party onside. Keep an eye on Boris Johnson, who has a reputation for Machiavellian behaviour.

The Daily Telegraph

Political leaning: Right

Today’s leading headline: May calls in Gove to save her from leadership challenge.

Today’s paper explicitly states the reason for Gove’s return to prominence following his attempted grasp for leadership last year. The paper, which strongly endorses Gove, goes on to call him a potential ‘powerful ally’ for May to have in the future. Rumours have been circulating the Johnson could be on track to launch a leadership challenge, despite him insisting otherwise.

Afterthought: The significance of Gove’s return cannot be understated enough. From a neutral standpoint, it presents a worrying increase in Murdoch’s influence over the party. In the past, Gove has referred to Murdoch as “one of the most impressive and significant figures of the last 50 years”. Gove used to write for Murdoch’s Times.

The Times

Political leaning: Right

Today’s leading headline: May signals soft Brexit in cabinet reshuffle.

Today, The Times reports on the return of May’s nemesis Gove to the cabinet, in a move the paper she would ‘never have contemplated before last Thursday’s election’. The paper reports that due to May’s significant lack of support, she has been forced to alter her position on a variety of topics, ranging from her manifesto to Brexit.

As we approach the latter, Philip Hammond, her Chancellor, continues to mount pressure on May to go for a ‘soft’ Brexit, whatever that entails.

Afterthought: Gove’s placement should cut any leadership challenges in the bud before they have a chance to bloom, should our papers be believed. Only time will tell.

The Guardian

Political leaning: Left

Today’s leading headline: May appeals for support as her future hangs in balance.

The Guardian, like many of today’s papers, covers the reshuffle of the cabinet as May seeks to remain in power and fend off any potential leadership challenges. The paper reports that, in a bid to remain in power, May has appealed to her colleagues by promising to run the government in a ‘more collegiate, less controlling way’.

Afterthought: The irony of May promising to run the government in a less controlling way whilst simultaneously attempting to push through legislation that would limit and control internet browsing is not lost. The paper covers and portrays the sacking of Hill and Timothy, May’s advisors, as a significant move.

The i

Political leaning: Centre

Today’s leading headline: Gove is back as May tries to rebuild.

The i today has a smiling Gove plastered across its front pages. The paper refers to Gove as the previously ‘banished Brexiteer’, who has been allowed to return to the front benches as a way of helping May stabilise her furious party. Figures over the weekend put the number of Tory MP’s who wanted May to resign as high as two thirds.

Gove’s impact cannot be understated enough, especially given the particularly bitter leadership race that he, May and Johnson undertook only a year ago.

Afterthought: The enemy of my enemy is also my enemy unless I desperately need support in suppressing a leadership challenge, as the old saying goes. Who knows what will happen now. One thing is for certain — the pundits don’t.

The Daily Mirror

Political leaning: Left

Today’s leading headline: Corbyn: I can be Prime Minister in months.

Today’s left wing Mirror goes on the aggressive, quoting the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Should a second snap election be called, Corbyn feels confident that he would win, and that he would be an able PM.

May has once again been described rather distastefully as a dead woman walking, a quote from George Osborne. The paper pushes the idea that she was forced to bring Gove back into the fold in a way similar to that of a drowning man grasping for the nearest object to keep him afloat.

Afterthought: The potential DUP agreement has fallen out of focus in the left’s gaze. Such is the life of a 24/7 news cycle.

Financial Times (UK)

Political leaning: Centre

Today’s leading headline: May faces showdown after being labelled ‘dead woman walking’.

Today’s FT once more focuses on the repercussions the election result will have on May’s Brexit campaign. A softer Brexit, which is more appealing for business leaders and ‘liberal Tories’ has increased in likelihood following May’s weakened post-election position.

Afterthought: May faces a whole host of varying and difficult decisions. Brexit looms on the horizon, as a potential leadership challenges bubbles below the surface. Any influential figure worth their sum in salt now sees their chance to influence the outcome of the next couple of years.

The Sun

Political leaning: Right

Today’s leading headline: BoJo: Binning May is a No-No.

Murdoch’s team again endorse one of their own, Boris Johnson, who penned an exclusive article for today’s Sun. Within, he implores his fellow Tories to remain loyal to their leader. Johnson states: “Theresa May led a campaign that inspired 13.7m people to vote Conservative, in the biggest total tally of Tory votes since the days of Margaret Thatcher. That is a stunning achievement, for which she deserves the support of her party. And she will certainly get it from me.” Leaked WhatsApp messages over the weekend appeared to show Johnson telling his fellow MP’s to remain loyal.

Afterthought: Call me a sceptic, but I put little faith in the deliberately leaked WhatsApp messages, and even less in Boris Johnson, a man fired for lying and with a history of deceit. The messages appeared like some poorly penned House of Cards scene in which Underwood tells his aides to ‘make the people like me or something’. Perhaps I’m being overly harsh and not fair.