Newspaper headlines: Grant Shapps's 'Tatler Tory' resignation, Jamie Vardy and Syria vote
- Published
Reflecting on the resignation of Grant Shapps over the "Tatler Tory scandal" - involving bullying claims within the Conservative Party - several papers suggest his might not be the last head to roll.
The Mail on Sunday wonders, external whether party chairman Lord Feldman - who previously shared the job with Mr Shapps - might be "doomed", after his former colleague stepped down amid claims he had failed to act on the allegations. The controversy erupted after the apparent suicide of activist Elliott Johnson, who had complained of being bullied.
"Shapps' allies claimed he had been made a 'scapegoat' to protect Feldman, a close friend of the prime minister," says the Mail. The Sunday Telegraph suggests, external Mr Shapps must be "getting used to it", having endured controversy over claims he tried to "mould his public image on the web", his use of a pseudonym - which he initially denied - for a second job and receipt of donations from firms linked to his portfolio when a shadow minister.
Mr Johnson's father, Ray, is quoted by the Sunday Telegraph, external piling pressure on David Cameron by saying: "There are others involved and we need to ensure there's a clear-out of all these unsavoury characters at Conservative headquarters."

Marie Woolf suggests in the Sunday Times, external that the Tories are "in crisis" and that there may be "broader political upheaval" following a death that has "shaken David Cameron's government". She continues: "It has also raised damning questions about the party's failure to respond to repeated warnings of poisonous misbehaviour in its junior ranks."
The Observer says the prime minister, external will launch an inquiry into the scandal, which centres on the actions of youth organiser Mark Clarke. Appointed to a role organising an election roadshow by Mr Shapps, Mr Clarke - who denies any wrongdoing - was "nicknamed one of the 'Tatler Tories' for his one-time appearance in an edition of the magazine," the paper says.
"Baroness Pidding, the chairwoman of the National Conservative Convention, is also under pressure to explain her involvement," says the Independent on Sunday, external. "Baroness Pidding is credited with arranging for Mr Clarke to be feted by the prime minister in public."
However, the Sun on Sunday says an internal party investigation isn't enough. "A young man has taken his own life after making serious allegations that were seemingly ignored... It is time for the police to investigate," it argues.

Eye-catching headlines
"Five cuppas a day keep the dentist away" - children as young as four would benefit from drinking tea, which bolsters fluoride levels to help keep tooth enamel strong, says a study quoted in the Sunday Times, external
"Skyhaul" - a "treasure trove" of pop star Adele's childhood possessions have been found at the north London flat where she grew up, reports the Sun on Sunday
"Bless me! It's Britain's first NUDIST bishop" - the Church of England's latest woman bishop is a strong advocate of naturism who stripped off in her youth, says the Mail on Sunday, external
"Flying Scotswoman" - the Sunday Express profiles the only female engineer working on the restoration of the steam locomotive, the Flying Scotsman, ahead of its planned return to the tracks

'Stilettos drawn'
The BBC show Strictly Come Dancing continues to make headlines, with the Daily Mirror giving Len Goodman, external space to fend off suggestions that he and fellow judges have been "deliberately over and under marking" competitors. He writes: "I want to stand up for the show, its integrity and my fellow judges... The show is without question fair, honest and without agenda."
There have also been claims of editors showing favouritism towards some contestants by re-recording crowd reaction, says the Sunday Times, external. Meanwhile, it says, other reports have suggested judges are allowed to watch dress rehearsals to give them the chance to discuss marks before the live show. It's a case of "stilettos drawn" and "blood on the dancefloor", the paper adds.

Other papers focus on rumours about relationships between the celebrity contestants and their professional dance partners. Former Coronation Street actress Georgia May Foote has described as "highly offensive" suggestions of a romance with Giovanni Pernice, says the People, external, adding that she's hoping for a romantic getaway with actor boyfriend Sean Ward after the series finishes.
In the Sunday Telegraph, external, Countyfile's Anita Rani admits she's in an "intense relationship" with Russian dancer Gleb Savchenko whose "physique is insane" but the paper points out it is "Strictly platonic". Meanwhile, another dancer - Anton du Beke - tells the Daily Star Sunday, external it's healthy when producers ditch established dancers to bring in young "hunks" like Savchenko. However, the paper says he's keen to avoid the chop, quoting him saying: "I'd like to be there forever."

What the commentators say
Sunday Times education editor Sian Griffiths joins James Millar, political correspondent from Scotland's Sunday Post, to review the papers for the BBC News Channel.

Primed to strike?
The political implications of next week's Commons vote on the extension of RAF air strikes to target Islamic State (IS or Isis) extremists in Syria are the focus of front pages.
However, the finer details of any missions - should the prime minister get his way over military action - are explored on inside pages. The RAF is "primed to strike", according to the Sun on Sunday, external. It says: "If MPs do vote for raids, top gun pilots would be sent within hours."
According to the Sunday People, external, French President Francois Hollande is "begging" the UK to use its precision Brimstone missiles to "destroy the Islamic State masterminds of the massacres that killed 130 people [in Paris] 17 days ago". The paper says the weapons can hit targets moving at 70mph from seven miles away, with the pilots deciding the point at which the laser-guided missiles explode.

However, People defence editor Chris Hughes, external reminds readers that accurate intelligence will be crucial because "ultimately these super-tech missiles are only as good as the people who fire them". In any case, the Mail on Sunday says, external it's been told by a senior Conservative MP that Britain "does not have enough aircraft to carry out effective bombing missions".
"Experts say that 24 Tornado ground-attack aircraft would be needed... But RAF sources say that only 'two to four' jets are poised to join the eight-strong force already operating over IS territory," the paper adds. The Sunday Times reports, external that any strikes would be against the IS stronghold of Raqqa.
"They could strike bunkers and tunnels built recently by the jihadists to defend the city against US-backed Kurdish and Arab rebel forces, which are about 20 miles away to the north," it says. "The RAF is also expected to target supply routes linking Raqqa to the Iraqi city of Ramadi... bombing bridges in an attempt to prevent Isis units fleeing."
For the Observer, external, Emma Graham-Harrison hears from Raqqa residents living as refugees in Turkey, having fled IS and attacks from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "Most are wary about the prospect of Britain joining the air campaign against their bitter enemy," she writes. "They fear that more bombs will cost more innocent lives in a city where the civilian population is now held prisoner by Isis to serve as a human shield."
Labour MP Jo Cox, who chairs the all-party group on Syria, argues in the Sunday Mirror, external that bombing must be accompanied by diplomatic efforts to tackle the threat posed by President Assad. "As long as civilians in Syria have to face his brutality, Isis will continue to find a steady stream of recruits. In this context no amount of military action against Isis will be able to eradicate it."

'Vardy time'
Tyson Fury's shock defeat of Wladimir Klitschko to become boxing's world heavyweight champion happened too late to make the early editions. However, sport makes it onto several front pages in the form of the Murray brothers - Jamie and Andy - who won their doubles match to leave Great Britain on the brink of winning tennis's Davis Cup for the first time in 79 years.
While the British team still needs to win one of today's singles matches to secure victory, one man features on back pages having already entered the record books. Leicester striker Jamie Vardy is in what the People calls "eleventh heaven" after scoring in 11 consecutive football matches to set a new record for the Premier League-era. It's a "haul of fame", says the Sunday Mirror, while the Sun declares it: "Vardy time."

For the Observer's Stuart James, external it was "one of those days when the perfect script had been written beforehand and Jamie Vardy followed it to the letter... All eyes were on Vardy before a ball had been kicked... When a Russian journalist asked before kick-off whether the main story was about the Leicester No 9 or the fact that this was a fixture between the top two clubs in the table it was difficult to know how to respond."
Noting Vardy's colourful language as he declared the record "all mine", Jonathan Northcroft writes in the Sunday Times, external: "It's not, perhaps, what Stan Mortensen would have said but you could forgive Jamie Vardy the emotion, the profanity."

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