Newspaper headlines: PM's Peppa Pig speech 'stokes Tory anger'

Tuesday's papers are quick to pick up on the Peppa Pig theme in Boris Johnson's speech to business leaders.

"A Pork Pie Short of a Picnic" is how the Daily Star sums up the prime minister's performance.

The Guardian pictures a smiling Mr Johnson, wearing a beanie, on a ride at Peppa Pig World. It describes his address as "rambling" and says he's losing the confidence of the Tory party.

According to the Financial Times there are calls from senior Tories to shake up the Downing Street team. And The Times says the speech - combined with the rebellion over social care - prompted one government source to express concern about "stumble after stumble" - warning, "people are sharpening their knives".

The Telegraph is more sympathetic towards Mr Johnson. It says that even if he lost his way in the speech, he was characteristically colourful - using Peppa Pig as an example of how a seemingly unprepossessing idea can become a global commercial success.

It argues his political appeal derives from his ability to connect with ordinary people using parallels they can understand. The Daily Mail's city editor, Alex Brummer, thinks that "by invoking Peppa as a great British export, Mr Johnson was seeking to reinvigorate his reputation as a supporter of private enterprise".

The Times lead is based on an article written for the paper by the woman who led the Covid vaccine taskforce, Kate Bingham.

She claims the country would have faced months of delays in getting jabs if it had been up to the normal machinery of government. She says there's a "devastating lack of skills in science and industry" although she does praise the intelligence and work ethic of individual civil servants.

The paper thinks her remarks echo criticisms made by Mr Johnson's former chief adviser, Dominic Cummings.

According to the Mail's lead, the Parole Board in England and Wales is facing a major shake-up - prompted by the widespread fury about the release of the child-killer, Colin Pitchfork. It says the Justice Secretary Dominic Raab wants the board to focus far more on the potential dangers before it decides to free murderers and rapists.

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The i paper's front page suggests people "Take a Covid Test Before Christmas Shopping".

It is based on changes to Cabinet Office guidelines which call for the public in England to use a rapid lateral flow before heading to high-risk settings. Separately, the paper carries a poll which suggests that nearly half of UK adults support an indefinite lockdown for unvaccinated people.

The decision by the Brit Awards to scrap male and female categories is the Sun's lead. It pictures Adele and Ed Sheeran, who it says will have to go head-to-head. The organisers argue the categories will now celebrate artists solely for their music.

And the Daily Mirror has the story of a retired decorator who's turned the interior of his council house into a Renaissance masterpiece, after buying an old book about Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel.

Photos show how he's transformed the walls and ceilings of the three-bed property in Brighton with colourful frescoes and paintings. "Home is where the art is," says the Mirror's headline.