Newspaper headlines: Is the party over for PM and 'contempt for victims'

Most of the front pages highlight how Boris Johnson's support among Conservative MPs has been damaged by the row over the drinks party in the Downing Street garden during the first Covid lockdown.

The Daily Mail's headline asks: "Is the party over for PM?" It believes that Mr Johnson has become "engulfed in the gravest crisis of his premiership". In its leader, the paper argues that the worst aspect of the "fiasco" is that it is distracting the government's attention from more important issues.

It believes the only way the prime minister can draw a line under the saga is by "admitting and apologising for his failings with humility and genuine contrition".

But the Daily Mirror thinks it may be too late for that. Its opinion column argues that Mr Johnson "faces a perfect storm which could finally topple him".

This, it believes, consists of "the heart-breaking memories of the bereaved, anger from medics who risked their lives to save others, and mounting fury from Conservative MPs".

The Sun reports that Mr Johnson "went into hiding yesterday" as the crisis worsened. There's a picture of him, used by several papers, being driven away in the back of a car after his morning jog. The Sun's headline is: "It's my party and I'll lie low if I want to."

According to the Guardian, the prime minister is "facing intense pressure" from senior Tories to confess publicly that he attended the drinks event. It reports that MPs have called on him to "come clean and apologise today, in the hope of stemming rising fury".

That theme is picked up by the Times' headline: "Say sorry or doom us all". It quotes an unnamed cabinet minister as saying that: "It's not terminal yet - there's still room for humility and a heartfelt apology."

The paper says Mr Johnson's refusal to say whether he attended the event "will be put under further strain today as he attends Prime Minister's Questions".

The Daily Telegraph reports that many Conservative MPs think the prime minister should resign if he broke coronavirus rules.

But its leader urges him to "clear up the mess" by either confirming he wasn't at the event in May 2020, or admitting he was and giving an explanation.

Some Conservative MPs have told the Financial Times that the row is "potentially terminal" for Mr Johnson's leadership. The paper argues that it's particularly toxic because it implicates the prime minister directly, and because "this is a scandal whose inequity voters understand and feel keenly".

The online-only Independent alleges that Downing Street staff were told to remove data from their phones which could suggest parties were held there during lockdown.

It says two unnamed sources have made that suggestion. But a No 10 spokesperson insists they don't recognise the claim, saying: "Staff were given clear guidance to retain any relevant information."

The Daily Express tries to introduce a note of positivity with its headline: "Winning war on Covid, fixed Brexit... don't blow it now, PM".

It acknowledges that Mr Johnson's leadership is "bogged down in the controversy".

But it insists that "he still has the opportunity to lance the boil" if he responds to the allegations with "clarity and sincerity".

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