What the papers say: Did ‘Operation Batter Boris’ go too far?

The takeaway point from last night’s EU referendum showdown was the extent of the personal attacks on Boris. The former Mayor of London came under repeated fire during the debate – with his Tory colleague Amber Rudd leading the charge. But did she go too far? And is there a chance the intention of targeting Boris could end up backfiring? Here’s what the papers had to say:

Anyone reading The Sun‘s coverage of the debate will probably end up feeling sorry for Boris. The article tells how Boris ‘suffered relentless abuse’ over his apparent ambitions to be the next PM. It also goes on to say Rudd ‘reeled off Government lines of attack on the economy’. Dubbing Rudd, Nicola Sturgeon and Angela Eagle, ‘the Gang of three’, the coverage here paints Boris as having done his best to persuade Brits to ‘break free from EU shackles’. Boris will, undoubtedly, be delighted with this sort of write-up: it shows him to be principled as well as calm and collected when coming under fire.