The Sun splits UK election support with backing for both Conservatives and SNP
Britain’s biggest selling tabloid newspaper has adopted a schizophrenic editorial stance in regards to the upcoming general election, with the UK edition of the title coming out in support of the Conservatives to ‘stop SNP running the country’ whilst the Scottish edition calls for just that.
The News UK title dedicated its front page north of the border to a photoshopped image of SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon superimposed over an image of Princess Leia from Star Wars, it went onto lavish praise on the politician, lauding Sturgeon as a ‘phenomenon’ and slipping in a ‘May the 7th be with you’ pun.
Readers south of the border could have been forgiven for thinking they were reading an entirely different paper however as a very different front page screamed ‘It’s a Tory!’, announcing the title’s support for the SNP’s avowed enemies to keep the economy on track and guarantee an EU vote.
Explaining the divergent stances Andrew Nicoll, political editor of the Scottish Sun said the differing views represented ‘two distinct editorial positions from two distinct, editorially-diverse newspapers".
He added: "We are a Scottish newspaper, run in Scotland, printed in Scotland, produced in Scotland by Scots, and it's not a surprise to anybody - least of all Rupert Murdoch - that these two papers have a diversion of view tonight."
The one unifying strand of both editions is an attack on Labour, with much discussion as to whether the paper actually shapes political opinion or merely reflects it.