A second regional daily in successive days has used its front page to satirise Boris Johnson over coronavirus rules affecting its patch.

Sheffield daily The Star splashed yesterday on a cartoon of the Prime Minister following South Yorkshire’s move into tier three restrictions.

HTFP reported on Wednesday how the Manchester Evening News had depicted Boris Johnson as a ‘Joker’ on its front page after a funding row which saw Andy Burnham, Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, accuse the government of “playing poker with people’s lives”.

The image for The Star’s splash was designed by cartoonist James Whitworth and lampooned the government’s ‘Hands. Face. Space.’ public health message.

The accompanying headline read: “So remember – wash your hands of the Sheffield region, don’t face up to the impact of your decisions and increase the space between the North and the South.”

As well as The Star, Sheffield-based James works for titles including the Sheffield Telegraph and Edinburgh Evening News.

Posting a picture of the splash on Twitter, James said it was “very nice to see a page one cartoon”.

Mark Hanna, co-author of McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists was among those to praise the design.

He said: “A cartoon splash… absolutely fantastic. Congratulations James Whitworth.

“You have many of your fine cartoons to hang over your fireplace, but maybe this one will have pride of place.”

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