Pro-Independence Scottish daily The National has attracted criticism after comparing new British Prime Minister Theresa May to fictional dognapper Cruella de Vil on its front page today.
The Newsquest title, which launched in November 2014, has a circulation of just over 15,000 copies per day according to ABC.
It mocked up an unflattering image on the front-page based on the depiction of the character from children’s book the One Hundred and One Dalmations as played by Glenn Close in the Disney films.
Wolverhampton Express and Star editor Ketih Harrison said on Twitter: “Some great front pages from across the political divide tomorrow. This isn’t one of them. #puerile #offensive.”
Some of the paper’s own readers even seemed to think it had gone a little far.
Mìcheal Marten said on Twitter: “We buy the @ScotNational, but this is puerile and stupid (increasingly the covers put me off).”
And a Twitter user called PoliticsScot said: “Jesus wept! No fan of May but that’s awful.”
STV News digital comment editor Stephen Daisley said on Twitter: “If you objected to how @NicolaSturgeon was portrayed by London tabloids but are fine with this, you’re a hypocrite.”
He also said: “Fun fact: Misogyny is totally cool if she’s an English Tory.”
The front reprised a front page published by the title marking the 2015 Budget last year.
Other national press front pages gave a more respectful treatment to the end of the Cameron years and the appointment of the second female prime minister in British history.
The exception was the Daily Mirror which poked fun at May’s decision to appoint Boris Johnson Foreign Secretary with the headline: “Dear World… …Sorry”
The story said that Britain’s credibility was “hanging by a thread” following the appointment of Johnson.
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