EU referendum: How Britain's Eurosceptic newspapers reacted to David Cameron's 'new settlement'

It has long been thought Eurosceptic papers would urge their readers to vote to leave – but appearances can be deceptive

Front pages of national newspapers on the Prime Minister's EU deal (PA)

Britain’s Eurosceptic newspapers greeted David Cameron’s “new settlement” with the EU with hostility. “It Stinks,” The Sun said in its editorial comment on Wednesday. “The Great Delusion!” screamed the Daily Mail’s front page.

It has long been thought likely that Eurosceptic papers would urge their readers to vote to leave the EU once they secured the in/out referendum they have long demanded. But appearances can be deceptive; it is far from certain that they will all endorse the Out campaign.

The betting is that Rupert Murdoch will keep a foot in both camps by “splitting the vote” of his four UK newspapers. It would be difficult for The Sun to come out for EU membership given its readers’ views on immigration. But The Times might emerge as a reluctant supporter – on balance-- of continued EU membership.

Mr Murdoch’s hatred of Brussels may have mellowed with age. The EU regulation he once railed against may now suit his business interests. Amid the row over Google’s £130m back tax deal last week, the media magnate claimed: “Google has cleverly planted dozens of their people in White House, Downing St, other governments. Most brilliant new lobbying effort yet.”

But the Murdoch empire now lobbies hard in Brussels, where it hopes that under Jean Claude-Juncker, the European Commission will crack down on tech companies like Google, a big commercial rival. A single regulatory system in Europe may suit Sky TV, in which Mr Murdoch’s News Corp has a 39 per cent stake.

Senior Tories including Boris Johnson, who is weighing up whether to become the Out campaign’s figurehead, are said to be frustrated by Mr Murdoch’s reluctance to urge an Out vote with all guns blazing. “He talks a good game but doesn’t deliver when it comes to the crunch,” one Eurosceptic minister complained.

At the Mail, the editor Paul Dacre’s instincts will be to campaign for withdrawal and he will certainly give Mr Cameron a hard time. But Viscount Rothermere, chairman of Daily Mail and General Trust, is understood to be in favour of staying in the EU, so the Mail may stop short of urging readers to vote Out.

The Daily Express, which endorsed Ukip at last year’s general election, is certain to urge withdrawal and the Out campaign also hopes to win the support of the Eurosceptic Daily Telegraph. The In camp is confident of winning the backing of the Financial Times, The Guardian, the Daily Mirror and The Independent.