The impact of any change of policy on sales is understood to be a key factor in the minds of decision makers at the paper. Publisher News UK has previously publicly argued, in the face of mounting opposition from critics including the No More Page 3 campaign, that the feature remains popular with its readers and those who want rid of it do not buy the paper.

Days after what looked like the end of its use of topless models on Page 3 sparked celebrations among campaigners, Thursday’s Sun seems to have reverted to type.

Mellisa Clarke – The 2013 Page 3 Idol Winner, Strips Naked For ZOO! February 2013

Sabine Jemeljanova 

In what appears to be an attempt to regain control of the narrative surrounding the future of the newspaper’s Page 3, the paper again features a photograph of a topless model, which appears under a “Clarifications and Corrections” header and comes after a front-page panel announces: “We’ve had a mammary lapse.”
But others who have long regarded the 44-year-old practice as sexist, offensive and anachronistic were dismayed by the move.
“So it seems the fight might be back on,” tweeted Lucy-Anne Holmes, the founder of the No More Page 3 campaign, who added: “Thanks to @TheSunNewspaper for all the publicity they’ve given the campaign. See you tomorrow xxx”
The Labour MP, Stella Creasy, also offered her take: “So Sun going back to doing #page3? bit like drunken letchy uncle at a wedding who doesn’t get the message. Makes everyone uncomfortable.”
Another supporter of the campaign, Julia Churchill, added: “After #NoMorePage3 it felt like we were taking a good deep breath after being held under water, and now, a punch in the face.”
The head of PR at the Sun, Dylan Sharpe, tweeted earlier in the evening: “I said that it was speculation and not to trust reports by people unconnected to the Sun. A lot of people are about to look very silly … ”
Nevertheless, commentators were confident that the days of Page 3 are ultimately numbered, not least because of opposition from News Corp executive chairman Rupert Murdoch, who has declared that he finds the pictures old-fashioned and solicited the views of his followers on social media about the daily feature.
Sources told the Guardian that the Sun had planned for the demise of Page 3 to pass under the radar. When the Guardian revealed plans to scrap it on Monday, a senior editor quipped privately: “If I were the boss, I’d put in a topless pic just to spite everybody.”

The Sun’s stablemate the Times reported earlier this week that the tabloid was “quietly dropping” the feature and that Murdoch was understood to have signed off on the change of policy.
The paper added that last Friday’s edition of the paper would be the last that would “carry an image of a glamour model with bare breasts on that page”.
Topless Page 3 models were introduced by the Sun in 1970, less than a year after Murdoch bought the title.
The impact of any change of policy on sales is understood to be a key factor in the minds of decision makers at the paper. Publisher News UK has previously publicly argued, in the face of mounting opposition from critics including the No More Page 3 campaign, that the feature remains popular with its readers and those who want rid of it do not buy the paper.

Amii Grove

Holly Peers