The chancellor's warning that there'll be no blank cheques in next week's spending review is the main story for the Daily Telegraph. In his article for the paper Sajid Javid pledges to stick to fiscal rules that restrict how much the government can borrow. The Telegraph believes this could spark a disagreement between Mr Javid and members of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's team who have been arguing for the rules to be abandoned. The paper has also picked out the possible losers in next week's announcement: defence, local councils and culture and business schemes.
Many of the papers report on anger amongst Brexiteer Conservative MPs about the prime minister's pursuit of a new Brexit deal with Brussels. The Financial Times says they are on a "collision course" with Number 10 because of indications Mr Johnson may seek to leave Theresa May's withdrawal agreement largely intact, apart from the Irish backstop. An unnamed ally of the prime minister is widely quoted, saying: "we know the Spartans are going to accuse us of betrayal at some point" - referring to hardline Eurosceptics. The Sun urges Mr Johnson to "tread carefully", warning that Nigel Farage will capitalise if sovereign powers are signed away in a rush to get Brexit done. The Times leads on Mr Johnson's accusation of sabotage, levelled at opposition MPs after they revealed their plans for stopping a no-deal Brexit. A Number 10 source tells the paper progress is being made in negotiations with Brussels and that Jeremy Corbyn's strategy risks weakening the UK's position.
'Dramatic and controversial' The Guardian's front page highlights leaked plans to boost funding for schools in England. The paper says they are part of a "dramatic and controversial" series of reforms, designed to seize the initiative on education before a possible snap election. The Guardian's leader column is scathing. It says talk of teachers using "reasonable force" to promote good behaviour is "chilling", and notes that the four billion pound cash injection falls short of what colleges have been asking for. The proposals are, according to the paper, a sign that Mr Johnson's government is more focused on tomorrow's headlines than solving today's problems. "Andrew Knows What He's Done" is the headline for the Daily Mail, and the Sun, quoting an alleged victim of the duke's former friend Jeffrey Epstein at yesterday's court hearing in New York. The statement by Virginia Giuffre, who says she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew aged 17, will renew pressure on Buckingham Palace, according to the Mail. Both papers note the duke's strenuous denials of wrongdoing.
Bury's expulsion from the Football League - late on Tuesday night - makes some of the back pages, of the papers' second editions. Many picture a lone supporter, wrapped in a flag and head bowed, at the club's Gigg Lane ground. The Daily Mirror says it is hard not to look at the billions swirling around in football's elite strata and wonder if more could have been done. The Guardian describes "despair, disbelief and fury" in Bury after the town's 134-year-old football club was expelled. For the Independent website, Bury's demise is nothing short of a national tragedy and a sign that the fabric of the English game is being ripped apart. The Bury Times, meanwhile, takes stock of the club's proud history: two FA cup wins, 11 promotions, and 4,852 matches - many at Gigg Lane, one of the oldest grounds in the world.
World in meltdown The Daily Mirror's main story is a special report from a town in Greenland hundreds of miles north of the Arctic Circle, where it says children are playing in the sea during a 22C (72F) heatwave. A fourth-generation hunter in the town of Qaanaaq describes how he's had to abandon the family profession, putting down his dogs, because retreating glaciers mean he has had to become a fisherman. The paper's headline declares: "Our world is in meltdown". And the Guardian reveals that brothers Ray and Dave Davies - the driving forces behind The Kinks - are working on new music together after decades of animosity. The paper has spoken to Dave, the band's pioneering lead guitarist, who says the pair are talking again - or "talking-ish", as he puts it. Their rapprochement has apparently led to a large number of ideas for songs, some of which, the 72-year-old says, are "really good".
And the Times warns readers to lock up their cheese at night, because researchers have made mice that can see in the dark. The paper says specially designed tiny particles injected into the eyes of mice allowed them to see normally invisible light, similar to how night-vision goggles work. The particles are then slowly removed by the body, according to the paper. If no side-effects are found, the paper adds that there is no reason the technique cannot work on humans.
May's deal Approve the withdrawal agreement Against 344
For 286
Tellers are not included in totals, but are included in the graphics and searchable table People who voted against the deal at Meaningful Vote 2 but for it this time include: Lucy Allan, Richard Bacon, Crispin Blunt, Conor Burns, Rehman Chishti, Simon Clarke, Damian Collins, Rosie Cooper, Robert Courts, Richard Drax, Iain Duncan Smith, Charlie Elphicke, Michael Fabricant, Sir Michael Fallon, Jim Fitzpatrick, James Gray, Chris Green, Mark Harper, Gordon Henderson, Eddie Hughes, Boris Johnson, Gareth Johnson, Daniel Kawczynski, Pauline Latham, Andrew Lewer, Ian Liddell-Grainger, Jonathan Lord, Esther McVey, Anne Main, Sheryll Murray, Tom Pursglove, Dominic Raab, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Grant Shapps, Henry Smith, Royston Smith, Bob Stewart, Ross Thomson, Michael Tomlinson, Craig Tracey, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Shailesh Vara, John Whittingdale
It's no surprise that the prime minister's announcement that he will suspend Parliament next month dominates Thursday's editions. The Daily Mirror accuses Boris Johnson of creating a "constitutional crisis" for the benefit only of his own political future. In its leader column, the Guardian calls his actions "a grotesque abuse of the country's highest political office".
The Financial Times urges MPs to pass a motion of no confidence in the prime minister. It warns darkly that if he refuses to resign, as The Times moots, it "would confirm Britain has a despot". The Daily Mail objects to what it calls the "hysterics of the Remain irreconcilables". It insists it is not "glorying" in what it calls the "sobering step", but suggests Mr Johnson's tactic is paying off and that the EU is signalling it may offer concessions. The Times draws a similar conclusion but urges Mr Johnson now to prepare to fight an election and win a "thumping majority". The Daily Telegraph predicts that the next few weeks will be chaotic but praises the prime minister for acting "boldly". The Sun reports on a study of more than 20 million births which suggests that children delivered by C-section are a third more likely to develop autism. The Swedish academics also found there was a higher risk of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. But according to the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, British scientists have questioned the research. They explain that the higher incidence does not show the caesarean delivery causes the conditions. The arrival of the 16-year-old climate activist, Greta Thunberg, in New York after her 15-day voyage across the Atlantic in a yacht is marked by several papers.
The Guardian speaks to some of the enthusiastic crowds who greeted her. The Green MEP Molly Scott Cato suggests her journey sends a message to us all to reconsider how we travel. But The Spectator questions its virtue, raising the controversy over the flights of the support team. The magazine asks why she couldn't stay at home and rely instead on the internet for communication. There's been a call to cut the drink-drive limit, according to the Guardian and the Times. Both papers say that the number of people killed in alcohol-fuelled crashes has reached an eight-year high. The Daily Mail suggests a hard core of male drink-drivers has been blamed for the increase. But the Department of Transport tells the Times that the extra deaths are not statistically significant as they're based on estimates.
Meanwhile the Daily Mirror reports on a survey which reveals that one in six bus drivers has fallen asleep while driving at least once in the past year. One in five say they fight sleepiness at least twice a week, and 5% said they had been in an accident because of tiredness. Such issues will be long forgotten in 50 years' time though, if the predictions made in the Sun come to pass, with high-power drones taking the place of buses and taxis. The Sun and the Daily Mirror also show images of what they call "earthscrapers" in which homes and offices will be built underground. Futurologists also suggest we could be snacking on bug burgers or worm kebabs.
As the prospect of no deal becomes more likely, and ever closer, who should we blame.
Boris Johnson, who seems to have made little attempt at any negotiations with the EU, subsequent to becoming PM, and just made some impossible demands. His suspension of Parliament has been criticised by many.
The ERG faction of the Tory Party, who are threatening to vote against any deal, with or without the backstop. So getting any deal through just relying on Tory and DUP votes seems impossible.
The Labour Party in particular, and the opposition parties in general. Labour have stood by the stance of not voting for any damaging Tory Brexit. The other 2 main opposition parties are determined to stop Brexit at all costs.
The Tories have a working majority of one, if you include DUP votes, so they would have to rely on votes from the opposition parties to get any deal through.
If the only reasonable way to avoid no deal is to vote for a deal, who should we blame?
Coverage of the ongoing row over the suspension of Parliament continues to dominate the front pages. The Sun says it is "All Systems Go-Jo" after Boris Johnson promised to step up efforts to renegotiate the withdrawal deal by increasing the number of meetings his officials have with counterparts in Brussels. The BuzzFeed website claims Downing Street is examining what it calls "a series of extreme measures to force through Brexit".
They include creating new bank holidays to stop Parliament sitting, ignoring legal judgements, or even advising the Queen to not give Royal Assent to any bills that further delay Brexit. The Independent is one of a number of outlets focusing on what they call "The Fightback". The Sun takes a more unflattering approach, calling Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn a "Rabble Rouser" after he backed protestors to "shut down the streets" with demonstrations.
Dictatorial powers' The Daily Telegraph reports that the Commons speaker, John Bercow, has been "colluding" with the Conservative backbench MP Oliver Letwin in an attempt to stop parliamentary proceedings being suspended. Writing in the same paper, the Tory MP Iain Duncan Smith urges Mr Bercow to retain his impartiality, saying "his good record of reform in Parliament may be lost in the mire of the Brexit debate." The Daily Express, meanwhile, claims the Queen will refuse to meet the Labour leader, over fears of being dragged into the political turmoil at Westminster. The Daily Mail's Ephraim Hardcastle column ponders whether that may have been prompted by his decision to decline the traditional offer of an audience with the Queen upon becoming leader, noting that "HM will not have forgotten". The Times reports that rebel Conservative MPs are plotting to force Parliament to sit at weekends to block a no-deal Brexit, while Gina Miller writes a column in the Guardian on why she is taking the prime minister to court over the decision to suspend Parliament. In it, she says it "will set a horrifying precedent that will mean Mr Johnson will be able to exercise dictatorial powers whenever he sees fits"
'Britain's best battler' There is plenty of coverage of Ruth Davidson's decision to step down as the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, with many carrying pictures of her welling up as she made the announcement. Scotland's edition of the Times claims the party is considering splitting from the wider Tory party following Ms Davidson's decision. An editorial in the Daily Record says that Scottish "independence seems more likely than ever" after "Britain's best battler raised the white flag," while Peter Geoghegan writes on the Politico website that Ms Davidson's "resignation raises serious questions for the Conservative Party north and south of the border". The UK-wide papers are almost universal in praise of the former leader and the manner of her departure.
Fraser Nelson writes in the Daily Telegraph that following Ms Davidson's example could help heal the country's divisions over Brexit after she "taught her party that the impossible can be pulled off". John Crace's sketch in the Guardian praises her principles, saying that "amid the Tory hypocrites and chancers, a conscience stirred". The Daily Mail is one of a number of papers to report on scientists discovering that there is no single gene which dictates whether somebody is gay. Experts at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology analysed genetic data from almost 500,000 people, and concluded that genetics hereditary factors account for between 8-25% of same-sex sexual behaviour when the whole genome is considered. Five specific genetic variants were found to be more closely associated with homosexuality, including one linked to the sense of smell.
Alleged friction at the highest levels of government over the sacking of a special adviser to the chancellor is the lead on several front pages. The Guardian talks of a "furious" Sajid Javid confronting Boris Johnson over the fate of Sonia Khan, amid claims that a "deep culture of fear" has taken hold within government. The Times says Mr Javid is understood to have told the prime minister he wants Ms Khan reinstated and quotes an unnamed source as saying that he "does not consider the matter closed". There is considerable focus on the man said to have sacked Ms Khan - Boris Johnson's most senior aide, Dominic Cummings, who is said to hold more sway than most cabinet members, according to the Times.
The Daily Telegraph leads on suggestions that the EU is preparing to extend Article 50 to prevent a no-deal Brexit. It says Eurosceptics see it as a sign that "Brussels is starting to crack, under pressure from Boris Johnson". The Daily Mail says Mr Johnson's "gamble in suspending parliament to deliver Brexit" has "paid off". A Survation poll for the paper suggests the Tories have opened up a seven point lead over Labour - nearly double the gap three weeks ago. The Independent says fresh doubts have been cast over the prime minister's commitment to securing a deal, after the government said it would not delay the UK's departure - even to give Parliament time to approve a new agreement. Meanwhile, the Sun says it can reveal that Tory MPs who vote to block a no-deal Brexit will be sacked from the party. Mr Johnson, it says, will treat next week's Commons votes like "no confidence votes" and bar Remainer rebels from standing at the next general election.
Fears rise of hard border in Ireland after Brexit after old customs post is turned into construction site
Ireland has turned an old customs post on its border with the UK into a construction site, raising fears that it could soon be used to carry out checks on goods in a ‘no deal’ Brexit scenario. The site of the old customs post, which sits on the edge of the Republic of Ireland side of the border in the town of Lifford, was demolished and resurfaced earlier this year and a “keep out” sign has been fixed on the entrance. It comes after Northern Irish police on the other side of the border cancelled the sale of a police station in Castlederg as a precautionary measure, in case backup forces were required to maintain order. Border communities fear that a return to checkpoints and customs posts...
In an interview with the Sunday Times, the prime minister sheds light on how he is approaching the job, saying that he is "hugely" enjoying it, and is working "non-stop". We are told that Boris Johnson has on the mantelpiece of his Downing Street office a digital clock counting down the hours, minutes and seconds until Brexit is due. The paper points out that he is deadly serious about making sure the UK leaves on 31 October. It says he hasn't ruled out measures to stop a Bill that would force him to seek an extension of that deadline - such as packing the Lords with hundreds of peers to vote it down.
The Mail on Sunday's headline is: "Bring down Boris? You wouldn't dare". It has a piece written by the leader of the Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg, in which he argues that Conservatives who oppose Mr Johnson's Brexit strategy won't support a vote of no confidence because they know that he would win a general election. The paper's editorial column speaks of "the absurd over-reactions of the past few days" to Mr Johnson's prorogation of Parliament. It suggests that Mr Johnson's move is "a perfectly reasonable response to openly-declared plans by Remainers to try to bring down the government".
Many of the front pages have photographs of the protesters who marched to Downing Street on Saturday - angered by last week's announcement. The Observer's picture shows Whitehall crammed with people as far as the eye can see, carrying placards, banners and EU flags, and with the Cenotaph towering above them. Under the headline "Remain revolt will trigger election", the Sunday Express explains that if opponents of the government succeed in blocking a no-deal Brexit in the next few days, Boris Johnson will call a general election.
The Sunday Telegraph has interviewed Asia Bibi, who was sentenced to death in Pakistan for being Christian. Ms Bibi fled to Canada earlier this year after being freed from prison, where she had spent eight years. She urges people around the world to help those in her country who are still in jail, and at risk of being put to death. The Sunday Telegraph's leader echoes that call, stating that "too often, western politicians are silent about the persecution of Christianity - out of ignorance or political correctness - and that has to end".
According to the Sunday Mirror, referees who preside over children's football matches are suffering increasing levels of abuse - at the hands of both players and parents. The problem has become so acute that the charity, Ref Support UK, is calling for them to be allowed to wear body cameras. A spokesman is quoted as saying that if people knew they were being filmed, they would be less likely to threaten or attack referees. Finally, the Sun reports that a group of American tourists in Balmoral were left dumbfounded when they asked a woman in tweeds and a headscarf if she had ever met the Queen. The paper said she gestured towards a man nearby and said "no but this policeman has". The man was a former royal protection officer - and the woman was, of course, the Queen.
Tory minister filmed admitting Boris Johnson’s move to suspend parliament motivated by Brexit Ben Wallace admits he does not know what the outcome of the PM’s EU withdrawal strategy will be
Defence secretary Ben Wallace has been caught on camera suggesting that Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend parliament was driven by the demands of his Brexit plans.
Mr Wallace appeared to admit that the government faced difficulties in maintaining control in a finely balanced House of Commons, conceding that he did not know what the outcome of Mr Johnson’s dramatic gambit will be.
The prime minister insisted on Wednesday that it was “completely untrue” that Brexit was behind the use of a mechanism known as “prorogation” to shut the doors of Westminster on MPs for five weeks in the run-up to the 31 October deadline for EU withdrawal.
But speaking to his French counterpart Florence Parly, Mr Wallace discussed the move in terms of the need to reach a conclusion to the three-year Brexit process.
“Parliament has been very good at saying what it doesn’t want. It has been awful at saying what it wants,” he said.
“That’s the reality. So eventually any leader has to, you know, try.” “I don’t know what the outcome will be,” he said, before adding with a laugh: “Politics.” “Our system is a winner-takes-all system,” he continued. “If you win a parliamentary majority you control everything, you control the timetable. There’s no written separation, so… you pretty much are in command of the whole thing.
“And we’ve suddenly found ourselves with no majority and a coalition and that’s not easy for our system.”
Brexit: Michel Barnier rejects demands for backstop to be axed
The EU's lead Brexit negotiator has rejected Boris Johnson's demands for the Irish backstop to be scrapped. Michel Barnier said the backstop - intended to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland - was the "maximum flexibility" the EU could offer. Mr Johnson has previously told the EU the arrangement must be ditched if a no-deal Brexit was to be avoided. Meanwhile, the PM has told rebel Tories they face a "fundamental choice" of siding with him or Jeremy Corbyn. His comments come as some MPs who oppose a no-deal Brexit - including Conservatives - are planning to take action in Parliament next week.
There is no doubt in my mind that if we could turn the clock back, that the referendum question on the ballot paper should have been, leave with a deal, leave with no deal, or remain. It is difficult to argue against the fact that, splitting the leave vote would have meant that remain would have won. I believe that this would have been fair as many voters from the leave side of the argument are clearly dead against leaving with no deal. Also, had the result been to leave, but with a deal that meant that we maintained close ties to the EU, would have satisfied many from both sides of the argument. There was not until very recently any consideration of ever leaving without a deal. Parliament has confirmed in a number of votes that it is clearly against leaving without a deal. Time constraints are a massive factor in whether or not Parliament can stop no deal going through, before the October deadline. The suspension of Parliament further restricts the time available, and obviously makes stopping no deal increasingly difficult. The motive for doing this is extremely clear, despite the excuses made by the PM. Those that argue that ignoring the referendum result is undemocratic, surely cant argue that suspending Parliament, or leaving with no deal, is democratic. A second referendum is increasingly looking like the least undemocratic way to end the impasse.
The government’s plans to end freedom of movement at midnight on October 31 have been torn up after lawyers warned that ministers risked losing a court case that would derail no-deal preparations. Priti Patel, the home secretary, signalled last month that freedom of movement would legally end when the UK leaves the EU. However, plans to change the law in one move were shelved when lawyers hired by the Home Office said this could cause chaos. Freedom of movement for EU nationals was to be abolished using the upcoming Immigration Bill, but that will not become law in time for the Halloween deadline. Ministers then explored plans to use provisions in the European Union Withdrawal Act that would allow ministers to change the law without…
"Back me or I'll sack you" is the headline on the Daily Mail's front page, summarising Boris Johnson's message to his own MPs. It says the prime minister has vowed to "boot out" any Conservative who votes against the government this week, to try to block a no-deal Brexit. The Daily Express says the prime minister is determined to "crush" a rebellion. The website, Politics Home, calls the move "uncompromising", while the Sun calls it "drastic". One Tory rebel, a former cabinet minister, tells the Times that he would stand as an independent Conservative in an election if he was deselected. He questions a "purity test" for Tory MPs, saying voters would be put off by the idea of a "mass purge". Writing on the Spectator website, James Forsyth thinks upping the stakes will have an impact on some "waverers", arguing "there will be those who are reluctant to end their careers in the party over this issue." But he says the approach is risky, as a Tory MP who decides they have nothing left to lose could then vote down the government, and back an alternative prime minister.
The Daily Mail reports on the "backlash" against cabinet minister Michael Gove, after he suggested on the BBC on Sunday that the government might ignore any law passed to prevent a no-deal Brexit. It says he has been called a "disgrace to democracy", while the Independent says the prime minister has been accused of presiding over an "elective dictatorship". But the Sun leaps to their defence in its editorial. "Why should the government promise to enact some as yet unwritten law being cooked up by Remainers, with their rogue Speaker?", it asks - saying all bets were off when Remain MPs promised to respect the referendum, then betrayed every pledge.
The Times reports that high street pharmacies are to offer free on-the-spot checks to shoppers from October, checking their blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It says the aim is to save 150,000 lives over the next decade. The Daily Mail says experts think it will reach the millions of people at risk of strokes or heart attacks, but who rarely visit their GP so don't realise the danger. It calls the latest idea "eminently sensible", saying it encourages people to take responsibility for their own health. The Daily Telegraph says the medical director of NHS England, Prof Stephen Powis, calls the approach a "game changer". But the paper notes that the plan has been launched alongside a proposal to scrap the current "health MOTs" which are available at GP surgeries.
Michael Gove savaged over 'untrue' claim Brexit won't lead to food shortages "Everyone will have the food they need," Mr Gove reassured the nation - but the British Retail Consortium violently disagrees
Industry chiefs have savaged Tory Michael Gove's "categorically untrue" claim there will be no food shortages in a no-deal Brexit.
Comments
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-polls-remain-leave-eu-children-marry-a9079756.html
The chancellor's warning that there'll be no blank cheques in next week's spending review is the main story for the Daily Telegraph.
In his article for the paper Sajid Javid pledges to stick to fiscal rules that restrict how much the government can borrow.
The Telegraph believes this could spark a disagreement between Mr Javid and members of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's team who have been arguing for the rules to be abandoned.
The paper has also picked out the possible losers in next week's announcement: defence, local councils and culture and business schemes.
Many of the papers report on anger amongst Brexiteer Conservative MPs about the prime minister's pursuit of a new Brexit deal with Brussels.
The Financial Times says they are on a "collision course" with Number 10 because of indications Mr Johnson may seek to leave Theresa May's withdrawal agreement largely intact, apart from the Irish backstop.
An unnamed ally of the prime minister is widely quoted, saying: "we know the Spartans are going to accuse us of betrayal at some point" - referring to hardline Eurosceptics.
The Sun urges Mr Johnson to "tread carefully", warning that Nigel Farage will capitalise if sovereign powers are signed away in a rush to get Brexit done.
The Times leads on Mr Johnson's accusation of sabotage, levelled at opposition MPs after they revealed their plans for stopping a no-deal Brexit.
A Number 10 source tells the paper progress is being made in negotiations with Brussels and that Jeremy Corbyn's strategy risks weakening the UK's position.
'Dramatic and controversial'
The Guardian's front page highlights leaked plans to boost funding for schools in England.
The paper says they are part of a "dramatic and controversial" series of reforms, designed to seize the initiative on education before a possible snap election.
The Guardian's leader column is scathing. It says talk of teachers using "reasonable force" to promote good behaviour is "chilling", and notes that the four billion pound cash injection falls short of what colleges have been asking for.
The proposals are, according to the paper, a sign that Mr Johnson's government is more focused on tomorrow's headlines than solving today's problems.
"Andrew Knows What He's Done" is the headline for the Daily Mail, and the Sun, quoting an alleged victim of the duke's former friend Jeffrey Epstein at yesterday's court hearing in New York.
The statement by Virginia Giuffre, who says she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew aged 17, will renew pressure on Buckingham Palace, according to the Mail. Both papers note the duke's strenuous denials of wrongdoing.
Bury's expulsion from the Football League - late on Tuesday night - makes some of the back pages, of the papers' second editions.
Many picture a lone supporter, wrapped in a flag and head bowed, at the club's Gigg Lane ground.
The Daily Mirror says it is hard not to look at the billions swirling around in football's elite strata and wonder if more could have been done.
The Guardian describes "despair, disbelief and fury" in Bury after the town's 134-year-old football club was expelled.
For the Independent website, Bury's demise is nothing short of a national tragedy and a sign that the fabric of the English game is being ripped apart.
The Bury Times, meanwhile, takes stock of the club's proud history: two FA cup wins, 11 promotions, and 4,852 matches - many at Gigg Lane, one of the oldest grounds in the world.
World in meltdown
The Daily Mirror's main story is a special report from a town in Greenland hundreds of miles north of the Arctic Circle, where it says children are playing in the sea during a 22C (72F) heatwave.
A fourth-generation hunter in the town of Qaanaaq describes how he's had to abandon the family profession, putting down his dogs, because retreating glaciers mean he has had to become a fisherman. The paper's headline declares: "Our world is in meltdown".
And the Guardian reveals that brothers Ray and Dave Davies - the driving forces behind The Kinks - are working on new music together after decades of animosity.
The paper has spoken to Dave, the band's pioneering lead guitarist, who says the pair are talking again - or "talking-ish", as he puts it.
Their rapprochement has apparently led to a large number of ideas for songs, some of which, the 72-year-old says, are "really good".
And the Times warns readers to lock up their cheese at night, because researchers have made mice that can see in the dark.
The paper says specially designed tiny particles injected into the eyes of mice allowed them to see normally invisible light, similar to how night-vision goggles work.
The particles are then slowly removed by the body, according to the paper. If no side-effects are found, the paper adds that there is no reason the technique cannot work on humans.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-49491364
May's deal
Approve the withdrawal agreement
Against
344
For
286
Tellers are not included in totals, but are included in the graphics and searchable table
People who voted against the deal at Meaningful Vote 2 but for it this time include: Lucy Allan, Richard Bacon, Crispin Blunt, Conor Burns, Rehman Chishti, Simon Clarke, Damian Collins, Rosie Cooper, Robert Courts, Richard Drax, Iain Duncan Smith, Charlie Elphicke, Michael Fabricant, Sir Michael Fallon, Jim Fitzpatrick, James Gray, Chris Green, Mark Harper, Gordon Henderson, Eddie Hughes, Boris Johnson, Gareth Johnson, Daniel Kawczynski, Pauline Latham, Andrew Lewer, Ian Liddell-Grainger, Jonathan Lord, Esther McVey, Anne Main, Sheryll Murray, Tom Pursglove, Dominic Raab, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Grant Shapps, Henry Smith, Royston Smith, Bob Stewart, Ross Thomson, Michael Tomlinson, Craig Tracey, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Shailesh Vara, John Whittingdale
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2019/mar/29/how-did-your-mp-vote-on-the-withdrawal-agreement
It's no surprise that the prime minister's announcement that he will suspend Parliament next month dominates Thursday's editions.
The Daily Mirror accuses Boris Johnson of creating a "constitutional crisis" for the benefit only of his own political future.
In its leader column, the Guardian calls his actions "a grotesque abuse of the country's highest political office".
The Financial Times urges MPs to pass a motion of no confidence in the prime minister. It warns darkly that if he refuses to resign, as The Times moots, it "would confirm Britain has a despot".
The Daily Mail objects to what it calls the "hysterics of the Remain irreconcilables". It insists it is not "glorying" in what it calls the "sobering step", but suggests Mr Johnson's tactic is paying off and that the EU is signalling it may offer concessions.
The Times draws a similar conclusion but urges Mr Johnson now to prepare to fight an election and win a "thumping majority".
The Daily Telegraph predicts that the next few weeks will be chaotic but praises the prime minister for acting "boldly".
The Sun reports on a study of more than 20 million births which suggests that children delivered by C-section are a third more likely to develop autism. The Swedish academics also found there was a higher risk of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
But according to the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, British scientists have questioned the research. They explain that the higher incidence does not show the caesarean delivery causes the conditions.
The arrival of the 16-year-old climate activist, Greta Thunberg, in New York after her 15-day voyage across the Atlantic in a yacht is marked by several papers.
The Guardian speaks to some of the enthusiastic crowds who greeted her. The Green MEP Molly Scott Cato suggests her journey sends a message to us all to reconsider how we travel.
But The Spectator questions its virtue, raising the controversy over the flights of the support team. The magazine asks why she couldn't stay at home and rely instead on the internet for communication.
There's been a call to cut the drink-drive limit, according to the Guardian and the Times.
Both papers say that the number of people killed in alcohol-fuelled crashes has reached an eight-year high.
The Daily Mail suggests a hard core of male drink-drivers has been blamed for the increase.
But the Department of Transport tells the Times that the extra deaths are not statistically significant as they're based on estimates.
Meanwhile the Daily Mirror reports on a survey which reveals that one in six bus drivers has fallen asleep while driving at least once in the past year.
One in five say they fight sleepiness at least twice a week, and 5% said they had been in an accident because of tiredness.
Such issues will be long forgotten in 50 years' time though, if the predictions made in the Sun come to pass, with high-power drones taking the place of buses and taxis.
The Sun and the Daily Mirror also show images of what they call "earthscrapers" in which homes and offices will be built underground. Futurologists also suggest we could be snacking on bug burgers or worm kebabs.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-49505047
As the prospect of no deal becomes more likely, and ever closer, who should we blame.
Boris Johnson, who seems to have made little attempt at any negotiations with the EU, subsequent to becoming PM, and just made some impossible demands. His suspension of Parliament has been criticised by many.
The ERG faction of the Tory Party, who are threatening to vote against any deal, with or without the backstop. So getting any deal through just relying on Tory and DUP votes seems impossible.
The Labour Party in particular, and the opposition parties in general. Labour have stood by the stance of not voting for any damaging Tory Brexit. The other 2 main opposition parties are determined to stop Brexit at all costs.
The Tories have a working majority of one, if you include DUP votes, so they would have to rely on votes from the opposition parties to get any deal through.
If the only reasonable way to avoid no deal is to vote for a deal, who should we blame?
Coverage of the ongoing row over the suspension of Parliament continues to dominate the front pages.
The Sun says it is "All Systems Go-Jo" after Boris Johnson promised to step up efforts to renegotiate the withdrawal deal by increasing the number of meetings his officials have with counterparts in Brussels.
The BuzzFeed website claims Downing Street is examining what it calls "a series of extreme measures to force through Brexit".
They include creating new bank holidays to stop Parliament sitting, ignoring legal judgements, or even advising the Queen to not give Royal Assent to any bills that further delay Brexit.
The Independent is one of a number of outlets focusing on what they call "The Fightback".
The Sun takes a more unflattering approach, calling Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn a "Rabble Rouser" after he backed protestors to "shut down the streets" with demonstrations.
Dictatorial powers'
The Daily Telegraph reports that the Commons speaker, John Bercow, has been "colluding" with the Conservative backbench MP Oliver Letwin in an attempt to stop parliamentary proceedings being suspended.
Writing in the same paper, the Tory MP Iain Duncan Smith urges Mr Bercow to retain his impartiality, saying "his good record of reform in Parliament may be lost in the mire of the Brexit debate."
The Daily Express, meanwhile, claims the Queen will refuse to meet the Labour leader, over fears of being dragged into the political turmoil at Westminster.
The Daily Mail's Ephraim Hardcastle column ponders whether that may have been prompted by his decision to decline the traditional offer of an audience with the Queen upon becoming leader, noting that "HM will not have forgotten".
The Times reports that rebel Conservative MPs are plotting to force Parliament to sit at weekends to block a no-deal Brexit, while Gina Miller writes a column in the Guardian on why she is taking the prime minister to court over the decision to suspend Parliament.
In it, she says it "will set a horrifying precedent that will mean Mr Johnson will be able to exercise dictatorial powers whenever he sees fits"
'Britain's best battler'
There is plenty of coverage of Ruth Davidson's decision to step down as the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, with many carrying pictures of her welling up as she made the announcement.
Scotland's edition of the Times claims the party is considering splitting from the wider Tory party following Ms Davidson's decision.
An editorial in the Daily Record says that Scottish "independence seems more likely than ever" after "Britain's best battler raised the white flag," while Peter Geoghegan writes on the Politico website that Ms Davidson's "resignation raises serious questions for the Conservative Party north and south of the border".
The UK-wide papers are almost universal in praise of the former leader and the manner of her departure.
Fraser Nelson writes in the Daily Telegraph that following Ms Davidson's example could help heal the country's divisions over Brexit after she "taught her party that the impossible can be pulled off".
John Crace's sketch in the Guardian praises her principles, saying that "amid the Tory hypocrites and chancers, a conscience stirred".
The Daily Mail is one of a number of papers to report on scientists discovering that there is no single gene which dictates whether somebody is gay.
Experts at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology analysed genetic data from almost 500,000 people, and concluded that genetics hereditary factors account for between 8-25% of same-sex sexual behaviour when the whole genome is considered.
Five specific genetic variants were found to be more closely associated with homosexuality, including one linked to the sense of smell.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-49518352
Alleged friction at the highest levels of government over the sacking of a special adviser to the chancellor is the lead on several front pages.
The Guardian talks of a "furious" Sajid Javid confronting Boris Johnson over the fate of Sonia Khan, amid claims that a "deep culture of fear" has taken hold within government.
The Times says Mr Javid is understood to have told the prime minister he wants Ms Khan reinstated and quotes an unnamed source as saying that he "does not consider the matter closed".
There is considerable focus on the man said to have sacked Ms Khan - Boris Johnson's most senior aide, Dominic Cummings, who is said to hold more sway than most cabinet members, according to the Times.
The Daily Telegraph leads on suggestions that the EU is preparing to extend Article 50 to prevent a no-deal Brexit.
It says Eurosceptics see it as a sign that "Brussels is starting to crack, under pressure from Boris Johnson".
The Daily Mail says Mr Johnson's "gamble in suspending parliament to deliver Brexit" has "paid off".
A Survation poll for the paper suggests the Tories have opened up a seven point lead over Labour - nearly double the gap three weeks ago.
The Independent says fresh doubts have been cast over the prime minister's commitment to securing a deal, after the government said it would not delay the UK's departure - even to give Parliament time to approve a new agreement.
Meanwhile, the Sun says it can reveal that Tory MPs who vote to block a no-deal Brexit will be sacked from the party.
Mr Johnson, it says, will treat next week's Commons votes like "no confidence votes" and bar Remainer rebels from standing at the next general election.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-49532224
Ireland has turned an old customs post on its border with the UK into a construction site, raising fears that it could soon be used to carry out checks on goods in a ‘no deal’ Brexit scenario.
The site of the old customs post, which sits on the edge of the Republic of Ireland side of the border in the town of Lifford, was demolished and resurfaced earlier this year and a “keep out” sign has been fixed on the entrance.
It comes after Northern Irish police on the other side of the border cancelled the sale of a police station in Castlederg as a precautionary measure, in case backup forces were required to maintain order.
Border communities fear that a return to checkpoints and customs posts...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/08/30/fears-rise-hard-border-ireland-brexit-old-customs-post-turned/
In an interview with the Sunday Times, the prime minister sheds light on how he is approaching the job, saying that he is "hugely" enjoying it, and is working "non-stop".
We are told that Boris Johnson has on the mantelpiece of his Downing Street office a digital clock counting down the hours, minutes and seconds until Brexit is due.
The paper points out that he is deadly serious about making sure the UK leaves on 31 October.
It says he hasn't ruled out measures to stop a Bill that would force him to seek an extension of that deadline - such as packing the Lords with hundreds of peers to vote it down.
The Mail on Sunday's headline is: "Bring down Boris? You wouldn't dare".
It has a piece written by the leader of the Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg, in which he argues that Conservatives who oppose Mr Johnson's Brexit strategy won't support a vote of no confidence because they know that he would win a general election.
The paper's editorial column speaks of "the absurd over-reactions of the past few days" to Mr Johnson's prorogation of Parliament.
It suggests that Mr Johnson's move is "a perfectly reasonable response to openly-declared plans by Remainers to try to bring down the government".
Many of the front pages have photographs of the protesters who marched to Downing Street on Saturday - angered by last week's announcement.
The Observer's picture shows Whitehall crammed with people as far as the eye can see, carrying placards, banners and EU flags, and with the Cenotaph towering above them.
Under the headline "Remain revolt will trigger election", the Sunday Express explains that if opponents of the government succeed in blocking a no-deal Brexit in the next few days, Boris Johnson will call a general election.
The Sunday Telegraph has interviewed Asia Bibi, who was sentenced to death in Pakistan for being Christian.
Ms Bibi fled to Canada earlier this year after being freed from prison, where she had spent eight years.
She urges people around the world to help those in her country who are still in jail, and at risk of being put to death.
The Sunday Telegraph's leader echoes that call, stating that "too often, western politicians are silent about the persecution of Christianity - out of ignorance or political correctness - and that has to end".
According to the Sunday Mirror, referees who preside over children's football matches are suffering increasing levels of abuse - at the hands of both players and parents.
The problem has become so acute that the charity, Ref Support UK, is calling for them to be allowed to wear body cameras.
A spokesman is quoted as saying that if people knew they were being filmed, they would be less likely to threaten or attack referees.
Finally, the Sun reports that a group of American tourists in Balmoral were left dumbfounded when they asked a woman in tweeds and a headscarf if she had ever met the Queen.
The paper said she gestured towards a man nearby and said "no but this policeman has".
The man was a former royal protection officer - and the woman was, of course, the Queen.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-49539695
Ben Wallace admits he does not know what the outcome of the PM’s EU withdrawal strategy will be
Defence secretary Ben Wallace has been caught on camera suggesting that Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend parliament was driven by the demands of his Brexit plans.
Mr Wallace appeared to admit that the government faced difficulties in maintaining control in a finely balanced House of Commons, conceding that he did not know what the outcome of Mr Johnson’s dramatic gambit will be.
The prime minister insisted on Wednesday that it was “completely untrue” that Brexit was behind the use of a mechanism known as “prorogation” to shut the doors of Westminster on MPs for five weeks in the run-up to the 31 October deadline for EU withdrawal.
But speaking to his French counterpart Florence Parly, Mr Wallace discussed the move in terms of the need to reach a conclusion to the three-year Brexit process.
“Parliament has been very good at saying what it doesn’t want. It has been awful at saying what it wants,” he said.
“That’s the reality. So eventually any leader has to, you know, try.”
“I don’t know what the outcome will be,” he said, before adding with a laugh: “Politics.”
“Our system is a winner-takes-all system,” he continued. “If you win a parliamentary majority you control everything, you control the timetable. There’s no written separation, so… you pretty much are in command of the whole thing.
“And we’ve suddenly found ourselves with no majority and a coalition and that’s not easy for our system.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-suspend-parliament-brexit-ben-wallace-video-prorogue-a9083851.html
The EU's lead Brexit negotiator has rejected Boris Johnson's demands for the Irish backstop to be scrapped.
Michel Barnier said the backstop - intended to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland - was the "maximum flexibility" the EU could offer.
Mr Johnson has previously told the EU the arrangement must be ditched if a no-deal Brexit was to be avoided.
Meanwhile, the PM has told rebel Tories they face a "fundamental choice" of siding with him or Jeremy Corbyn.
His comments come as some MPs who oppose a no-deal Brexit - including Conservatives - are planning to take action in Parliament next week.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49540681
It is difficult to argue against the fact that, splitting the leave vote would have meant that remain would have won.
I believe that this would have been fair as many voters from the leave side of the argument are clearly dead against leaving with no deal.
Also, had the result been to leave, but with a deal that meant that we maintained close ties to the EU, would have satisfied many from both sides of the argument.
There was not until very recently any consideration of ever leaving without a deal.
Parliament has confirmed in a number of votes that it is clearly against leaving without a deal.
Time constraints are a massive factor in whether or not Parliament can stop no deal going through, before the October deadline.
The suspension of Parliament further restricts the time available, and obviously makes stopping no deal increasingly difficult.
The motive for doing this is extremely clear, despite the excuses made by the PM.
Those that argue that ignoring the referendum result is undemocratic, surely cant argue that suspending Parliament, or leaving with no deal, is democratic.
A second referendum is increasingly looking like the least undemocratic way to end the impasse.
The government’s plans to end freedom of movement at midnight on October 31 have been torn up after lawyers warned that ministers risked losing a court case that would derail no-deal preparations.
Priti Patel, the home secretary, signalled last month that freedom of movement would legally end when the UK leaves the EU.
However, plans to change the law in one move were shelved when lawyers hired by the Home Office said this could cause chaos. Freedom of movement for EU nationals was to be abolished using the upcoming Immigration Bill, but that will not become law in time for the Halloween deadline.
Ministers then explored plans to use provisions in the European Union Withdrawal Act that would allow ministers to change the law without…
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/end-to-freedom-of-movement-after-brexit-postponed-xbgmflzqp
"Back me or I'll sack you" is the headline on the Daily Mail's front page, summarising Boris Johnson's message to his own MPs.
It says the prime minister has vowed to "boot out" any Conservative who votes against the government this week, to try to block a no-deal Brexit.
The Daily Express says the prime minister is determined to "crush" a rebellion. The website, Politics Home, calls the move "uncompromising", while the Sun calls it "drastic".
One Tory rebel, a former cabinet minister, tells the Times that he would stand as an independent Conservative in an election if he was deselected.
He questions a "purity test" for Tory MPs, saying voters would be put off by the idea of a "mass purge".
Writing on the Spectator website, James Forsyth thinks upping the stakes will have an impact on some "waverers", arguing "there will be those who are reluctant to end their careers in the party over this issue."
But he says the approach is risky, as a Tory MP who decides they have nothing left to lose could then vote down the government, and back an alternative prime minister.
The Daily Mail reports on the "backlash" against cabinet minister Michael Gove, after he suggested on the BBC on Sunday that the government might ignore any law passed to prevent a no-deal Brexit.
It says he has been called a "disgrace to democracy", while the Independent says the prime minister has been accused of presiding over an "elective dictatorship".
But the Sun leaps to their defence in its editorial. "Why should the government promise to enact some as yet unwritten law being cooked up by Remainers, with their rogue Speaker?", it asks - saying all bets were off when Remain MPs promised to respect the referendum, then betrayed every pledge.
The Times reports that high street pharmacies are to offer free on-the-spot checks to shoppers from October, checking their blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
It says the aim is to save 150,000 lives over the next decade.
The Daily Mail says experts think it will reach the millions of people at risk of strokes or heart attacks, but who rarely visit their GP so don't realise the danger.
It calls the latest idea "eminently sensible", saying it encourages people to take responsibility for their own health.
The Daily Telegraph says the medical director of NHS England, Prof Stephen Powis, calls the approach a "game changer". But the paper notes that the plan has been launched alongside a proposal to scrap the current "health MOTs" which are available at GP surgeries.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-49546547
"Everyone will have the food they need," Mr Gove reassured the nation - but the British Retail Consortium violently disagrees
Industry chiefs have savaged Tory Michael Gove's "categorically untrue" claim there will be no food shortages in a no-deal Brexit.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/food-prices-rise-no-deal-19118917