The Papers: Pact \'to oust PM\' and EU told \'back down\'

Newspaper headlines: Pact 'to oust Boris Johnson' and EU told 'back down'

By BBC News Staff
Front page of the Times
Image caption Labour and the SNP have hinted at a pact to lock Tories out of power, the Times reports. Scottish First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said her party could form a "progressive alliance" with Labour if they won enough seats to form a majority in a general election, the paper says.
Front page of the Daily Express
Image caption Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned the EU to back down on its refusal to accept changes to the Brexit deal agreed by former PM Theresa May, says the Daily Express. The paper says the "war of words" on the UK's departure from the EU is intensifying.
Front page of the i
Image caption By contrast, the i says the EU is open to a new deal. The Irish prime minister tells the paper there could be a new agreement if Mr Johnson were to alter Theresa May's Brexit red lines. However, Leo Varadkar warns that, even if that happened, a deal is highly unlikely before 31 October.
Front page of the Guardian
Image caption Under a huge image of author Toni Morrison, who has died aged 88, the Guardian's lead story is of the UK's counter-terror chief calling for greater social inclusion. Neil Basu says community cohesion is one of the key things that must improve in the fight against terrorism.
Front page of the Daily Telegraph
Image caption The Daily Telegraph reports tax rules on pensions are set to be relaxed amid concerns they are "stifling" NHS services and pushing up waiting times. The paper says the rules - which restrict higher earners putting money into their pension pots - led to doctors turning down work.
Front page of the FT
Image caption The Financial Times leads on what it calls the latest sign the music sector is recovering from a 15-year slump - that Chinese company Tencent is set to buy in to Universal Music. Vivendi - Universal's owner - has shed billions of euros-worth of assets in the past decade, the paper says.
Front page of the Metro
Image caption Chelsea FC could face paying millions of pounds in compensation after dozens of boys were sexually abused in the 1970s, the Metro says. A damning report commissioned by the club revealed the extent of abuse by chief scout Eddie Heath, who died in 1983.
Front page of the Daily Mirror
Image caption A man who has won £10,000 a month for the next 30 years says he will use the cash to look after his autistic brother, according to the Daily Mirror. Dean Weymes, 24, realised he had scooped the Set For Life jackpot while on shift at an Amazon depot. He has since quit his job.
Front page of the Daily Star
Image caption The former Amazon worker is in "Prime" position after his "amazin" win, the Daily Star quips. Mr Weymes will scoop £3.6m thanks to the National Lottery. He is the fourth winner of the Set For Life game but the first to go public.
Front page of the Daily Mail
Image caption Dementia causes one in eight deaths in England and Wales, according to figures published by the Daily Mail. It says nearly 70,000 people died from the illness last year - a 13% rise since 2015. The front page article is the latest in a series by the paper to campaign for people who have had to sell their homes to pay for dementia care.
Front page of the Sun
Image caption The Sun leads on news it says "we've all been weighting for" - an injection which the paper claims helps patients to lose 10lbs in four weeks. An expert from the National Obesity Forum told the tabloid the jab was nearing "the Holy Grail of tackling weight loss".

Two of the front page headlines starkly illustrate the entrenched positions in the Brexit impasse.

The Daily Express has the headline: "Boris tells EU: you MUST back down" while the i has: "EU open to new deal - if PM drops red lines". Who is bluffing: Boris Johnson or the EU? the Spectator asks.

The Telegraph says the intervention by Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister in charge of no-deal planning - accusing the EU of refusing to engage in fresh talks - marks an escalation in the war of words between Westminster and Brussels.

The Daily Mail says Mr Gove's language suggests the government is ready to blame intransigence from Brussels if a compromise does not materialise and Britain leaves without a deal.

The Guardian urges the two sides to try to move on from their squabbling about whether they can even talk - because the consequences of not talking will be serious.

Image caption "Who is bluffing over Brexit?", the Spectator asks

The shadow chancellor's declaration that Labour would not block a second referendum on Scottish independence makes the lead for the Times.

It describes John McDonnell's stance as a significant shift of policy. The paper says the Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has opened the door to a "progressive alliance" with Labour if the two parties are able to form a majority after a general election.

The story is reported in a number of other papers too - with the Mail running the headline: "Labour gets into bed with SNP".

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The Telegraph leads with the Treasury's proposals to relax George Osborne's controversial tax rules on pensions, which have been blamed for consultants and GPs in England and Wales turning down work, undermining patient treatment.

The Times leader column thinks the announcement is not before time. It says the move should bring an end to the absurd situation that has led many doctors to work less to avoid being hit by large tax bills.

Image copyright Reuters
Image caption Nobel Prize-winning US author Toni Morrison has died

Much of the Guardian's front page is given over to a picture of the American writer, Toni Morrison - the first black woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature - who has died at the age of 88.

The picture is accompanied by a quote from the author, Chigozie Obioma, saying that, until her death, she was the greatest living American writer.

Other writers pay their tributes inside the paper. For Ben Okri, Toni Morrison burst into the world of literature at a time that needed her supremely wrought perspective, and a voice that had not existed before.

Image copyright PA Media
Image caption Dean Weymes, 24, won the top prize on the National Lottery's Set For Life draw

A man who has won £10,000 a month for the next 30 years in the National Lottery's Set for Life draw, is widely featured.

The Express says Dean Weymes is the first winner to go public since the game was launched in March.

The Mirror - which leads on the story - reports that the Amazon worker handed his notice in the day after his win. In the "Why are you leaving?" section of a form provided by his employer, the 24-year-old wrote: "won lottery/retirement".

Finally, researchers have found a way of saving your chips from being snatched by hungry seagulls, in what the Times calls the annual battle of the seaside promenade: give them a hard stare.

According to the paper, a study by Exeter University - carried out in Cornish coastal towns - has shown that keeping eye contact with seagulls deters them from stealing your food. In contrast, those who avert their gaze from the birds' beady eyes are more likely to lose a chip.