The papers focus on a mix of stories, including the PM’s Brexit plans and a High Court ruling on pensions. …
By BBC NewsStaff
Image caption The i is one of a number of papers to focus on the continued reaction to Boris Johnson’s new Brexit proposals to the EU. The paper says the prime minister is prepared to make new concessions to the bloc in order to achieve a deal, but opposition parties have warned that the plans are unworkable. Image caption The Financial Times reports that EU leaders have told Mr Johnson they have deep concerns over the proposals. European Council President Donald Tusk told the prime minister the EU was “open but still unconvinced” following the arrival on Wednesday of the government’s plans to replace the Irish backstop. Image caption Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar has risked jeopardising last-ditch hopes of the UK securing a new Brexit deal with the EU by accusing Mr Johnson of defying the wishes of British voters, according to the Daily Express. Mr Varadkar claimed a majority of the UK electorate now favours staying in the EU. Image caption The Metro features a striking image of Extinction Rebellion, the climate change campaign group, losing control of a hose that was meant to spray fake blood on the Treasury’s offices in Whitehall, central London. Its lead says Mr Johnson’s Brexit plan looked to be doomed after the EU said it was not workable, legal or serious. Image caption Comments made by Jennifer Arcuri, who is alleged to have received favourable treatment due to her friendship with Boris Johnson, lead the Daily Mirror. According to the paper, the US businesswoman claimed that men cannot help falling for her – but she insisted Mr Johnson was just a good friend. Image caption In other news, millions of women have been left up to £50,000 out of pocket after the High Court rejected their appeal against ministers’ handling of the rise in the women’s state pension age, the Daily Mail reports. The paper says Thursday’s ruling means up to four million women must keep working after the pension age for women was raised from 60 to 66. Image caption Victims of the Met Police’s botched investigation into claims of a VIP paedophile ring have called on Labour’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, to resign over his involvement in the probe. Lady Brittan, the widow of former home secretary Lord Brittan who was one of those who was falsely accused, said the extent of Mr Watson’s involvement in the “witch hunt” had been laid bare by a report into the investigation by Sir Richard Henriques, a retired High Court judge. Image caption The Met was warned that the fantasist whose claims sparked the investigation, Carl Beech, was “bogus” months before the officers shut down the probe, the Daily Telegraph reports. The paper says the QC leading the government’s child sex abuse inquiry, Ben Emmerson, interviewed Beech in 2015 and told senior officers that year his claims of rape and torture should not be believed. Image caption Elsewhere, the Guardian reports on the “shocking” decline of the UK’s wildlife. According to what the paper says is the most comprehensive analysis to date, populations of the UK’s most important wildlife have fallen by an average of 60% since the 1970s. Image caption Film legend Robert De Niro has been accused by his ex-assistant of subjecting her to years of “sexually charged comments”, the Sun reports. A lawsuit filed by Graham Chase Robinson also includes a “foul-mouthed” voicemail the actor left her, according to the paper. Image caption And finally, the Daily Star reports that former EastEnders actress, Sandy Ratcliff, who played Sue Osman, died at the age of 70 after overdosing on morphine while battling lung cancer.
