The Papers: Brexit bargain and ‘marathon miracle’

Front page of the Sunday Times on 13 October 2019 — Image caption Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to offer EU leaders “a historic grand bargain on Brexit – help deliver his new deal this week or agree a ‘no-deal’ departure by October 31”, the Sunday Times reports. Elsewhere on the front page is a photo of a jubilant Eliud Kipchoge, who has become the first athlete to run a marathon in under two hours. The paper calls the feat a “marathon miracle”.

Front page of the Observer on 13 October 2019 — Image caption The front page of the Observer carries claims by pro-Remain MPs that they are gaining enough support to secure a second referendum on EU membership. Meanwhile, the paper says the PM’s chances of securing the “crucial” support of DUP MPs “appeared to be in growing doubt” after the party’s Westminster leader, Nigel Dodds, questioned elements of the proposed deal.

Front page of the Sunday Telegraph on 13 October 2019 — Image caption Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg appeals to Eurosceptics to back Mr Johnson’s proposals by writing in the Sunday Telegraph that “compromise will inevitably be needed”. A senior government source also tells the paper the push by pro-EU MPs to force a vote on making the deal subject to a referendum is “undermining” the PM’s negotiating position.

Front page of the Mail on Sunday on 13 October 2019 — Image caption “Just when the nation dared hope our interminable nightmare might end on October 31st… enter the Tory Brexit wreckers,” the Mail on Sunday says. The paper reports Tory rebels are “plotting to sabotage Boris Johnson’s Brexit by forcing a delay to the leaving date – even if the prime minister wins Commons support for a deal”.

Front page of the Sunday Express — Image caption The Sunday Express says Mr Johnson will use his forthcoming Queen’s Speech to promise if his new EU deal gets the support of Parliament he will make post-Brexit Britain “the greatest place on Earth”. The speech “will have health at its heart”, since it will include a pledge to end “nightmare” social care bills, the paper reports.

Front page of the Sunday Mirror on 13 October 2019 — Image caption The Sunday Mirror reports patients have had to wait a month to see their GP in a “staggering” 15 million cases. The NHS “scandal” is exposed by the paper amid its campaign to end what it calls a GP “crisis”. The tabloid reports one doctor’s warning that “the wheels are coming off” general practice.

The Sunday Times has learned that Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to offer the EU “a historic grand bargain on Brexit”.

Mr Johnson will reportedly offer Brussels a choice between helping him deliver his deal this week or agreeing a “friendly” version of no-deal by the end of the month.

The paper says the prime minister will seek to enlist the leaders of Germany and France to help persuade the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, to flesh out the agreement that was reached with Irish officials a few days ago.

Jacob Rees-Mogg’s appeal to Brexiteers to support Mr Johnson’s efforts to secure a deal is the lead in the Sunday Telegraph. In an editorial, the paper says that there has been a “devastating collapse in trust in our institutions” that can only be repaired by honouring the vote to leave the EU.

The former Cabinet Office minister, David Lidington, meanwhile, warns in the Observer that a no-deal Brexit “would do massive harm” to the Conservative Party’s reputation as “the champion of business”. He says the party would be “in dire straits” – “but even worse would be the damage to the union of the United Kingdom”.

A similar note is sounded by a group of Tory peers writing in the Sunday Times. The peers, including the former party chairs Lady Warsi and Lord Patten, describe it as “shocking” for the Conservative and Unionist Party to be considering anything that risks the breakup of the UK and which could unravel peace on the island of Ireland.

Image caption Baroness Warsi was among those who wrote a letter expressing concern about the peace process

The Sun on Sunday suggests 19 Labour MPs are “ready to defy Jeremy Corbyn and back the prime minister if he returns from Brussels with a deal”. It points out “their support would be enough to carry it over the line” during next Saturday’s special sitting of the Commons.

And a Banksy painting of chimps filling the Commons benches has, according to the Mail on Sunday led to questions in the art world about whether it really is the product of the elusive street artist.

The work, which recently sold for almost £10m, uses a realistic style not usually seen in Banksy’s pieces, prompting some to ask whether it was created by another artist, Mason Storm. A spokesman for Banksy has declined to comment; while Storm says only that “whoever painted it is a genius”.

The Sunday Mirror says figures suggest there were 15 million cases in the 12 months to August where patients had to wait a month to see their GP. Doctors’ leaders say the delays are due to shortages of staff and resources. The Department of Health insists it is “funding up to 20,000 extra staff in GP practices”.

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The Sunday Express says new signs reminding motorists to drive on the left have been put up outside the military base where 19-year-old Harry Dunn died in a road accident. The other vehicle involved is said to have been on the wrong side of the road. The paper says the temporary signs and directional arrows appeared within the past few days outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire.

Friends of the Earth claim in the Sunday Times that “fracking in the UK is dead”. The company Cuadrilla is reported to have “begun removing equipment from its only testing area, after the work was blamed for minor earthquakes in August”.

The paper says an energy white paper from the government is “set to prioritise renewable energy over fracking”. A pro-fracking group insists exploiting the UK’s natural gas resources is the only way to meet carbon emissions targets.

A study reported in the Mail on Sunday suggests sons cost £20,000 more than daughters because they live at home for four years longer.

The average age for daughters to fly the nest was found to be 22, while sons wait until they are 26. The cost of housing an adult child is said to be around £400 a month, with some parents dipping into their pensions or working extra hours.