Brexit dominates Wednesday’s front pages as No 10 and the EU seek to blame each other for the stalemate. …
By BBC NewsStaff
Image caption A Brexit deal is now “essentially impossible” before the end of the month, reports the Daily Telegraph. The paper’s story, based on a No 10 source, suggests German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s insistence that Northern Ireland must stay aligned with the EU is “the death knell” for a deal. Last month, MPs passed a bill in Parliament saying that if no deal was reached between the UK and EU by 19 October then Boris Johnson must write to the EU and seek an extension to the deadline. Image caption The Daily Mirror, however, suggests the prime minister is at fault for the breakdown in talks. The paper leads on quotes from European Council President Donald Tusk, who accuses Mr Johnson of playing “some stupid blame game”. Labour’s shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer, is quoted as saying Mr Johnson’s plan all along “has been no-deal Brexit”. Image caption The i, meanwhile, says Mr Johnson may “snub” the “crucial” EU summit next week. EU leaders are due to meet over two days, beginning 17 October. This is the last such meeting currently scheduled before the Brexit deadline. Image caption “Johnson urges Varadkar to keep talking” is the headline on the front page of the Financial Times. The paper says hopes of a Brexit deal before 31 October are “all but dead”. Nonetheless, it adds, the PM and his Irish counterpart will meet this week “to try to resuscitate the talks”. Image caption “We’re going round in Merkels” is the Metro’s take on the state of Brexit talks between the UK and the EU. It adds that the blame game being played out between EU leaders and Downing Street is a sign that the prospect of reaching a deal is “more distant than ever”. Image caption Continuing on a similar theme, the Daily Express proclaims: “That’s it then!” The paper reports the “angry clash” between Mr Johnson and the EU spells the “end” of the hopes of a deal. Image caption The Times is slightly more optimistic about a deal, saying Mr Johnson has one “last chance” to keep his Brexit deal alive. A “vital” face-to-face meeting between Irish leader Leo Varadkar and Mr Johnson “could take place tomorrow”, the paper adds. Image caption Away from Brexit, the Daily Mail leads on its campaign to end what it calls “the dementia care scandal”. Leading with the headline “the roar No 10 cannot ignore,” the paper says ministers must fix the “broken system that forces countless pensioners to sell their homes to fund crippling care costs”. More than 350,000 people have signed the paper’s petition on the subject, it adds. Image caption The Sun says ITV is set to make “telly history” by pairing up two male dancers for the upcoming series of Dancing on Ice. The paper quotes a source, who says: “It’s a huge moment.” Image caption “Choke was just a joke” is the headline on the front page of the Daily Star, referencing a picture of England cricketer Ben Stokes with his hand on his wife Clare’s face. Despite criticism of Stokes, Clare says the pair were just “messing about”, adding: “The way this has come across is so far removed from what it was.”
