Newspaper headlines: Johnson in 'final push' and 'fears for Harry' By BBC News

Staff Published duration 22 October 2019

image copyright Reuters

The front pages focus on Boris Johnson's final attempt to force Brexit through by Halloween.

"Now it really is crunch time", says the Daily Mail, which predicts a "Titanic Tuesday" in Parliament

The Financial Times says the prime minister is hoping to secure a "significant breakthrough" in his battle to deliver Brexit and predicts he could scrape home, by 320 to 315, when the Commons votes on the second reading of the bill.

But the paper adds that the move to fast-track the deal through the Commons in just three days has prompted a "furious" response from a number of MPs, with some claiming they are being asked to "vote blindly" on the agreement.

The Times says the DUP has joined protests over the tight timetable, which it describes as an "ominous" sign for Mr Johnson.

She says he should explain to people there why they deserve "just three days' consideration" of major changes that will affect them.

The Daily Mirror accuses Number 10 of trying to "ram" the measures through.

But an editorial in the Sun urges readers not to be duped by what it calls "weasel politicians", warning that any Labour amendment to keep the UK in a customs union would be a vote not to soften Brexit, but to stop it.

Such an amendment would prompt the prime minister to abandon his Brexit legislation, the Daily Telegraph predicts , and then demand an immediate election.

image copyright AFP image caption Prince William's concerns for the well-being of Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, make the lead in many papers

Prince William's concerns for the well-being of Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, make the lead in many papers.

A source close to the princes tells the Sun that Harry "isn't in great shape" and his recent actions "are not those of a well-balanced man".

But a palace insider, quoted by the Times , says it would be difficult to watch the ITV documentary, in which the couple described their struggles living in the spotlight, and not to feel compassion.

On its front page, the Daily Telegraph highlights proposals to fit electric vehicles with green number plates to persuade more drivers to abandon petrol and diesel models.

The Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, believes zero-emission cars should become "the new normal".

But proposed perks for electric car drivers, such as allowing them to use bus lanes, come under fire in the Sun

The Go-Ahead public transport group says such a move would undermine "the vital role" played by bus lanes in tackling congestion.

According to the paper, the population is set to hit 70 million.

The Daily Mail says the number of people over the age of 80 could almost double over the next 25 years, as more baby boomers reach old age.

A campaigner for the elderly tells the paper longer lives are "a huge opportunity", but society will also have to rethink its attitudes to age.

'Ear-splitting call'

Finally, there's news of a bird in the Amazon which has shattered the record for the loudest call ever recorded.

The paper says it is the same volume as a pneumatic drill, while the Times compares the ear-splitting mating call to being next to a runway as a jet takes off.

According to an expert from the University of Massachusetts, this mode of courtship has a drawback: Females back off when the male is about to sing.

"They seem to be concerned about taking the full-assault at point-blank range," he tells the paper.