Newspaper headlines: PM's 'warning' to judges and diabetes 'epidemic' By BBC News

Staff Published duration 18 September 2019

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Many of the morning papers dedicate their front pages to the Supreme Court hearing into the prorogation of Parliament.

"Judges warned to stay neutral" is the headline in the the Times, which highlights Boris Johnson's written submission to the hearing, in which he warned the court to steer clear of the political arena.

Inside the paper, Daniel Finklestein reflects on the significance of the hearings: "They may mark the moment Britain stopped being a political democracy restrained by law, and became a legal democracy tempered by politics."

The "i" focuses on the case made by lawyers who are challenging the suspension - "PM abused his power to 'silence' MPs," reads its headline.

The Daily Telegraph reflects on the atmosphere outside the courtroom, where demonstrators "queued, chanted and marched for hours". "Tempers ran hot", says the paper, with barristers "running the gauntlet of protesters from both sides of the Brexit divide".

The Huffpost and Politics Home websites report on further tensions at the top of Labour after the ruling National Executive Committee endorsed a plan to disband the "Labour Students" group.

The Huffpost says the "moderate" group has been a bastion for centrists for decades but was, in effect, abolished under a plan drawn up by Jon Lansman - the founder of the grassroots movement, Momentum.

Critics claimed it failed to pay its affiliation fees or improve its internal democracy. But a Labour source tells Politics Home the move is "another nail in the coffin for a sensible Labour Party", while sitting MPs question why Labour would seek to silence its student movement, with an election on the horizon.

image copyright PA Media image caption Richard Braine was elected as the new leader of UKIP last month

The Guardian reports that the leader of UKIP, Richard Braine, has been accused of insulting the party by deciding to boycott its conference because of a low turnout.

The paper says he pulled out of the event after fewer than 450 tickets were sold. The move prompted an angry response from the UKIP chair Kirstan Herriot, who vowed the conference would continue without him and branded his actions a complete affront to hard-working party members.

The Financial Times reports that the appointment of the next Bank of England governor is set to be pushed back until after the next general election.

The paper says people briefed on the matter believe Mark Carney could be asked to extend his term, again, if Brexit is delayed beyond 31 October.

Sources tell the paper the manner in which the UK leaves the EU - with or without a deal - would have a "significant influence on the choice of candidate". The Treasury and the Bank of England have declined to comment.

The rising number of type-2 diabetes cases make the front pages of the Daily Mail and the Daily Express. The Mail says a major study has found the obesity epidemic has led to "record numbers of young adults" being diagnosed.

It reports that one in eight new cases is now in the 18 to 40 age group.

The Daily Express carries what its headline describes as "the forecast to shock Britain".

It reports that an audit of NHS services has shown hospitals will be "swamped" with diabetes cases by 2030, with one in four beds occupied by patients with the condition.

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And the Times reports on research which has found motorists drive more erratically and faster when they listen to higher-tempo music.

Public health experts in China warn that songs with more than 120 beats per minute are particularly risky.