Newspaper headlines: Brexit bargain and 'marathon miracle' By BBC News

Staff Published duration 13 October 2019

image copyright AFP

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".

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.

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.