Newspaper headlines: Is cross-party Brexit deal '99% done'? By BBC News

Staff Published duration 6 May 2019

image copyright Michal Wachucik/Getty Images

The Daily Telegraph reports that Theresa May has held secret discussions with aides and ministers over another EU referendum.

It would offer a choice of a Brexit deal, a no deal scenario or remain.

Sources say it would only become relevant if talks with Labour collapse and Parliament forced a fresh public vote.

The Guardian says Jeremy Corbyn will not be able to get enough of his MPs to back a Brexit deal for it to pass through the Commons unless he promises a second referendum.

Party sources tell the paper two-thirds of Labour MPs would insist on such a condition.

Meanwhile in Russia, Novaya Gazeta is one of many news organisations to have multiple reports on the plane crash in Moscow.

media caption Passengers used emergency exit slides to escape and run away

It says the Murmansk region has declared three days of mourning.

The local authorities have promised to pay a million roubles - £11,000 - to the families of the dead.

Izvestia says the plane involved - the Sukhoi Superjet 100 - could be suspended from all flights if it turns out a mechanical fault caused the crash.

Sources have suggested that there could have been an electrical fault on board.

The lead story for the Daily Mail is what it calls a damning audit showing three-quarters of maternity units have no consultants on site out-of-office hours.

The paper says it means women are in the hands of midwives and "often exhausted" junior doctors. Specialists are available on call.

According to the Times, almost 500 train drivers are being employed by Crossrail - on salaries of up to £59,000 - even though the railway's full opening has been delayed until 2021.

It's thought to be costing the taxpayer £25m but Crossrail insists the staff are being "fully utilised" on other duties.

The Financial Times reports that the EU will launch a formal antitrust investigation into Apple in the next few weeks after a complaint from the music streaming service, Spotify.

It says Apple abused the dominance of its App Store to favour its own music service - a claim Apple has previously described as "misleading."

image copyright Reuters image caption The Duke and Duchess of Sussex could have been among the millions of people who watched Line Of Duty, says the Sun

Finally, the Sun says that 14m people tuned in to watch the season finale of the BBC drama, Line of Duty - including Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex.