Newspaper headlines: Cameron bodyguard 'leaves gun in loo' and Manchester bomb trial By BBC News

Staff Published duration 5 February

The Daily Mail and the Sun both claim that a police bodyguard to David Cameron sparked a security scare on a transatlantic British Airways flight - by accidentally leaving his gun in the plane's toilet.

According to the Mail, the weapon was handed to flight attendants by a "terrified" passenger, but the pilot decided against making an emergency landing as they were aware armed police were on the aircraft.

The Sun says the Glock semi-automatic pistol was loaded with 15 "lethal hollow-point rounds" and was found "resting on the side by the sink" alongside the passports of the close-protection officer and the former prime minister.

Meanwhile, the lead story in the Daily Telegraph highlights warnings by the motor industry about the government's plan to bring forward a ban on the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles.

The move is described as a "kick in the face" for motorists who bought hybrid cars believing they were environmentally friendly, but now fear resale values will plummet.

The president of the AA, Edmund King, is quoted as saying the policy could "backfire" as it would encourage drivers to run older, polluting vehicles into the ground.

The Telegraph's leader column urges the government to frame the debate about reducing carbon emissions "more around the opportunities it provides, rather than alarmism and prohibition".

The Daily Express claims ministers "faced fury" last night for "backing out of a fight" with the BBC to save free TV licences for over-75s.

image copyright Reuters

The paper says BBC bosses are "delighted" at the "major climb-down" by the government after it agreed to introduce a new payment plan, allowing elderly viewers to spread the cost of a licence over a year.

Writing in the Daily Mail , Culture Secretary Lady Morgan says a public consultation on whether to decriminalise TV licence evasion will form part of a wider government assessment of how the BBC can stay relevant in the years ahead.

Britons living in China have told the Guardian they are "baffled and concerned" by the call from the Foreign Office for them to leave the country if possible because of the coronavirus.

One is quoted as saying "this has put many of us in an impossible situation". Another accuses officials of failing to contact expats since the outbreak began, saying the consulate "appears to have completely jumped ship".

The findings of an independent inquiry into the actions of a breast surgeon who performed botched and unnecessary operations on hundreds of women are considered by a number of leader columns.

The Times says victims were "failed" by the reluctance of those in charge to investigate Ian Paterson, while the Daily Mirror warns that "fresh horrors may be discovered" when the cases of 11,000 patients he treated are recalled for assessment.

The Daily Mail questions if the 15 recommendations made by the inquiry will be enough to prevent anything similar happening again.

"Until hospitals abandon their obsessive secrecy and treat whistleblowers with respect rather than contempt", it says, "there will always be a chance that monsters like Paterson can still slip through the net".

image copyright Getty Images image caption The chief executive of the Premier League says it will resist attempts to ban clubs from having their shirts sponsored by betting companies

The new chief executive of the Premier League has told the Guardian that England's top football division will resist attempts to ban clubs from having their shirts sponsored by betting companies , despite concerns that the "gamblification" of football is causing problem betting and addiction.

Richard Masters insists the Premier League will cooperate with a government review of gambling legislation, but says it is up to the clubs whether they want to have their own gambling relationships.