Newspaper headlines: Andrew's accuser and Brexit 'collision course' By BBC News

Staff Published duration 28 August 2019

image copyright PA Media image caption Chancellor Sajid Javid could face a row over spending rules, some papers say

The chancellor's warning that there'll be no blank cheques in next week's spending review is the main story for the Daily Telegraph.

In his article for the paper Sajid Javid pledges to stick to fiscal rules that restrict how much the government can borrow.

The Telegraph believes this could spark a disagreement between Mr Javid and members of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's team who have been arguing for the rules to be abandoned.

The paper has also picked out the possible losers in next week's announcement: defence, local councils and culture and business schemes.

Many of the papers report on anger amongst Brexiteer Conservative MPs about the prime minister's pursuit of a new Brexit deal with Brussels.

The Financial Times says they are on a "collision course" with Number 10 because of indications Mr Johnson may seek to leave Theresa May's withdrawal agreement largely intact, apart from the Irish backstop.

An unnamed ally of the prime minister is widely quoted, saying: "we know the Spartans are going to accuse us of betrayal at some point" - referring to hardline Eurosceptics.

The Sun urges Mr Johnson to "tread carefully", warning that Nigel Farage will capitalise if sovereign powers are signed away in a rush to get Brexit done.

The Times leads on Mr Johnson's accusation of sabotage , levelled at opposition MPs after they revealed their plans for stopping a no-deal Brexit.

A Number 10 source tells the paper progress is being made in negotiations with Brussels and that Jeremy Corbyn's strategy risks weakening the UK's position.

'Dramatic and controversial'

The paper says they are part of a "dramatic and controversial" series of reforms, designed to seize the initiative on education before a possible snap election.

The Guardian's leader column is scathing. It says talk of teachers using "reasonable force" to promote good behaviour is "chilling", and notes that the four billion pound cash injection falls short of what colleges have been asking for.

The proposals are, according to the paper, a sign that Mr Johnson's government is more focused on tomorrow's headlines than solving today's problems.

"Andrew Knows What He's Done" is the headline for the Daily Mail , and the Sun , quoting an alleged victim of the duke's former friend Jeffrey Epstein at yesterday's court hearing in New York.

The statement by Virginia Giuffre, who says she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew aged 17, will renew pressure on Buckingham Palace, according to the Mail. Both papers note the duke's strenuous denials of wrongdoing.

image copyright EPA image caption Virginia Giuffre urged Prince Andrew to "come clean", but he denies her claims

Bury's expulsion from the Football League - late on Tuesday night - makes some of the back pages, of the papers' second editions.

Many picture a lone supporter, wrapped in a flag and head bowed, at the club's Gigg Lane ground.

The Daily Mirror says it is hard not to look at the billions swirling around in football's elite strata and wonder if more could have been done

For the Independent website, Bury's demise is nothing short of a national tragedy and a sign that the fabric of the English game is being ripped apart.

The Bury Times, meanwhile, takes stock of the club's proud history : two FA cup wins, 11 promotions, and 4,852 matches - many at Gigg Lane, one of the oldest grounds in the world.

World in meltdown

The Daily Mirror's main story is a special report from a town in Greenland hundreds of miles north of the Arctic Circle, where it says children are playing in the sea during a 22C (72F) heatwave.

A fourth-generation hunter in the town of Qaanaaq describes how he's had to abandon the family profession, putting down his dogs, because retreating glaciers mean he has had to become a fisherman. The paper's headline declares: "Our world is in meltdown".

And the Guardian reveals that brothers Ray and Dave Davies - the driving forces behind The Kinks - are working on new music together after decades of animosity.

The paper has spoken to Dave, the band's pioneering lead guitarist, who says the pair are talking again - or "talking-ish", as he puts it.

Their rapprochement has apparently led to a large number of ideas for songs, some of which, the 72-year-old says, are "really good".

And the Times warns readers to lock up their cheese at night, because researchers have made mice that can see in the dark

The paper says specially designed tiny particles injected into the eyes of mice allowed them to see normally invisible light, similar to how night-vision goggles work.