Newspaper headlines: Knife crime 'epidemic' and Brexit vote By BBC News

Staff Published duration 7 March 2019

image copyright Getty Images

The Daily Telegraph front page says that the cabinet is "resigned" to the prospect that Theresa May's deal will be defeated once again in the Commons next week.

The paper suggests she could lose it by up to 100 votes and Downing Street is already making plans for a third vote on the agreement.

A member of the European Research Group tells the Daily Express that a defeat is certain, "unless a miracle happens".

A senior MP tells the Times that rejection of the deal had now been "priced in" and he expected parliament to vote for an extension to the Article 50 withdrawal process.

The Daily Mail suggests what it calls a "super soft Brexit" looks more likely in the wake of Jeremy Corbyn's talks with Conservative supporters about a Norway-style deal.

Writing for the Spectator website , Katy Balls suggests that Tory Brexiteers still believe they can put a "no deal" on the table either after the vote or during an extension of Article 50.

Knife crime strategy

The Guardian suggests on its front page that police chiefs will seek an emergency grant of at least £15m to tackle knife crime.

The paper says this is likely to cause clashes between Home Secretary Sajid Javid and the prime minister.

The Sun says Theresa May will unveil an anti-knife crime strategy similar to the Prevent programme, which aims to stop people being drawn into terrorism.

A study which suggests women using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are up to a third more likely to develop Alzheimer's is widely reported.

The Daily Telegraph and i say researchers from Finland believe HRT could increase the risk of diagnosis by up to 17%.

But an expert at Imperial College London tells the Daily Mail that other studies suggest HRT improves cognitive function.

Plastic pollution

The Independent website chooses a picture of the sun glinting off Loch Lomond to illustrate new analysis that suggests 10 of Britain's most picturesque lakes and rivers are full of plastic pollution.

The wetlands researcher Dr Christian Dunn says it's not yet known what dangers it poses to wildlife and human health.

The Mail points out that Ullswater in the Lake District is also contaminated.

image copyright Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images image caption Loch Lomond was one of the sites which contained traces of plastic pollutions

As schools celebrate World Book Day, the Daily Express and i report that there has been a large slump in the number of children reading for fun.

A study carried out for the National Literacy Trust suggests that just over a quarter of eight to 18-year-olds read every day outside the classroom. This is down from 43% in 2015.

The Daily Mirror publishes figures that indicate parents spend more on the fancy dress costumes for World Book Day than they do on literature each year.

It asks if the event should be re-named "World Cheque Book Day."

image copyright Getty Images image caption A row over the decision to tarmac a square in Stamford, Lincolnshire, features in a number of papers

The decision to tarmac over a cobbled square in a Georgian market town in Lincolnshire is causing much drama, according to several papers.

The Sun points out that Stamford was the setting for the BBC's Middlemarch and 2005 film of Pride and Prejudice because of the square.

The Daily Telegraph says by saving costs on surfacing, the councillors are "destroying the very glory of the town".