Saturday's papers

The Telegraph leads this morning with the news that

Jack Straw has reignited the row over the release of the Lockerbie bomber by admitting for the first time that trade and oil were an essential part of the Government’s decision to include him in a prisoner transfer deal with Libya.

The Justice Secretary said he was unapologetic about including Abdelbaset al Megrahi in the agreement, citing a multi-million-pound oil deal signed by BP and Libya six weeks later.

it adds

The Chancellor is interviewed by the Times and

has promised to outline specific spending cuts this autumn in a move that dramatically recasts Labour’s political strategy.

In the interview he said that

as the economic crisis recedes, ministers must “level” with voters about what needs to be done to restore Britain’s public finances. He admitted that the burden of paying off government debt will be shared by “much tighter public spending” and tax revenue.

The sadistic young brothers who tortured two boys almost to death will enjoy lifelong anonymity.says the Mail adding

The pair are likely to be freed from custody within six years, before they reach the age of 18.

The Guardian leads with an ICM poll which suggests that viewers and listeners are rallying around the BBC,

The results challenge claims that the BBC's growth has a "chilling" effect on consumer choice, made last month in a speech by James Murdoch, European chief executive of News International. His comments opened up debate about the future of the corporation, which is protected by its guaranteed licence fee while some other media organisations are facing sharp falls in revenue.

The Times claims that Kevan Jones, the Veterans Minister,planned to “chase” the head of the Army over his expenses,

The overheard conversation was one of the reasons behind Eric Joyce’s decision to resign as parliamentary private secretary at the Ministry of Defence,

Meanwhile the Independent says that US troops in Afghanistan are shocked by the standard of equipment their British counterparts have to use.

Yesterday, the US commanders of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines (2/8) who now occupy Forward Operating Base Delhi spoke with admiration of the professionalism of the soldiers that they had replaced – but equally of the lack of armour on their vehicles and the fact that they had women serving on the front line.

It leads with a view from a different frontline

The bluefin tuna is one of the ocean's most magnificent creatures, a half-tonne predator that swims at 40mph. But political scheming in Brussels may condemn it to death

Nine out of 10 MPs are facing questions about their expenses from Parliamentary authorities.says the Telegraph

The news will raise the prospect of more MPs deciding to quit before the next General Election, rather than face the wrath of voters, if they are found to have been fiddling the system in the wake of The Telegraph’s exposure of widespread abuse.

The Mail reports that MPs are pocketing up to £5,000 an hour in outside earnings during their 82-day summer break, adding that

Figures slipped out by the Parliamentary authorities reveal for the first time that dozens of MPs have registered huge sums in private earnings since the Commons broke up for the summer on July 21.

The tabloids are full of the arrest of Jade Goody's widower

FIFTEEN cops swooped on Jack Tweed's bachelor pad to arrest him and a pal over the alleged "roasting" rape of a teenage clubber yesterday. reports the Sun