Monday's papers

Electioneering begins in earnest this morning.

The Telegraph leads with the news that David Cameron will today set out the manifesto he hopes will win the general election while dispatching members of the shadow cabinet to seize the initiative with voters in marginal constituencies.

Advertising posters bearing Mr Cameron’s photograph will go up in 1,000 locations today, while eight members of the shadow cabinet will fan out across the country to campaign in key marginals.

Meanwhile the Times leads with an exclusive that senior Labour figures have voiced concerns that Tony Blair’s appearance at the Iraq inquiry in the coming weeks will wreck any prospect of him helping the party at the general election.

The Independent reports that Gordon Brown made an unprecedented overture to the Liberal Democrats yesterday amid growing expectation that Nick Clegg's party could hold the balance of power after the general election.

Ed Balls stands accused of encouraging teenage pregnancy with plans to give 14-year-olds compulsory parenting lessons.says the Mail


Meanwhile according to the Guardian,the schools secretary Ed Balls today challenges his opposite numbers to a TV debate on education policy in the run-up to the next general election.

It leads with the story that there is a backlash over plans to extend TV advertising.

Ministers are facing fierce opposition from medical groups, teaching unions and children's charities over plans to allow products to be used in television programmes for marketing purposes for the first time.

The main story in the Indy is Ryanair who the paper reports has been accused by John Fingleton, the chief executive of the Office of Fair Trading,of "almost taunting" passengers in a strongly worded attack on its charges.He

described Ryanair's levying of fees for paying by card online as "puerile" and "almost childish", adding the carrier was only operating within "the narrow letter of the law".

The Telegraph reports that Anjem Choudary, the leader of a controversial Islamic group, has admitted his plan to hold a protest march through the town of Wooton Bassett is a publicity stunt.

The Sun meanwhile says that by Choudrey is telling the parents of British troops killed in Afghanistan that their children died in vain.


Recuputions of the Xmas day airline attack continue.

Foreign passengers flying into the United States from 14 mostly Muslim countries deemed to have links with terrorism are to face extra security checks at airports from today reports the Guardian

Meanwhile the Times reports that the British and American embassies in Yemen were shut down yesterday as al-Qaeda threatened an attack in response to Western promises of a renewed counter-terrorism effort in the country.

The Times reports that according to a survey,Children are reaching the age of 3 without being able to say a word,

The Mail adds it is because their families keep the television on constantly.


The Express leads with the story that housing benefit payments will soar by 15 per cent to £20.8billion over the next year.

The bill will mean the average household pays £800 a year in taxes to subsidise accommodation for the jobless and low-paid, the official forecast showed last night.

As people return to work after the Xmas break,many of the papers report on the wintery conditions.According to the Independent there will be a new hazard as

the Arctic conditions gripping the country are causing roads to break up and potholes to appear. Temperatures have been so low for so long that roads are deteriorating much faster than is normally expected, creating "especially treacherous" driving conditions.

Meanwhile many of the papers report that England's longest New Year party finally ended this morning when a snow plough and gritter reached Tan Hill Inn, the highest pub in the country, where 30 students and teachers had been cut off for two days.

Finally the Times reports that In just two-and-a-half weeks, Avatar has raced into cinema history as the fastest movie to achieve $1billion in worldwide ticket sales.

Director James Cameron's 3-D blockbuster has earned more than $350 million (£217 million) in the United States and more than $670m (£415 million) around the globe in just 17 days, making it the fourth-highest grossing film of all time worldwide.