Papers lead on cash for honours

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Claims and revelations about the cash for honours affair continue to dominate the front pages.

The Daily Telegraph says aides of the prime minister are "living in fear" that police plan to make a political sensation out of their investigations.

The Daily Mail goes further, claiming that Tony Blair's closest aide Ruth Turner was reduced to tears by "bullying" from Labour's chief fundraiser Lord Levy.

But the Sun says despite being at the centre of allegations of corruption and cover-up, Lord Levy was in a jovial mood yesterday.

'Inside man'

The conviction for perjury of Lewis "Scooter" Libby, senior aide to US Vice President Dick Cheney, also makes headlines in the broadsheets.

The Independent simply brands him the "liar in the White House".

The Guardian is more specific, saying Mr Libby lied to protect President George Bush and his "unjust war" in Iraq.

Meanwhile, according to the Telegraph, Mr Libby was always "the man you went to see if you wanted to know what was really going on" inside the White House.

'List of shame'

Concerns over premium rate phone calls to television quiz shows also occupy several papers for another day running.

The Sun says more programmes are joining the "growing list of shame".

And it claims thousands of viewers' calls are charged despite not being registered because of computer crashes.

The Mirror, meanwhile, calls the affair a "scandal" and says every terrestrial TV channel is conducting probes into their phone practices.

'Desperate'

Many of the papers take a dim view of Home Office plans to send text messages to foreign workers reminding them when it is time to go home.

The Daily Mail says the idea is a "desperate" move by the Home Secretary.

It shows the government's attempts to deal with illegal immigrants have "descended into farce", according to the Daily Express.

And the Times comes up with its own text from John Reid - "yr visa is abt to expire, pse leave the country asap".