Papers consider battle for No 10

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The tumultuous week experienced by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown is the main focus of Saturday's newspapers.

The Daily Telegraph describes it as Mr Blair's "week from hell", while the Guardian calls speculation over his future the Battle of Downing Street.

The Daily Mirror says there was a 16-hour ceasefire in the open warfare between the prime minister and Mr Brown, which the Sun calls a fragile peace.

The Daily Express says peace ended when Charles Clarke criticised Mr Brown.

Vitriolic attack?

The attack by former Home Secretary Charles Clarke on the chancellor was, the Telegraph says, an extraordinary character assassination.

The Mirror's Kevin Maguire calls it a brutal machine-gunning, while for the Independent, it was a vitriolic attack on the chancellor's character.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail suspects the knives are out for the chancellor - Mr Blair's expected successor.

It says Mr Clarke has put himself at the head of a "stop Gordon" campaign.

Ambitious plot

The Times reminds readers Mr Blair's troubles followed an interview he gave the paper at the end of last week.

And, in its front page story, it reports that the plot to remove him was far more ambitious than hitherto revealed.

The paper says the letter from MPs calling on the Mr Blair to quit was envisaged as one part of a wider plan.

Three more letters were to be followed by demands for the prime minister to leave and some thought he may be forced out by the end of this week.

Allergy breakthrough

The Mail and Express lead with the news that scientists believe a cure for allergies will be available within the next few years.

The Mail reports that research from around the world will yield a treatment for hay fever by 2009, with a cure for asthma following shortly afterwards.

Treatments for food allergies are also in the pipeline, it adds.

The Express says a simple course of drops or tablets will immunise sufferers against allergic reactions.