Papers dissect Sun's Tory switch

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Many papers are keen to dissect the Sun's decision to switch its backing from Labour to the Conservatives.

<a class="inlineText" href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/how-cameron-cosied-up-to-murdoch--son-1795742.html">The Independent says the Sun's decision was the product of months of networking and negotiating</a> between the Tories and Britain's biggest media company.

The paper claims it is now likely that the Times will also follow suit and begin to back David Cameron.

<a class="inlineText" href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/aeccdf40-ae0d-11de-87e7-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1">The Financial Times says while Gordon Brown expected the Sun's switch,</a> the timing of the announcement was brutal.

<a class="inlineText" href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6856194.ece">The Times leads with a claim that Labour is planning to halve the budget deficit</a> with spending cuts and asset sales worth £75bn.

It says some large defence orders could be shelved, and state-owned bodies such as Ordnance Survey could be sold off.

The paper also says the pay of judges, senior civil servants and NHS managers will be frozen.

But a Downing Street spokesman said he did not recognise any of the details in the story.

<a class="inlineText" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1217028/Labours-great-24-hour-drinking-U-turn.html">The Daily Mail leads with a report that street drinking is to be banned</a> in some towns and cities.

The paper says Nottingham will be the first place to implement such a ban.

Chain reaction

<a class="inlineText" href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2663036/Tony-Blair-to-head-the-EU-within-weeks.html">And in an exclusive report, the Sun claims that Tony Blair is weeks away from being appointed the new president of Europe.</a>

It says he will be formally nominated for the job if the Lisbon Treaty is ratified by voters in Ireland, who go to the polls on Friday.

<a class="inlineText" href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/every-little-helps-if-you-want-to-beat-tesco-1795737.html">The Independent reports that Tesco has withdrawn a planning application</a> for a new superstore in a West Yorkshire town.

Holmfirth is best known as the setting for the TV series Last of the Summer Wine.

It says residents of the town used civic pride and determination to see off the chain.

<a class="inlineText" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/6248435/Worries-in-the-Hundred-Acre-Wood.html">The Daily Telegraph reports that the creators of the long-awaited Winnie the Pooh sequel have introduced a brand new character</a> - Lottie the Otter.