Money matters trouble front pages

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For the traditionally left-leaning papers, the big story is Tory donor Lord Ashcroft's revelation about his non-domiciled tax status.

The <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/03/02/tories-dirty-little-secret-exposed-as-lord-ashcroft-admits-i-m-a-non-dom-115875-22079117/">Mirror calls it the Tories' "dirty little secret"</a> and the <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/mar/01/lord-ashcroft-tax-conservatives">Guardian says it has put pressure on the Conservative leadership </a> to reveal what they knew.

The <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-unanswered-questions-that-ashcroft-has-yet-to-address-1914291.html">Independent also has questions - eight of them</a> - printed on its front.

It wonders: "How can a British citizen who claims to be a permanent resident have this status?"

Market jitters

Elsewhere, it is the pound sterling that is the centre of attention.

The <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/currency/7348433/Pound-slumps-over-fears-of-election-stalemate.html">Daily Telegraph says that financial markets have taken fright</a> at the growing possibility of a hung parliament after the general election.

<a class="inlineText" href="http://www.express.co.uk/home">"The pound takes a battering," reports the Daily Express,</a> which says Monday's slump against the dollar was the biggest since January 2009.

In the <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1254635/Pound-slumps-month-low-fears-hung-Parliament.html">Daily Mail, there's talk of a full-scale economic crisis</a> unless the election delivers a clear result.

Poll positions

The opinion polls continue to be volatile, with the <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2874025/Tories-lead-is-back-to-seven-points.html">Sun's YouGov survey giving the Tories a seven-point lead.</a>

It says the party has bounced back thanks to David Cameron's speech at the weekend, made without notes, to its spring conference.

A ComRes poll in <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hung-parliament-looms-as-tory-poll-lead-cut-to-5-points-1914288.html">the Independent puts the Tory lead at five points.</a>

Analyst Prof John Curtice suggests that voters are taking a fresh look at Gordon Brown, who is now regarded only slightly less highly than Mr Cameron.

Advertising spread

Finally, news of a big transfer that is causing a stir in edible-spread world.

<a class="inlineText" href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/paddington-bear-to-marmalades-rescue-from-darkest-peru-1914294.html">Paddington Bear has been enlisted as the new face of Robertson's Golden Shred marmalade, the Independent says.</a>

An obvious choice, perhaps, given his love of marmalade sandwiches but the paper points out that he has been earning a crust plugging Marmite.

The jam maker is now hoping the bear from Peru will attract new customers and reverse a drop in sales for a product bought mainly by the over-45s.