Budget fallout still in the news

Three days on, and the fallout from the Budget is still preoccupying many of the papers.

"Blair's despair over 50p tax rate" is the headline on the front page of the Daily Telegraph. It claims Tony Blair believes the new tax rate for high earners is a "terrible mistake".

Mr Blair's spokesman has strongly denied the story and is insisting that the former prime minister remains fully supportive of the government.

The Independent's political editor Andrew Grice paints a bleak picture of New Labour's future.

"The moment that finally cost Labour the general election" is how he describes the publication of the worse-than-expected GDP figures.

Gang figures

The Times says it has an official report revealing there are almost 3,000 organised criminal gangs in the UK.

This figure, in the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary's report, is three times the previous estimate.

The England footballer Frank Lampard is on the front pages of the Daily Mirror, the Sun and the Daily Star.

"Frank Rants Hard" is the Sun's headline, which says the Chelsea star rang a radio phone-in because he was unhappy with the presenter's comments.

Europe's natural world faces a crisis as serious as the threat of climate change, according to the Guardian.

It says the European Environment Agency will publish a report warning most habitats and species are threatened.

Gurkha battle

The Daily Mail says that Gurkhas risked their lives for Britain and won a court battle to settle here.

But, it adds, the government's response is to now make them take a residency test almost none of them can pass.

Even at his funeral, Sir Clement Freud managed to have the last laugh, says the Telegraph.

The paper says the order of service set the tone for the event - replacing the words "date of death" with the phrase "best before".

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