What Monday's papers are saying

The Independent leads with the story that Labour has been accused of rushing through huge contracts before the election to safeguard the party's 'pet projects'.According to the report it is spending up to £11b

to prevent its pet projects being scrapped by an incoming Conservative government.

There is plenty of other political specualtion.The Times says that a Conservative government could find itself at war with police chiefs amid accusations that some are too close to the Labour Party.The paper has seen a Tory briefing document which attacks the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), which represents the 350 most senior officers in England and Wales.

Meanwhile the Guardian continues to chase Lord Ashcroft.It leads with the story that Lord Mandelson,in a highly personal attack,said that

Ashcroft had Cameron "by the balls", the affair showed Cameron was "too weak to pick a fight with his own party" and the Tories were "fundamentally unchanged".

The Telegraph claims that The Ministry of Defence has been accused of ordering a “truth blackout” over the war in Afghanistan amid warnings it is attempting to “bury bad news” during the election campaign.

The elections in Iraq get a fair amount of coverage.

Bomb blasts and grenade fire failed to deter millions of Iraqis from voting yesterday in an election crucial to the country’s fragile young democracy. says the Times in its lead story whilst Robert Fisk writing in the Independent describes how Once again, a nation walks through fire to give the West its 'democracy'

According to the Guardian meanwhile

The government will attempt today to have a case about torture heard entirely behind closed doors in a move that some lawyers say would extend secrecy to a new area of hearings, overriding ancient principles of English law.

The Mail devotes its front page to the Jon Venables case as it reveals the horror image drawn by Venables just weeks before he killed James Bulger

The Sun meanwhile claims that on a scale of 1-5,Venables' porn images rate 4.According to the paper

Cops seized a laptop after a search at the home of the 27-year-old, who was freed with a new identity after serving time for the murder of James.

Cut spending now is the headline in the Telegraph as it reports that the country’s leading business organisations will warn today that the future of the economy is in jeopardy unless public spending cuts begin within months.

On the same theme the Times reports that Alistair Darling is at loggerheads with business leaders because of his perceived “leisurely” approach to the final Budget before the election.

A crazed man hacked his mother-in-law to death after flying in to Britain to hunt his estranged wife - armed with a "torture kit".reports the Sun

The Express claims that 1000's of prisoners who can’t find work in jail are claiming millions of pounds of tax- payers’ money in unemployment and sickness benefits.

Finally according to MI5 files released today,Cycling tours by Hitler Youth groups and Nazi attempts to establish close links with the Boy Scout movement caused a security panic in prewar Britain.

Whilst the Mail is concerned that we aren't getting enough sleep

The average person sleeps for just over six hours a night, well below the traditionally recommended eight hours.

The Guardian reports that

Police officers were alerted to monitor German students on bicycle holidays in the late 1930s as they stopped at schools, Rotary clubs, factories and church services.