Papers consider leaders' fashions

A number of papers focus on the meeting of two of the world's most powerful men.

But it's not the discussions between Tony Blair and his French counterpart, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, on the threat of military action against Iraq that preoccupy them.

Rather it's the leaders' choices of summertime leisure-wear.

The Times reports that Mr Raffarin, who it says takes pride in representing grass-roots France, has kept up his image as a fashion-blind ordinary guy with his choice of red knitwear with a button-down shoulder.

The Daily Mirror's fashion correspondent gushes over Mr Blair's "stylish palette of blue", but the Daily Telegraph thinks the prime minister's "faded 'George Michael' jeans, which although they go beautifully with the shade of jumper and bring out his eyes, are a little... trendy for a man of his years".

The paper concludes that "for an Englishman venturing abroad, nothing beats the crumpled linen suit or blazer".

Lottery 'farce'

The Daily Mail takes up its campaign against lottery funding for a charity that supports people who've been served deportation orders.

Under the headline: "The farce gets worse", the paper claims the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns is "championing the case of two Palestinian bombers and an Islamic cleric said to be a danger to national security".

But the Guardian takes issue with the home secretary's decision to call for a review of lottery funding for the charity, saying David Blunkett "barged in, even though the allocation of lottery money has nothing to do with him".

Conservative 'split'

There's worrying news for the Conservative party leader, Iain Duncan Smith, in the Daily Telegraph.

The paper reports that Tory candidates are considering leaving to set up a libertarian Conservative Party.

The paper claims a group of 50 Tories, worried at the party's poll ratings, have been meeting for several months to discuss structure and funding of a new party.

It seems that growing scepticism with the traditional political system is prompting thoughts of change beyond the fringes of the Conservative party.

The electoral commission is considering letting voters ignore candidates in an election in favour of a box marked "none of the above".

The Guardian quotes a leading political scientist who says the proposal would damage smaller parties, who do well when the electorate becomes disaffected.

Business 'conflicts'

The number of company directorships held by MPs and peers is causing the Financial Times concern.

It has discovered that more than 150 seats on company boards are held by just 15 parliamentarians.

The paper has found the busiest of them is Lord Razzall, the leading Liberal Democrat strategist, who holds 21 directorships.

The paper questions how parliamentarians can work with company managers and protect the interests of shareholders while also "legislating, scrutinising the executive, and looking after constituents".

Radiation 'racism'

The lead story in the Independent reports claims by black workers at an American nuclear plant they were deliberately assigned jobs that exposed them to twice as much radiation as their white colleagues.

The paper says British Nuclear Fuels owns a 40% stake in the plant in South Carolina, but there is no implication it encouraged or condoned racism.

Workers at the site have asked the British company to intervene and settle their claims.