Papers dominated by Tory 'assassin'

An "assassin in stilettos" is how The Observer characterises Amanda Platell, the former Conservative Party press secretary whose video diary of the general election campaign will be shown on television on Sunday.

The Sunday Mirror believes the film will deliver a "crushing blow" to Michael Portillo's hopes of winning the Tory leadership, with accusations that his closest supporters were disloyal to William Hague.

The "venom" in the film, according to the Independent on Sunday, is "even deadlier than Mr Portillo expected".

But Mr Portillo can draw some comfort from the Sunday Telegraph, which reports that he has received the private backing of Lady Thatcher.

Although she is closer, politically, to Iain Duncan Smith, Lady Thatcher is said to believe that Mr Portillo's ministerial experience gives him the edge.

Tranquilliser guns

The Observer leads with a report that police are to be issued with tranquilliser guns similar to those used to bring down wild animals.

The paper says the Home Secretary, David Blunkett, wants to reduce the number of fatal shootings by armed officers, such as the killing in Liverpool on Thursday of a mentally disturbed man who was brandishing a sword.

The Home Office is also said to want police to investigate the use of stun guns.

The Mail on Sunday, meanwhile, reports that six of Scotland Yard's top marksmen are refusing to carry their guns, in a protest over the handling of an inquiry into a shooting incident.

Maternity woes

A study highlighting wide variations in standards and services offered by maternity units is featured on the front page of The Sunday Times, which says some hospitals are so short of midwives that women in labour are being turned away.

The paper says the survey shows that the "postcode lottery" of healthcare begins at the cradle.

The public health minister, Yvette Cooper, says the variations are "unacceptable".

Lambs to the slaughter

The foot-and-mouth crisis is to claim the lives of another two million lambs, according to The Sunday Telegraph.

The paper says the lambs were bred for the foreign market, but the continuing ban on exports means they will now have to be slaughtered.

Farmers say there is not sufficient demand for them in Britain, and keeping them alive would pose welfare problems.

Arms dumps

After a week of talks aimed at salvaging the Northern Ireland peace process, the News of the World believes it knows what is in the plan being put together by the British and Irish Governments.

The paper says there will be a proposal for the IRA's arms dumps to be encased in concrete and watched over by the security forces.

The Sunday Telegraph says the Ulster Unionists would rather the weapons were destroyed by corrosive chemicals, something Sinn Fein has rejected.

Speed camera fury

A masked man is pictured in the Sunday People, dressed in black and carrying a burning torch.

He is, according to the paper, a member of a gang which is targeting roadside speed cameras across the country.

The gang is said to be made up of "professionals in good jobs", who claim they are being driven out of business by speeding fines.

They have attacked cameras in Devon, Essex, Hampshire and Newcastle, cutting some off their poles, and setting fire to others.