Papers examine Blair accusations

The growing pressure on the prime minister to produce evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction is the main story for many papers on Monday

"Show us the proof" challenges The Daily Mirror as Tony Blair is once again pushed to provide evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

The Daily Telegraph believes comments from former cabinet ministers have left Mr Blair facing about the gravest accusation that can be made in politics because he stands charged, in effect, with committing British troops on the basis of a lie.

The paper goes on to argue that even if a weapons programme was unearthed many people in this country - let alone in the Arab world - would assume it had been planted because, it decides, "such are the wages of spin".

The Guardian points out that weapons are not all that are missing.

Where for instance, it asks, is Saddam Hussein - not to mention his sons Qusay and Uday?

Saddam's daughters

The Sun may not be able to answer that question but it does shed some light on two of Saddam's daughters.

They are according to the paper seeking asylum in Britain.

The Sun claims that while Raghda and Rana Hussein remain loyal to their father they believe the UK offers them the chance of a new life of luxury.

The Times also carries the story and reports the women are living in cramped conditions in a small house in Baghdad with their nine children.

Summit

The new general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union, Tony Woodley, wades into the Iraq argument in an interview with The Times.

He says he's never been in any doubt the war was not about weapons or regime change but about supporting America - and about oil.

He also tell The Times that in spite of being in power for six years, the government is still wedded to the rich and powerful.

Mr Woodley's plans for a summit of union leaders to review links with Labour alarms The Guardian.

It warns that there is one thing more pressing for the unions than reforming Labour and that's to reform themselves to reverse what the paper says has been a decade of decline.

The Sun has its own opinion of Tony Woodley. He is, according to the paper, a left-wing firebrand who's deluding himself if he thinks that he will worry Tony Blair.

GM technology

The Independent informs us on its front page that a national debate about GM technology will start this week.

But it claims the debate is small scale and has been starved of funds; as if, the paper suggests, the government doesn't want us to know about it.

The Times reveals an interim report from civil servants advises ministers not to be too zealous in their support for GM crops because there are no immediate advantages to the country.

Coronation

Most of the papers dedicate space to the 50th anniversary of the Queen's Coronation.

The Daily Telegraph offers its readers a 12-page celebration special of "golden memories" and the Daily Mail provides a picture for every year of the Queen's reign.

The Guardian strikes a different note when it suggests the success of the television broadcast of the coronation launched the royal family into the TV age, paving the way for the Christmas broadcasts, It's a Royal Knockout and Princess Diana's Panorama interview.

The Guardian says the Queen must think that her initial instinct that the coronation should not be televised was right.