Blair's heart problem dominates papers

Tony Blair's admission to hospital for heart treatment is the lead in almost every paper -- with some changing their front page for later editions.

The Times says the diagnosis of an irregular heartbeat raises a serious question about how long Mr Blair will want to remain in office.

The Guardian says that despite words of comfort emanating from Downing Street, Mr Blair's family and political entourage will be deeply disturbed by the revelation that he has a heart condition.

The Daily Telegraph writes of "panic" among Mr Blair's friends and of shockwaves in Westminster, where it says there was immediate speculation about the implications for who succeeds Mr Blair - and when.

But much is made of Mr Blair's fitness until now; the Independent recalls that only recently the Prime Minister said he was feeling great and doing more exercise than he had done since leaving school.

However, the Daily Mail believes he has been looking ravaged by strain during what has been his toughest year in Number 10.

House sale tax

The consternation surrounding the idea of a levying capital gains tax on house sale profits will do little to help Mr Blair's recuperation this morning.

The story is the lead in early editions of the Express, which calls the proposal "madness".

The Independent reports furious denials from the Treasury that the Chancellor is planning what it calls "raid on the pockets of Middle England".

The Mail is not convinced by those denials. It says the idea of new taxes to calm the volatile housing market appeared in Treasury papers on the Euro.

In its editorial, the Mail says such a tax would be political dynamite for the government.

For the Daily Mirror such a tax is barking mad, utterly ludicrous, the kind of loopy idea Labour dreamed up 20 years ago.

The Guardian, in its editorial, has a different take - it wonders if recouping part of an unexpected and undeserved increase in a property's value when it is sold is the least bad tax of all.

Tube crash

There's widespread coverage of the tube crash in north London which the Independent and the Guardian among others agree will breathe new life into the controversy surrounding the privatisation of the underground system.

The Mail says hundreds of thousands of commuters can expect chaos as they try to get to work today. It says rail bosses can expect a backlash from passengers and unions as confidence in safety dwindles.

Diana plot

Sensational is an overused word in the tabloids - but it applies to the Daily Mirror's front page on Monday morning.

The paper reports that Princess Diana claimed there was a plot to kill her in a car crash.

It says the allegation was made in a hand-written note which the Princess gave to her butler, Paul Burrell, 10 months before she died.

In it she predicts her car's brakes will fail and she will suffer serious head injuries.

She names who she believes was plotting the accident but, for legal reasons, the Mirror does not.

IDS

The Daily Telegraph has another insight into the running of Iain Duncan Smith's office which will make uncomfortable reading for the Conservative leader.

It says the party spent £500,000 on redundancy payments and salary compensations for senior staff who have been forced out or demoted since Mr Duncan Smith became leader.

The paper says the scale of the sums has alarmed party donors because of the precarious state of Tory finances and will give ammunition to those at Westminster who have criticised the way Mr Duncan Smith has run Central Office.