Bush's turkey mission thrills papers

A picture of the US president carrying a huge turkey is described by The Times as "one of the most audacious publicity coups in White House history".

A similar photo of George W Bush in a hangar at Baghdad airport where US troops were having Thanksgiving dinner is carried by The Daily Mirror under the headline "The Turkey has landed".

The Times says Mr Bush became the first American president to visit Iraq amid extraordinary secrecy.

Many of the tabloids concentrate on the anti-terrorist operations in Gloucester and the arrest of a British man suspected of having links with al-Qaeda.

The Sun which dedicated a team of at least 15 reporters to the story, claims to have identified the arrested man and published a photo of him.

The Daily Mail speculates on the suspected target of the alleged plot.

Tory surge

The Daily Telegraph has found the Tories are ahead in its latest opinion poll.

The paper says Michael Howard has put the Conservatives back on the map, three weeks after taking over as leader.

The poll will not make pleasant reading for the prime minister.

The Telegraph says that "after his toughest year in power, overshadowed by party rebellions over Iraq, foundation hospitals and university top-up fees, Mr Blair now faces a re-energised and united Conservative Party".

The Independent suggests that the revival of the Tory party under Michael Howard has persuaded Mr Blair and his Chancellor Gordon Brown to work hard to settle their differences.

The paper reckons that Mr Brown is trying to end a long-running dispute with the prime minister by endorsing his call for radical reform of the public services.

Tony's chat

Details of those reforms are mentioned by Mr Blair in an interview in The Guardian.

He was outlining his party's planned agenda ahead of the next general election.

The ideas include letting the police impose fixed penalty fines for a wider range of offences.

The interview heralds his nationwide consultation dubbed "the big conversation".

But the attempt to gauge opinion gets a scathing reception from papers from both sides of the political spectrum.

"Pathetic" is the reaction of Peter Oborne in The Daily Mail.

He says voters want their prime ministers to lead, not to follow.

And Paul Routledge in the Mirror questions why Mr Blair is pressing ahead with unpopular plans such as student top up fees. He concludes the PM is "losing his grip".

Brotherly love

The Telegraph reports that a Manchester United fan has inflicted the ultimate indignity upon his brother by agreeing to a life-saving transplant on condition that his sibling renounce his support of rivals Manchester City.

Paul Warburton, 59, was donated stem cells by his younger brother, Martin on condition that he "pledge his lifelong allegiance to Manchester United" and "chortle" at regular intervals as Manchester City are relegated. Paul is hopeful the contract breaches the Human Rights act.

The Sun celebrates the England football captain's OBE declaring: Hats off to Becks.

But it remarks on the elaborate head-gear worn by Victoria Beckham to the palace. It asks of her black haut-couture fascinator: "Can you pick up Sky Sports on that, Posh?"