Papers consider Tory spending plans

The unveiling of the Tories' plans to make savings in public services is one of the top stories.

The Sun says that "for the first time in years, the country will actually be listening to the Conservatives with interest".

The paper believes that with the government "in a mess" the opposition party has a "golden opportunity to seize the initiative".

Banks' boon

The big four banks are accused of exploiting their customers, on the front page of the Guardian.

The charge comes from the Consumers' Association, which says Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds TSB, Barclays and HSBC are cashing in on their "stranglehold" on the high street.

The paper predicts that Royal Bank of Scotland, which owns NatWest, will announce record profits of more than £6bn this week - £300 for each of its customers.

Prince 'pressured PM'

The Times claims to have confirmation that Prince Charles personally orchestrated a campaign against government policy during the foot and mouth epidemic.

It says his involvement has been revealed by Sir Ben Gill, who steps down as president of the National Farmers' Union on Tuesday.

The Prince is said to have opposed the policy of slaughtering farm animals, favouring vaccination.

The paper says he put pressure on the prime minister and other senior ministers, operating in "a shadowy manner, hiding behind proxies, perhaps because of the constitutional sensitivity of the heir blatantly interfering in politics".

Tax debate

The Daily Mail and the Daily Express both lead on the news, reported in some of the Sunday papers, that the government is considering a new local tax to replace the council tax, based on income and the value of homes.

The Mail says it is not the answer and predicts that the middle classes would be hardest hit.

The Express asks its readers what they think and invites them to take part in a telephone poll to vote for or against the idea.

Other papers also have their say.

The Daily Mirror says that though the council tax is unfair and unpopular, this new idea will cause an outcry.

Nascar dads

You may remember Mondeo Man - the archetypal floating voter Tony Blair told the Labour Party they had to win back to the party in the 1997 election.

This morning, the Daily Telegraph throws the spotlight on Nascar dads - the latest key swing group in the American electorate, to whom any hopeful presidential candidate must appeal.

Apparently these blue-collar, white, southern fathers traditionally voted Democrat but turned Republican under Ronald Reagan.

They follow North American Stock Car Racing, known as Nascar, enjoy country music, regard guns as a God-given right, and are suspicious of politicians.

Stud farm

One of Britain's last remaining indigenous horse breeds, the Suffolk Punch, is now rarer than the giant panda, according to the Independent, with only 300 left.

The paper says the Home Office is about to sell of one of the few lifelines to its future - a stud farm at Hollesley Bay Prison, which has been bolstering the breed's dwindling numbers.

Lovers of the breed have begun a campaign to raise the money to save the stud farm.

The paper's reporter, Charles Arthur, describes one of the huge horses, "shifting its weight from bucket-sized hoof to hoof" beside its stall, and writes that it's "hard to believe that a creature so mammoth, and so solid, has such a fragile future".