The news that the House of lords is to be effectively abolished is the main story in the broadsheets this morning.The Times leads with the headline:

Historic vote means farewell to the Lords

Britain is to have a wholly or mainly elected second House of Parliament after historic votes by MPs last night.
Decades of deadlock over reform finally ended as the Commons voted first for an 80 per cent elected second chamber and then, entirely unexpectedly, for a fully elected House.
The decisions pave the way for one of the most radical constitutional changes in British history. It is almost certain to involve the renaming of the House of Lords.

The Guardian headlines

Historic vote for all elected House of Lords

MPs delivered a historic vote in favour of a wholly-elected House of Lords last night, setting themselves up for a confrontation with peers that could lead to the most radical change to the upper house for 96 years. The Commons voted by 337 to 224 in favour of a 100% elected Lords, the first time they have come to terms with the idea that they could coexist with an elected element in the upper house.

Whilst the Telegraph says

Defeat for Blair as MPs back elected Lords

The Commons voted unexpectedly by 337 to 224, a majority of 113, in favour of a 100 per cent elected Lords.Although the vote was indicative and does not automatically become law, it represented a serious defeat for Tony Blair and senior Cabinet members, who had favoured a "hybrid" second chamber, with 50 per cent elected and 50 per cent nominated.

The decsion will of course prevent any future repetition of the cash for honours scandal and the Mail continues to probe the affairs of Lord Levy on its front page.

Levy DID propose donors for a peerage

Labour fundraiser Lord Levy played a key role in nominating rich businessmen for peerages, it can be revealed.
The controversial peer is said to have been intimately involved in secretive Downing Street talks to decide who should get an honour.

Senior sources have told the Daily Mail that he argued who should be included in the 2005 election honours list.
He is said to have brandished a list of those he wished to see nominated for peerage.

The Times reports that

Downing Street backing Levy amid fears he might ‘implode’

Downing Street emphasised Tony Blair’s support for Lord Levy’s role as a Middle East adviser yesterday amid ministerial fears that he might “implode” over the cash-for-honours affair.
The Times has learnt that senior Jewish figures who have donated to Labour have voiced their anger to the party at the way Mr Blair’s fundraiser has been left “twisting in the wind”, raising worries that they might withhold their support in future.
Mr Blair’s spokesman said that Lord Levy’s role as an adviser was “ongoing and unchanged” and emphasised how highly Mr Blair valued his work. He referred to Mr Blair’s praise for Lord Levy when they were together in the Middle East in December. Mr Blair said then that Lord Levy was “doing an excellent job as my envoy in very difficult circumstances”.
It appeared to be part of a concerted effort to assure Lord Levy that he was not being isolated after an outspoken claim from his rabbi that he was being “hung out to dry”.

Meanwhile according to the Telegraph

Blair's personal papers removed by police in cash-for-honours inquiry

The Daily Telegraph can disclose that some of the documents seized by police also referred to Labour Party donors. Others related to conversations between Jonathan Powell, the Downing Street chief of staff, and Lord Levy, the Prime Minister's personal fund-raiser.
One of the donors named is thought to be Sir Christopher Evans, the bioscience tycoon, whose loan of £1 million is being repaid by Labour. When detectives saw Mr Blair for the first time they questioned him at length about a reference in a notebook of Sir Christopher's in which he referred to talk of "a K [knighthood] or a big P [peerage]".

And the Sun reports more trouble for Lord Levy

Lord Crashpoint in trouble

LABOUR fundraiser Lord Levy ran into more trouble yesterday — after knocking down a BBC journalist with his Jaguar car.
The politician — dubbed Lord Cashpoint — apologised to the bruised camerawoman.
Lord Levy is at the centre of the cash-for-honours probe.

The front page of the Guardian contains a shocking picture,under the headline

Four men, five punches and a boot: A 19-year-old woman is arrested

According to the CCTV camera that recorded the incident, the first blow was thrown at 02.18.58. Seconds later, as she was pinned down by two police officers and two nightclub staff, the young woman was hit on five further occasions. A foot then appears to be placed on her body.
The 19-year-old seems limp, and may even have been unconscious. As the officers struggle to pick her up and drag her to a waiting police van, the teenager's trousers fall round her ankles.

The paper continues saying that

Ms Comer's lawyers are demanding that the Independent Police Complaints Commission launches an investigation to look properly at the inconsistencies they believe are found in a statement made by PC Anthony Mulhall. The officer has admitted he hit her but claimed he acted in self-defence and only after extreme provocation.

The Independent reports that

Reid: illegal immigrants are scroungers

John Reid was accused of impersonating the bigoted television character Alf Garnett as he promised to make life in Britain uncomfortable for illegal immigrants.
The Home Secretary was uncompromising as he launched a crackdown on foreigners who "steal our benefits" and trumpeted Government success in "throwing out" record numbers of asylum-seekers.
But his tough language brought protests that he was whipping up public emotions on a highly sensitive issue, with critics saying that many migrant workers already faced miserable conditions and exploitation.

Meanwhile the Guardian reveals on the same theme that

Councils facing £100m bill to care for sick and destitute migrants

Councils across England and Wales have been left with a £100m bill because they are for caring for sick and destitute migrants left unsupported by the state.
The home secretary, John Reid, is facing demands from more than 100 councils who blame "chaotic" government immigration procedures for leaving them to support migrants assessed as having "no recourse to public funds" (NRPF). These include thousands of failed asylum seekers, migrants sponsored to enter the UK, some overseas students and others in ill health, including many who have HIV.

The Express's front page reveals a Gordon Brown tax scandal.Under the headline

BROWN'S TAX PLAN TO BLEED YOU DRY the paper reports

LABOUR’S secret plans for a terrifying £30billion-a-year tax bombshell were accidentally revealed by Tony Blair yesterday.The Prime Minister disclosed that his expected successor, Gordon Brown, has already ruled out using increased revenue from economic growth to reduce the soaring tax burden.Instead the total annual haul – worth around £30billion a year – will be used to pump even more cash into failing services, as well as into public-sector wages and pension schemes.

The front page of the Independent features the picture of a hedgehog.Under the headline,

Born to die: Climate change disrupting life cycles with fatal results the paper reports

The behaviour of Britain's wildlife is raising alarm about the seriousness of climate change as animals' breeding patterns are thrown into confusion. The second mildest winter on record has resulted in mammals, reptiles, birds and insects emerging from shelter far too early.
They are getting caught out by cold snaps or wet weather and the young of many species are dying. Baby hedgehogs, baby squirrels, even baby grass snakes are being found in distress in many places.

Following yesterdays court decision in Washington the Telegraph can reveal that

Libby set to win pardon and escape jail term

A White House official said last night that there was a "strong expectation" that President George W Bush would pardon Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the disgraced aide.

an administration official said that it was highly unlikely that Libby would go to prison. "There's a lot of anger about the way Libby has been treated," he said.
"There's a strong expectation that if it comes to it, then the president will pardon him."

The Times reports on yesterday mornings air crash in Indonesia

A fire started three seats in front of me. Everyone started screaming

Survivors of an aircraft crash described their escape from the burning fuselage seconds before it exploded in a fireball yesterday, killing at least 22 people trapped on board.
Many of the 115 who escaped suffered burns and serious injuries, when the Garuda Indonesia Boeing 737-400 skidded off a runway at high speed and burst into flames in a rice field.
Witnesses said that the aircraft was approaching the notoriously dangerous airport at Yogyakarta too quickly on a sharp descent.

The guardian reports on a strange tale

Defection or abduction? Speculation grows after Iranian general goes awol in Turkey

former Iranian deputy defence minister and Revolutionary Guard general has disappeared in Istanbul, amid reports that he has defected to the west and counter-claims from Tehran that he has been abducted.
Iranian police alleged that Ali Reza Asgari had been kidnapped by "western intelligence services" from a hotel in Istanbul last month. But the police did not explain what he had been doing in Turkey, other than saying he had flown there after a similarly unexplained visit to Syria.

The Sun has a front page exclusive reporting under the headline

I WANT £1OK a day

that

LADY Mucca’s amazing £10,000-a-day divorce demand would put her in the same pay league as Manchester United soccer star Wayne Rooney.
A close pal of her estranged hubby Sir Paul McCartney said last night: “It’s amazing.
“When you consider her humble beginnings, £10,000 a day is a phenomenal sum to cover her needs. It’s as much as some Premiership footballers earn. Many people have to work a year for what she wants to bank in just one day.”
Heather Mills, 39 has drawn up her annual cash commitments and has worked out that she needs the money — more than £3.5million a year — just to “get by

Meanwhile both the Mirror and the Sun report on the serious illness to Johnny Depp's daughter,the front page of the Mirror headlining

DEPP'S VIGIL FOR SICK DAUGHTER

JOHNNY Depp's seven-year-old daughter is seriously ill in a UK hospital.
The devastated Pirates of the Caribbean star and partner Vanessa Paradis are keeping a round-the-clock vigil on little Lily-Rose.
A hospital source said: "Lily is a very sick girl and Johnny has hardly left her side. It's heartbreaking for him to see her in this state. She is very poorly." Lily-Rose was rushed to hospital nine days ago. Johnny, 43, is filming in Britain.