Parliament ‘puts brakes on Brexit’

The papers are dominated by Tuesday’s momentous votes on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal.

Several of them are critical of MPs – after they backed the prime minister’s withdrawal agreement, but rejected his plan to get the legislation through Parliament this week.

The Daily Mail has a photograph of Mr Johnson addressing the Commons alongside the headline “Trust this lot to turn triumph into disaster!”

The Daily Express is also dismayed, arguing the “historic” deal was “soured by fresh parliamentary skulduggery from Remainers… on an evening of high farce at Westminster”.

There’s widespread agreement that Tuesday’s defeat has ended Mr Johnson’s hopes of leading the UK out of the EU at the end of the month.

The Mirror insists he “doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance of leaving on Halloween after a nightmare in the Commons”.

But the Guardian suggests Mr Johnson could continue to try to steer his deal through parliament, rather than push for an election as he threatened.

It says he may be “swayed” by the larger-than-expected government majority in the vote on the principle of his deal.

Several papers call for an election.

“Voters”, it says, “are desperate to fire this abysmal parliament”.

The paper’s leader column argues that any credibility Jeremy Corbyn has left “will be shredded” if he refuses an election for a third time, given that the Labour leader has consistently demanded the opportunity to challenge the government at the ballot box.

A study of patients who took high doses of the drug found they experienced 25% less mental decline after 18 months.

According to the paper, Alzheimer’s charities are “excited” by the research, which the Times suggests could be “one of the most stunning reversals in the history of pharmaceutical development”.

Like several similar products, the drug had originally failed in trials.

The paper says China is drawing up plans to replace Carrie Lam with an interim chief executive following violent protests against her administration.

Sources have told the paper that Ms Lam’s successor could be installed by March.

Leading candidates are said to include the former head of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Norman Chan, and the former chief secretary of the territory, Henry Tang.

The FT says Chinese officials want the situation in Hong Kong to stabilise before they make a final decision on whether to replace Ms Lam, as they don’t want to be seen to be giving in to violence.

Finally, the papers have welcomed the government’s decision to lift a ban on direct flights between the UK and Sharm el-Sheikh, following improvements in airport security at the Egyptian resort.