Newspaper headlines: 'Ghislaine caged' and 'Sturgeon's bid for new referendum'

The Daily Telegraph leads on what it calls a "heated Cabinet split' - with Boris Johnson resisting calls to increase military funding, it says.

The paper says Downing Street intervened in a speech by the Defence Secretary Ben Wallace on Tuesday, forcing him to water down his demand for higher defence spending. Number 10 was said to have been left "furious" by what was seen as an attempt to bounce Mr Johnson into a major defence spending increase while at a Nato summit.

The Times says the prime minister's arrival in Madrid was overshadowed by his acceptance that he would break a key manifesto pledge to increase annual defence spending above inflation, amid warnings from Mr Wallace that the armed forces were surviving on a "diet of smoke and mirrors".

"Scandal-hit Met" is the lead story in the online-only Independent - following the announcement that the Metropolitan Police is being put in special measures by the policing watchdog. The Times reports inspectors have been considering the move for months but wanted to give the force a chance to improve.

The prospect of a second Scottish independence referendum is the lead in the i.

The Guardian says the Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has set herself on a collision course with Downing Street by asking the Supreme Court to rule on the legality of holding a new referendum without the UK government's permission.

The Telegraph says she has wrongfooted Westminster and blindsided Mr Johnson - and senior government sources admitted they had not expected such a development. But it also quotes government sources describing the plan as "bonkers", with one saying: "It's the beginning of the end for her."

In an editorial, the Times describes the plans for a second referendum as "unwise and exhausting".

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Many front pages cover the sentencing of Ghislaine Maxwell.

The Metro says the former friend and associate of Jeffrey Epstein had faced calls for a 55-year jail term, while the Daily Mail believes Maxwell is "still in denial".

The Daily Express concludes she was "unrepentant" and "shamelessly" claimed she was a victim.

The Daily Mirror reports that lawyers representing victims of Maxwell and Epstein have urged US prosecutors to now look into associates of the pair - including Prince Andrew. He has always strongly denied any knowledge of the crimes.

The Financial Times gives prominent coverage to the congressional hearing in Washington into the insurrection on 6 January 2021. The paper reports on the testimony of an ex-White House aide that Donald Trump wanted to join the armed mob running riot on Capitol Hill - even after he was told they had weapons. It quotes her dramatic claim that the defeated president, after demanding to be driven to the Capitol, tried to grab the steering wheel of his limousine from a secret service agent.

Finally, pictures of a smiling Dame Deborah James look out from many of the front pages after her death from bowel cancer. The Express says the campaigner "inspired the nation", a conclusion shared by the Sun which also describes her as "inspirational".

The Daily Mail says that with "a splash of lippy and that smile, Dame Deborah achieved more in weeks than most do in a lifetime".

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