Newspaper headlines: More Brand reaction and Unite 'launches red wall push'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said he wants to change the UK's Brexit deal with the EU if Labour wins the next election

"What did TV chiefs know?" asks the Daily Mirror, beside a photo of Russell Brand. A source tells the paper that investigations by the comedian's former employers will aim to establish whether "a blind eye was turned to any claims". According to the Daily Telegraph, media bosses could be "hauled in front of MPs" to explain their handling of allegations.

The Sun says it's been a "fraught 24 hours" for the BBC, which it describes as being "under mounting pressure" because of allegations it "enabled" the comedian's alleged inappropriate behaviour and "did nothing" when staff raised concerns. The Times says the corporation is also "facing urgent questions" about new claims that it paid for a chauffeur-driven car to pick-up a 16-year-old girl from school and take her to Russell Brand's home. The BBC says it has clear policies around conduct at work and listens to people with concerns. Brand denies the claims against him.

Sir Keir Starmer tells the Financial Times that he wants to make changes to the UK's Brexit deal with the European Union, if Labour wins the next election. He says the current agreement is "far too thin" and he would attempt to get a "much better deal for the UK". He says a closer relationship with the EU would be "at the heart of his efforts to bolster Britain's economic growth" - adding that he "owes it to his children".

The leader of Unite announces in the Guardian that the union is launching campaigns in the so-called "red wall" seats, aimed at "stoking public pressure" on Labour. Sharon Graham tells the paper that funding earmarked for the party will instead be used to demand "more radical policies on energy, steel and green jobs". She says if Labour doesn't shift its position on these key issues, it "will be difficult for them".

The Daily Mail has an interview with a paediatrician whom it calls the "prosecution's main expert witness" in the trial of Lucy Letby. Dewi Evans tells the paper he believes the nurse may have killed three more babies and tried to murder another 15. He says in many cases the babies' breathing tubes came out, but he believes it's "very, very unusual" for that to have accidentally happened so frequently.

Households in England face an average council tax increase of £100 next year, according to The i. It reports that "cash-strapped" local authorities are expected to raise bills by the maximum amount; 5%. What the paper describes as "a leading local government figure" says that if councils don't do so, they "will have to cut services even more, and there's not a lot left to cut".

The Daily Express says that two pubs a day have closed in England and Wales in the first half of this year. It says government data - compiled by the estate agents Altus Group - show that 153 were either demolished or converted in the first quarter of 2023, but that jumped by more than 50% to 230 in the three months to the end of June. The paper's headline is: "Last orders".

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