Newspaper headlines: Fresh Russell Brand allegations and call for asylum reform

The chief inspector of prisons has said that one in 10 jails, including Wandsworth Prison, are barely fit for purpose

A number of Tuesday's papers report on the continuing speculation over the future of HS2.

"PM alarmed by runaway cost of HS2", is the headline on the front page of the Times. One official is quoted as saying executives involved in the high speed railway project have acted like "kids with the golden credit card". Rishi Sunak is reportedly set to delay a decision on how much of the line should go ahead until the Autumn Statement in November.

The Financial Times carries a warning to the prime minister against cutting the section of the line between Birmingham and Manchester. The new American owners of Birmingham City Football Club have said in a letter to him that HS2 was a factor in their decision to invest in the club and that scaling it back would damage trust in Britain.

The Sun says that the prime minister's decision to delay the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035 has narrowed Labour's lead by eight points. "Zero to hero", is the headline.

Polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice has a different analysis. Writing in the i, he says last Wednesday's speech on the changes to environmental policy has "at most just tweaked the party popularity dial". He says that four polls conducted afterwards have Labour's lead at 17 points.

The chief inspector of prisons, Charlie Taylor, has told the Guardian that one in 10 jails in England and Wales are barely fit for purpose and should be shut down if alternative buildings can be found. The sites he named include Wandsworth, Pentonville, Leicester and Liverpool. He said the constant demand for space at Wandsworth meant that on his last visit a burnt-out cell could not be repaired before a new prisoner was moved in. The Prison Service says its "providing intensive support" to drive long-term improvements in jails.

In what the Daily Mail bills as a "hard-hitting speech", Home Secretary Suella Braverman is expected to say that Channel migrants should no longer be treated as refugees. According to the Daily Telegraph, she will suggest the UN Refugee Convention needs reform because the threshold for asylum claims has become too low. But writing in the Daily Express, the chief executive of the Refugee Council, Enver Solomon, warns against "returning to the old days in which countries pull up the drawbridge".

The i reports that Labour would introduce a 20% VAT charge on private schools fees immediately if it wins the next general election. The party says the plan could raise £1.7bn to spend on improving standards across the state sector. The head teacher of Ewell Castle School says the proposal would add £1,940 to its annual secondary fees while not hurting household names such as Eton and Harrow.

And the Sun reports on the customers "in a right pickle" over a baguette costing £7.15. The paper says Pret A Manger's Posh Cheddar and Pickle sandwich has been branded online as "Britain's worst value baguette". Pret said the price was to eat-in at transport hubs and that most of its customers buy the baguette to takeaway in non-station outlets for £4.95. But the Sun's view on the price is emphatic. "Baguette stuffed," says the headline.

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