Newspaper headlines: Covid 'end' prediction and PM 'pays price at polls'

The Daily Telegraph says the government has drawn up plans to make graduates repay their student loans faster.

Currently they start paying off the debt when they earn £27,295 a year, but the paper says, under new proposals, that could drop to £22,000.

The Telegraph says lowering the threshold would raise about £2.5bn a year for the Treasury, but would also spark a political row as young people have been hit particularly hard by recent tax changes.

According to the i weekend, three scenarios have been drawn up by the government for when the coronavirus pandemic might end.

The most optimistic prediction is that the virus becomes a routine disease late next year or in 2023.

The second scenario - seen as the most likely - is that vaccines, testing and antiviral drugs would help the world get back to normal in 2023 or 2024.

The most pessimistic forecast - regarded as highly unlikely - is for mass infections until 2026.

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The Daily Mirror says the former Attorney General, Sir Geoffrey Cox - who has been criticised over his second job as a barrister - faces fresh questions.

The paper says he claimed almost £1,500 in travel expenses for seven round trips to London in three months last year, but only voted in person in the Commons on three days.

The Mirror says Sir Geoffrey has not responded to a request for comment.

An analysis by the Times has revealed that at least 138 MPs have had second jobs in the past year, and 12 earn at least an extra £100,000 a year from outside interests.

The paper says 25 MPs spend more than 416 hours a year on paid outside work - that is the equivalent of eight hours a week.

Under the headline "Now Boris pays price at polls", the Daily Mail says a survey commissioned by the paper has found that Labour has a six point lead over the Conservatives.

The Mail says the figures could spark panic among Conservative MPs.

One is said to be on the brink of submitting a letter of no confidence in the prime minister.

Both the Guardian and the Daily Mail say the Conservatives' new treasurer, Malik Karim, is likely to make millions of pounds from the controversial takeover of the British insurance and pensions company, LV, by an American private equity firm.

Mr Karim is the founder and chief executive of Fenchurch Advisory, the investment banks advising LV on the deal.

The Mail says the bank's fee is likely to be more than £5m.

The Financial Times says the former chief executive of Barclays Bank, Jes Staley, exchanged 1,200 e-mails with the American financier and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, over a four year period.

Mr Staley, who left the bank earlier this month, says he had "no involvement in any of the alleged crimes committed by Mr Epstein".

And finally the Times reports that a volleyball used in the film Cast Away has sold at auction for £230,000.

The ball was adopted by Tom Hanks' character as his only companion on a desert island.

He called it Wilson - and its performance in the film was subsequently recognised with an award for the best inanimate object.