Charity sex claims and ‘Queen of fashion’

The Daily Telegraph thinks there is something “deeply disturbing” about the leader of a political party warning the press that “change is coming” – as Jeremy Corbyn did on Tuesday.

It says his video message in response to persistent allegations about past links to communist spies is a “wake up call” to those who dismiss the Labour leader as “a harmless old fool”. It’s worthy of a leader in Moscow, not London, it argues.

The Daily Mail is also robust in its response, saying that launching a “menacing attack” – instead of answering questions – only heightens suspicions he has something to hide.

The main photo on the front page of the Guardian shows a Syrian boy in eastern Ghouta, bleeding from a bandaged head wound. Its headline reads “This is a catastrophe”.

The Daily Telegraph says the letter from Conservative backbenchers to Theresa May about Brexit has set out “red lines” which make it clear what the prime minister must do to retain their loyalty.

It says it is the most public intervention to date by the European Research Group, led by Jacob Rees-Mogg.

In its editorial, the Times, which was the first to obtain the letter, describes it as “a polite list of wholly unreasonable demands”.

It says the 62 MPs should reflect on how much harder they are making negotiations and tells Mrs May that a “safe pair of hands” would give them a slap.

The Times says the charity sector has been “pushed deeper into trouble”. It says that, as the government suggested on Tuesday that Oxfam had deliberately misled the police and public about sexual misconduct in Haiti, it was emerging that Save the Children’s former boss had apologised to women at the charity about his behaviour.

The paper says Justin Forsyth now faces questions over his ability to continue as deputy chief executive of Unicef in New York.

There was “no gloss, no spin – just sorry, sorry, sorry”. That’s how the Times sketch writer, Patrick Kidd describes the appearance by Oxfam bosses in front of MPs on Tuesday.

It was a rare sound in the Commons he says, certainly not heard from politicians. “It was as if the chief executive Mark Goldring were doing a sponsored two-hour apology to undo some of the damage” of 7,000 people cancelling their regular donations.

The Telegraph’s Michael Deacon says Mr Goldring looked “a meagre, helpless sort of creature… as though a policeman were shining a torch in the face of a baby vole”.

The Financial Times leads with what it calls “the embarrassing revelation” that the incoming head of the Financial Conduct Authority invested in what authorities have said was a tax avoidance scheme.

Charles Randell told MPs it had been an “error of judgement” to be involved in the film partnership.

The FT says the revelation is a “fresh blow” for the authority, which has been criticised for refusing to publish a report on alleged mistreatment of small business customers by RBS.

The Daily Mail says campaigners now want Mr Randell’s appointment blocked. One small business group tells the paper: “If you or I were to try to dodge our taxes for thousands of pounds, sorry wouldn’t be good enough. We need somebody in the post who’s open to seriously trying to resolve the problems with the financial sector.”

The Times says one woman stole the show at London Fashion Week. “She was short, grey haired and won’t see 90 again,” it says but there was no doubt the Queen was the “star attraction.”

Daily Express calls her Britain’s most reluctant style icon and says her arrival caused gasps among the fashionistas.

The Daily Star says she stole the show – one designer said she hadn’t just been upstaged, but positively dethroned.