Robert Mugabe’s refusal to stand down as president of Zimbabwe despite being removed as leader of the ruling Zanu-PF party receives widespread coverage in Monday’s papers.
A possible concession by the Government on the cost of leaving the EU also features prominently, as do the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh’s 70th wedding anniversary and the return of I’m A Celebrity.
The Times reports how Mr Mugabe’s shock move, which followed a weekend of celebrations at his expected departure, was met with despair and astonishment in the country. The newspaper also says ministers are expected to sign off an improved financial offer to the European Union, the so-called Brexit divorce bill, in a bid to break a deadlock in negotiations.
While leading with Mr Mugabe’s defiant actions, the Daily Telegraph also reports that Chancellor Philip Hammond has put Prime Minister Theresa May under pressure to up the figure she is prepare to pay for the divorce bill.
The Financial Times says Mrs May is expected to secure approval from Cabinet over a higher sum on Monday, to bring the UK’s offer closer to the EU’s 60 billion euro (£53bn) figure.
The Guardian leads with Mr Mugabe, saying the ongoing crisis in Zimbabwe has descended into outright chaos. The newspaper also says it has learned official reviews will clear MI5 and the police of making serious mistakes that allowed terrorists to attack Britain four times in 2017.
Some of Britain’s best universities have secretly hired investigators to gather information on their alumni’s wealth in order to target them for donations, according to a Daily Mail investigation.
The Royal Family bring in £1.8 billion for the UK economy a year, the Daily Express reports on its front page, which also carries a new portrait of the Queen and Philip.
The Sun says British Gas is dropping “rip-off” standard electricity and gas tariffs following the paper’s campaign to pressurise the Big Six energy firms to cut bills.
And the Daily Mirror says it has heard from former Conservative defence ministers with concerns over the party’s cuts to armed forces budgets.