Sunday newspaper round-up: General election, British Steel, Clintons, Saudi Aramco, HSBC

Sajid Javid, the chancellor, has defended Conservative claims that Labour would embark on a spending spree of up to £1.2 trillion as both parties battle to be seen as credible on the economy. Labour has furiously accused the Conservatives of crafting a work of “fiction” with the calculations. - The Sunday Times

Nigel Farage should "step aside" and let the Conservatives deliver Brexit, business minister Kwasi Kwarteng has said. Mr Farage has warned the Tories the "clock was ticking down" to secure a Leave alliance with him at the election. - Sunday Telegraph

Labour has dismissed a Tory dossier claiming Jeremy Corbyn’s policies would cost £1.2tn as “an absolute work of fiction”, as the two parties clashed again over their plans for the economy. The Conservatives are keen to portray Corbyn’s party as reckless when it comes to public spending, and published a 36-page document setting out their claim that Labour’s proposals would carry a price-tag of £1.2tn. - Observer

Ian Blackford said today the SNP will draw up a 'wish list' of demands ahead of potential post-election cooperation talks with Labour as he hinted a commitment to scrapping the UK's nuclear deterrent could be one of the party's red lines. The SNP's Westminster leader suggested his party will be well prepared if the general election on December 12 results in a hung parliament. - Mail on Sunday

There was renewed pressure on a Labour shadow cabinet minister last night after The Sunday Times obtained WhatsApp messages that appear to corroborate claims he sang “Hey Jews” to the tune of Hey Jude on a raucous coach trip last year. Dan Carden, the shadow international development secretary, has denied turning the Beatles ballad into an anti-semitic song on a journey back to London from Cheltenham races. - The Sunday Times

A British manufacturer with ambitious plans to revive the age of the Zeppelin is seeking a £130m cash injection to get its giant airships into production. Bedford-based Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) plans to use the proceeds to start work on the 300ft-long helium-filled dirigibles called Airlanders. - Sunday Times

Two years after the Grime4Corbyn movement launched with the aim of connecting energised fans with the Labour leader’s politics, several of the genre’s big names have called into question its effectiveness. The movement, which was part of the so-called “youthquake” during the 2017 general election when Labour motivated under-45s to vote, was a missed opportunity, according to several acts who feel let down by the way they have been treated since. - Observer

Senior allies of Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson have held secret last-minute talks in an effort to strike a deal that would stop the Brexit Party splitting the Tory vote and letting Jeremy Corbyn into Downing Street. The Mail on Sunday can reveal that a close confidant of Mr Farage has held talks with senior Tory ‘power brokers’ over a deal to pull the vast majority of Brexit Party candidates out of the election. - Mail on Sunday

The high street faces another hammer blow after card retailer Clintons warned landlords that it urgently needs to shut 66 shops and cut the rent on hundreds more to stave off collapse. Clintons has proposed switching 206 shops on to rent deals that link payments to each store’s performance. It would pay full rent only on another 60 shops. - The Sunday Times

The see-sawing UK economy will bounce back from its first contraction in seven years on Monday in a boost for Boris Johnson’s election hopes. Growth will swing back into positive territory when official estimates for the latest quarter are published after a year dominated by the twists and turns of the Brexit process. - Sunday Telegraph

A Chinese industrial giant founded by a former Communist party official could be announced as the buyer of British Steel within days, after staff were told in an email that contracts are due to be exchanged. Jingye Group emerged as the frontrunner to buy the steelmaker out of liquidation after talks stalled between government officials and Ataer Holdings, a subsidiary of Turkey’s military pension fund with ties to the country’s autocratic government. - Observer

Gift retailer NotOnTheHighStreet.com is embroiled in a row with the founder of fashion brand Joules after telling a string of suppliers to stop listing products on his company’s website. NotOnTheHighStreet styles itself as the online marketplace for small manufacturers and craft retailers and has become popular for personalised birthday and Christmas gifts as well as ‘exclusive’ products that cannot be found elsewhere. - Mail on Sunday

Official figures are set to confirm tomorrow that the economy avoided recession in the third quarter, but are unlikely to dispel doubts about its strength. Analysts expect growth of about 0.4% in the third quarter, after a 0.2% drop in gross domestic product (GDP) in the April-June quarter of the year. Two consecutive quarters of declining GDP are the standard definition of recession. - The Sunday Times

Victims of the Grenfell Tower inferno have accused the local MP of ‘blind support’ for the fire brigade in a row that threatens the Labour Party’s most vulnerable seat. Grieving families have turned on Emma Dent Coad, the Labour MP for Kensington, for refusing to condemn London Fire Brigade (LFB) over its handling of the disaster. They also accused Diane Abbott, Labour’s shadow home secretary, of not having bothered to read the official inquiry report. - Sunday Telegraph

Bidding for shares in the world’s most profitable company will start in a week’s time, it has been announced, as Saudi Aramco fleshed out its plans for a much-delayed float expected to be the largest in history. The oil company, which is owned by the autocratic Gulf state, said it would take bids for its shares from 17 November and planned to provide further details on the final offer price and the amount of stock for sale on 5 December. - Observer

HSBC has drawn up plans to double the size of its British bank in an audacious bid to close the gap on the country's biggest lender Lloyds. In an interview with the Mail on Sunday today, HSBC's UK chief executive Ian Stuart says the UK has been identified as a major growth opportunity for HSBC - just as the bank scales back in mainland Europe. - Mail on Sunday