The Best and the Worst of the British Press

L O N D O N , May 8 -- The British papers are full of the news today that Prime Minister Tony Blair has called a general election for June 7.

Pollsters are predicting a sweeping majority for Blair's Labor government, but the prime minister is not taking any chances. Today's Independent reports he has instructed his Cabinet to show "humility" and "hunger" during the campaign.

Blair fears complacency and overconfidence could drive voters away from the polls, leaving the Labor Party vulnerable.

The elections were originally set for early May but were postponed due to the foot-and-mouth crisis.

Homecoming

After 35 years, Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs is back behind bars. The Sun, which chartered a plane to fly the fugitive from Brazil, wrote of the "broad smile that lit up Biggs' face" as he looked out the plane's window on the white cliffs of Dover.

Biggs was one of the 15 members of a gang who hijacked a Glasgow-to-London mail train in August 1963. They made off with roughly $7.3 million and the press instantly dubbed the crime "The Great Train Robbery."

Biggs was caught and sentenced to 30 years in prison but escaped in 1965 after serving just 15 months. Now 71 and in poor health after suffering three strokes, Biggs asked to return to Britain.

Despite The Sun's attempt to hail Biggs' return as some kind of hero's welcome, public reception has been tepid. Today's Mirror said Biggs' decision to jet home would land taxpayers with monthly medical bill of 5,000 pounds ($7,149).

Skyscrapers for London?

London Mayor Ken Livingstone looks set to reverse the city's policy on protected views, which could alter London's skyline forever.

The two-page report in The Times outlines the proposals, which could see a dramatic increase in American-style skyscrapers over London's low-rise buildings.

The Times says the mayor "does not think the argument about spoiling views 'means much to most Londoners.'"

And in celebrity news, the Daily Telegraph says Mick Jagger's son by Brazilian model Luciana Morad is likely to be educated in Britain. After a bitter legal battle to force Jagger to acknowledge paternity, it seems dad is keen to have little Lucas educated in the same manner as his other children, at a British boarding school.