Sunday newspaper round-up: Brexit, Theresa May, snap election, Tidal Lagoon Power, Hornby, RBS

Theresa May’s aides have secretly begun contingency planning for a snap election in November to save the Brexit talks and her job after EU leaders rebuffed the prime minister’s Chequers plan. Two senior members of May’s Downing Street political operation responded to her summit humiliation in Salzburg last week by “wargaming” an autumn vote to win public backing for a new plan. - The Sunday Times

Industrial heavyweights have turned their back on the Swansea Tidal Power project as the countdown begins on a one-year stay of execution for its embattled developer. Tidal Lagoon Power has lost three of its high-profile backers from the board, including billionaire industrialist Sanjeev Gupta who is pursuing a rival tidal project with Simec Atlantis. - Sunday Telegraph

Europe’s largest port, Rotterdam, is counting down to Brexit. “In about 200 days’ time, if nothing else happens… we will need to supervise all the goods coming in and out of the UK market,” says Roel van ’t Veld, Brexit coordinator at the Dutch customs authority. - Observer

The next recession could put the 2008 financial crash to shame if two experts' predictions about the worldwide debt of $247trn are correct. Expected to hit the United States within the next two years, the impact has been compared to the severe worldwide economic crisis which started 1929 and last until 1939. - Mail on Sunday

Companies will have to hand one-third of the seats on their boards to their workers if Labour wins the next election, under radical plans unveiled today by Jeremy Corbyn. The Labour leader denounced what he called a “reckless corporate culture” as he outlined plans to give employees “a seat at the table” that they can use to curb “exploitative practices” and the pay and perks of bosses. - The Sunday Times

Investors at troubled toymaker Hornby have been urged to rebel against a golden goodbye for its former boss. Shareholder advisory group ISS has recommended that shareholders vote down the remuneration report at next week’s AGM after the troubled AIM-listed toymaker provided “no sufficient explanation” for Steve Cooke’s surge in pay last year. - Sunday Telegraph

The head of the powerful Treasury Committee, Nicky Morgan MP, is demanding answers from RBS and Barclays - and compensation for customers - after technical failures left millions of users locked out of their accounts. Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest and Ulster Bank customers were unable to access online and mobile accounts between 0500 and 1030 BST on Friday morning, in the latest blow for confidence in Britain’s online banking infrastructure. - Observer

Police are too busy intervening in trivial social media rows than tackling more serious crimes, the new chairman of the Police Federation has claimed. John Apter, who represents 120,000 rank-and-file officers, said the police feel like they can't do the job they signed up to do and were being sent out to deal with social media feuds rather than dealing with more serious crimes. - Mail on Sunday

The US telecoms giant Comcast clinched the hard-fought bidding war for Sky last night in a deal worth £29.7bn. The owner of NBC Universal was declared the victor at 7.07pm after the third round of a winner-takes-all auction against a combination of 21st Century Fox and Disney. - The Sunday Times

Michael Palin had to reshoot scenes for his North Korea documentary because he had his hands in his pockets, which was seen as “disrespectful”. The Monty Python star irked officials during the first day of filming Michael Palin in North Korea when his hands became obscured as he spoke to camera in front of two statues of the country's former leaders. - Sunday Telegraph

A 15-year-old girl who was severely allergic to sesame died after eating a Pret a Manger sandwich that did not list the ingredient on its packaging, an inquest will hear this week. Natasha Ednan-Laperouse was travelling with her father and a school friend from London to Nice when she collapsed during the British Airways flight in July 2016. - Observer

The rush to claim PPI compensation has turned huge numbers of Britons into fraudsters, one of the country’s most senior bankers claims today. In an extraordinary broadside, Barclays chairman John McFarlane said customers had made an avalanche of dishonest claims for mis-sold payment protection insurance. - Mail on Sunday

The chief executive of AstraZeneca has warned of widespread shortages of medicines if Britain fails to agree a customs deal with the European Union. The Anglo-Swedish pharmaceuticals giant, which makes drugs such as the cholesterol-lowering Crestor, has already increased its stocks in the UK by 20%. - The Sunday Times

This weekend's torrential rain may make the summer heatwave seem long ago, but forecasters have predicted a return of the sun. Britain is set to enjoy an Indian summer, according to the Met Office, with bright, warm weather stretching into the weeks ahead. - Sunday Telegraph

Zimbabwe faces a deepening economic crisis as hopes fade of a new wave of international investment and aid following historic elections in July. The poll, the first after the military takeover that led to the ousting of Robert Mugabe, was won by the ageing autocrat’s former right hand man, Emmerson Mnangagwa. - Observer

Aldi and Lidl are preparing to dismantle the dominance of Britain’s biggest supermarkets within three years despite frenzied efforts to stop them. The German discounters are growing so fast that their combined share of the grocery market could eclipse Asda and Sainsbury’s by 2021. - Mail on Sunday