What the papers say – March 4

Knife crime leads several Monday papers after a weekend that saw more young lives lost.

The Daily Mail says new figures show the scale of the “youth knife crisis” that has seen the number of under-16s treated in hospital for stab wounds nearly double in five years.

The Daily Mirror leads with the deaths of 17-year-olds Yousef Makki and Jodie Chesney in separate knife attacks.

Ms Cheney’s grandmother said the rise in violent crime across the country “has to stop”, the Metro reports.

The Daily Express leads with calls to put thousands of police back on the street to tackle violent crime.

In other crime news, the i reports concerns that jurors are in danger of being left traumatised by sadistic evidence in sex offence trials.

The Daily Telegraph leads on Brexit and says Attorney General Geoffrey Cox has climbed down from demanding the EU puts limits on the backstop.

The Times reports that the Prime Minister has been criticised for pledging funding for areas of the country that voted for Brexit.

The Chancellor is set to report a windfall from higher tax receipts in his spring statement, the Financial Times reports.

And The Guardian says there has been a surge in Ukip membership.