Below are the key morning and weekend press headlines, featuring the The Times, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail & more - see the full Press section here.

Hundreds of bank branches are set to close this year as lenders seek to shift their customers online. In a bitter blow to many who rely on their local branch, Britain’s biggest banks are expected to continue to shut sites. Troubled lender TSB has already announced it will shutter 82 branches in 2020 and new Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS)  boss Alison Rose has said she will need to make ‘tough choices’. Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY)  was last year accused of trying to hide the scale of its closures, as it shut locations in dribs and drabs, and has not ruled out further cuts. HSBC Holdings (HSBA)  has said it has no more closures planned after slashing 444 branches in five years. But the former chief executive of Barclays (BARC) , Antony Jenkins, has predicted that bank branches will be obsolete ‘in a few years’ time’. Critics have branded the closures ‘outrageous’ at a time when some towns and villages have been left with no access to basic financial services. High Street lenders axed 405 branches last year, taking the total over the last five years to 3,372. The UK has now lost more than a third of its bank branches since the beginning of 2015, and has 6,430 left. Gareth Shaw of Which? said: ‘Bank branches play a crucial role within communities, serving consumers and businesses alike. The industry must ensure no-one is left behind by the digital transition and that when banks shut their doors they don’t shut their customers out of important banking services.’

Boris Johnson was urged to boost growth as the British Chambers of Commerce warned that the economy stagnated in the final quarter of last year. The latest survey by the business lobby group found conditions in the services sector deteriorated compared with the third quarter and that manufacturing activity was “listless” in the three months to the end of December. The BCC is one of the country’s most influential business groups and its quarterly survey is closely-watched. It was based on responses from 6,478 companies in manufacturing and services employing more than 800,000 staff. They were surveyed between November 4 and November 25, before the general election last month that delivered an 80-seat Tory majority.

Beijing moved to shore up flagging Chinese growth on Wednesday as its central bank pumped an extra 800 billion yuan (£86.7bn) into the world’s second biggest economy. The People’s Bank of China’s decision to cut the level of reserves to be held by its commercial lenders – opening the door for extra credit growth – comes amid concerns the Chinese economy could weaken further still in 2020 after its worst year for nearly three decades. The export powerhouse is bearing the economic scars of hundreds of billions of dollars in import tariffs by US President Donald Trump over the course of a protracted 18-month trade war, although the two countries are poised to sign an initial “phase one” trade agreement.

Greggs (GRG)  will end speculation about its hotly anticipated new vegan snack by launching a meat-free version of its popular steak bake. Since the runaway success of its meatless sausage roll, the chain – which serves more than 6 million customers a week from its 2,000 outlets – has been working to develop vegan versions of its other bestselling items. The new product arrives on Greggs’ shelves at the start of Veganuary – a growing movement that encourages people to embrace plant-based diets during January. The vegan steak bake has been created to mirror some of the original snack’s features, including 96 thin layers of puff pastry but without the egg glaze. The filling is made with pieces of the fungi-based protein Quorn instead of beef, mixed with diced onions and meat-free gravy. Costing from £1.55, it will go on sale in 1,300 shops from Thursday before being rolled out to the remaining 700 outlets on 16 January. Greggs’ chief executive, Roger Whiteside, said: “Our vegan sausage roll launch was a huge success and we’ve been working tirelessly to expand our vegan-friendly offering and provide more delicious savoury food on-the-go options for people looking to reduce their meat intake.”