where can i find info on the relative strengths and weaknesses of the
main british newspapers, and in particular what there policital
leanings if any are?

Dear d20gdx-ga,

You can guarantee that a UK newspaper will have a political leaning,
and have a view on any topic.

By way of introduction you could start with these histories of British newspapers.
http://www.newspapersoc.org.uk/Default.aspx?page=304
And Concise History of the British Newspaper in the Twentieth Century
http://www.bl.uk/collections/brit20th.html

This introduction to the newspapers in the UK will set out the
difference between broadsheets and tabloids, and their political
views.
http://www.mediauk.com/the_knowledge/i.muk/An_introduction_to_newspapers_in_the_UK#Introduction

This site does the same.
http://www.britishpapers.co.uk/natdaily.htm

The Financial Times provides a review of political coverage especially
during elections.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/417fa1a2-ab60-11d9-893c-00000e2511c8,dwp_uuid=fdb2b318-aa9e-11d9-98d7-00000e2511c8.html

As does this document from the 2005 EPOP Annual Conference, University of Essex

Party Strategy and Media Bias A Quantitative Analysis of the 2005 UK
election campaign.
http://www.essex.ac.uk/bes/EPOP%202005/
Supporting tables
http://www.essex.ac.uk/bes/EPOP%202005/Papers/Tables%20all.doc


I hope this answers your question. If it does not, or the answer is
unclear, then please ask for clarification of this research before
rating the answer. I shall respond to the clarification request as
soon as I receive it.
Thank you
answerfinder

Aren't some of the papers owned by the Austrailian Murdock?  Do they
have a Austrailian bias?

Murdock became a US citizen in 1985.  Don't know if the Aussies were
relieved to hear that.

The Times, once regarded as a respectable 'journal of record' has
(alas) fallen into the hands of Rupert Murdoch and it's been going
downhill ever since.

Sadly, the rest of the British Press has also been tainted and once
respectable rags like The Guardian are now awash with hideous
supplements and masses of advertising.