6:48 am, October 23, 2022
Speculation over Johnson-Sunak deal as Tory frontrunners yet to declare
Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak were said to be locked in talks late into yesterday evening as speculation mounted over whether the pair could strike a deal to lay the foundations for a unified Conservative government.
Johnson was lagging behind his former chancellor in public support from MPs as Sunak gained a valuable ally in international trade secretary Kemi Badenoch, with backers of the ex-PM challenged over claims he had reached the number required to secure a spot on the Tory ballot paper.
Despite being the only candidate to declare so far, Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt is far behind her potential rivals on public support from MPs, with just 21 to Johnson’s 44 and Sunak’s 113, according to a PA tally.
Dockers to stage new strike with pay dispute unresolved
A fresh strike by dock workers at one of the UK’s biggest ports will go ahead from tomorrow after talks failed to resolve a pay dispute.
Members of Unite in Liverpool will walk out on Monday after the union said negotiations ended talks in ‘chaos’.
Unite accused the board of operators Peel Ports of intervening to stop a proposed deal.
Thousands of protesters rally in call for UK to rejoin EU
Thousands of protesters marched through central London yesterday, calling for the UK to rejoin the EU.
The National Rejoin March saw large crowds of people walk from Park Lane to Parliament Square. Marchers from across the UK travelled for hours to attend.
Parliament Square Garden, the last stop on the march for the rally, saw a sea of blue and yellow as supporters waved EU flags and carried placards. The crowd booed as a large digital screen showed pictures of Leave-voting figures such as Boris Johnson, Priti Patel and Nigel Farage.
Nine out of 10 schools will run out of money by next school year, teachers warn
Nine out of 10 schools will have run out of money by the next school year because of the cost-of-living crisis, the National Association of Head Teachers is warning the government.
In an open letter to Conservative MPs, 13 national education associations called for them to demand assurances from the leadership candidates that they would deliver on the party’s 2019 pledge to restore funding to 2010 levels.
The main body for school leaders pointed to forecasts that currently predict a £2bn shortfall by 2024, calling the situation ‘desperate’, according to the BBC.
Keir Starmer warns markets are spooked by Tory ‘psychodrama’
Sir Keir Starmer has warned that the markets are spooked by ‘chaos’ in Westminster as reports suggested the chancellor is considering up to £20bn of tax hikes in the highly anticipated Halloween budget.
The Labour leader also urged disillusioned Tory MPs to put the interests of the British people first, as he warned the ‘psychodrama’ in their party is ‘not a game’ for people struggling to make ends meet.
Sir Keir told the Sunday Times that Labour will be ‘the party of sound money’, claiming there are investors with ‘huge amounts’ of cash that do not have confidence in the ‘shambolic’ Conservatives.
First female soldier passes demanding Airborne Forces test
A private has become the first female soldier to pass the army’s demanding course to prove that personnel have the toughness to serve in the Airborne Forces.
Private Addy Carter, 21, of 16 Medical Regiment, said it was all ‘about showing that you can deliver when things get hard’ after she became the first female enlisted soldier to pass the gruelling Parachute Regiment’s P Company course.
The three-and-a-half-week course at Catterick is designed to examine physical and mental robustness, and culminates in a series of challenging tests including loaded marches, log and stretcher races, plus an aerial confidence course.
Alex Jones seeks new trial after Sandy Hook verdict
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has asked a judge to throw out a near-$1bn verdict against him and order a new trial in a lawsuit by Sandy Hook families.
The families say they were subjected to harassment and threats from Jones’s lies about the 2012 Newtown school shooting.
Jones filed the requests on Friday, saying Judge Barbara Bellis’s pre-trial rulings resulted in an unfair trial and ‘a substantial miscarriage of justice’.
Saturday’s stories on Car Dealer
- Older cars set to remain on road for longer due to new car shortage
- Electric car buyers waiting up to 18 months for new cars
Weather outlook
Today will see spells of rain, heavy and thundery at times, moving north, says BBC Weather, with the far north staying drier with a few sunny spells. The rain will clear to sunshine and sharp showers in the south later.
Monday will be generally drier and brighter, with sunshine for most. However, some blustery showers may develop in places, and it’ll be breezy in the south.
