6:36 am, June 3, 2024
Sunak seeks to tackle ‘confusion’ on gender while Starmer goes on defence
Rishi Sunak will vow to amend equality laws to prevent ‘confusion’ on sex and gender, while Sir Keir Starmer will focus on defence as the General Election campaign enters its second full week.
The Conservatives have pledged to change the Equality Act to define the protected characteristic of sex as ‘biological sex’. They claim the change will make it simpler for service providers for women and girls, such as those running sessions for domestic abuse victims, to prevent biological males from taking part.
Meanwhile Sir Keir Starmer will pitch Labour as the ‘party of national security’ as he seeks to switch attention to defence. The Labour leader is expected to meet forces veterans and a group of his party’s candidates when he campaigns in the north west of England on Monday.
Diane Abbott: ‘I intend to run and to win as Labour’s candidate’
Veteran left-winger Diane Abbott has said she intends to ‘run and win’ as a Labour candidate.
Abbott’s announcement came as in response to reports suggesting she was still weighing up options, and was considering accepting a peerage.
On Sunday a story in the Sunday Times suggested that a number of former Labour MPs including Abbott had been offered peerages to quit and open up seats for allies of party leader Sir Keir Starmer. She wrote on X: ‘This is factually incorrect.’
William pays tribute to ‘legend of Rugby League’ and MND campaigner Rob Burrow
The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to ‘legend of Rugby League’ Rob Burrow, after his death aged 41 following a lengthy battle with motor neurone disease.
The MND Association said Burrow was a ‘passionate advocate’ for people with the ‘brutal’ disease, and William said that the former England international had a ‘huge heart’.
In a personally signed message on X, formerly Twitter, William said: ‘He taught us, “in a world full of adversity, we must dare to dream.” Catherine and I send our love to Lindsey, Jackson, Maya and Macy.’
Patients dying in hospital corridors amid NHS ‘national emergency’, nurses warn
Nurses have declared a ‘national emergency’ in the NHS, warning that patients are dying in hospital corridors.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) revealed patients are being left without access to oxygen and enduring intimate examinations in inappropriate crowded areas.
At the start of the union’s annual conference in Newport, South Wales, acting general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger will use her keynote speech to declare a national emergency, releasing a new report on clinical care in inappropriate areas. The RCN is calling for mandatory reporting of patients cared for in corridors to show the extent of hospital overcrowding.
Three people charged with invading pitch during Champions League final
Three people have been charged with invading the pitch during the Champions League final at Wembley on Saturday, the Metropolitan Police said.
Yevhenii Lubnenko, 29, David Carneckij, 28, and a 16-year-old boy are accused of going on to the playing area at a football match contrary to Section 4 of the Football (Offences) Act 1991.
In total, police made 56 arrests around the Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid – most of which were for attempts to breach security.
Avanti West Coast rail caterers to strike in row over working conditions
Railway caterers are to strike in a dispute over working conditions.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union working on Avanti West Coast trains will walk out on Friday June 7.
The union said the company imposed rosters that are causing widespread ‘stress and fatigue’.
Listen to this week’s Car Dealer Podcast
Jon Reay and James Batchelor are joined by the ever-opinionated Swansway director Peter Smyth in this week’s podcast. They chat about the week’s biggest stories including Auto Trader’s results, Hedin’s Q1 financials, and Alfa Romeo ditching off-set number plates. Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
South Korea vows ‘unbearable’ retaliation against North over rubbish balloons
South Korea said on Sunday that it will soon take ‘unbearable’ retaliatory steps against North Korea over its launch of rubbish-carrying balloons across the border and other provocations.
In the past week, North Korea has floated hundreds of huge balloons to dump rubbish on South Korea, simulated nuclear strikes against its neighbour and allegedly jammed GPS navigation signals in the South in an escalation of animosities between the rivals.
South Korean officials did not say what retaliatory steps they would take, but many observers say South Korea is likely to resume frontline loudspeaker broadcasts into North Korea that include criticism of its abysmal human rights situation, world news and K-pop songs.
Automatic driving tests are on the rise – study
One in four driving tests will be in automatic cars by 2026 – a trend that is only set to increase once the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars comes into effect, a new study has predicted.
The prediction comes from AA Driving School which has used new data from the Driving Vehicles Standards Agency (DVSA). The agency found that in 2022/23, 17 per cent of all passes were conducted in cars with two pedals, compared with 13.4 per cent the previous year (2021/22), while in 2013/14, just five per cent of people passed their tests in autos.
The figures are set to increase even further as the 2035 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars gets nearer, as electric cars use automatic gearboxes.
Weather
A mostly cloudy day with drizzle in places, reports BBC Weather. The best of the weather will likely be in Scotland, while later in the day the south of England will see sunny spells.
Variable cloud and clear spells for most areas tonight, with the west and north seeing some drizzle too. The north-west will have heavy rain towards dawn.
