1. US sends missile system and ship to the Gulf
Washington is sending a Patriot air defence missile system and a warship to the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran. Officials say the USS Arlington will join the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group in the Gulf. US B-52 bombers have also arrived at a base in Qatar. The US claims there have been threats of possible operations against its forces in the region by Iran. Tehran denies any threats have been made.
2. Corbyn pledges £10 minimum wage for under-18s
Jeremy Corbyn is to announce that Labour will extend its plans for a higher £10 an hour minimum wage to include workers under the age of 18. The party will promise to end the “youth rate” in which under-18s are entitled to a minimum wage of £4.35 per hour, compared with £8.21 for over-25s. Corbyn had already pledged to raise the National Living Wage.
3. Will Theresa May set resignation date this week?
Theresa May could set a date for her resignation in the coming days, says the chairman of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee. Sir Graham Brady says he expects a “clear understanding” of her plans once she has met the committee on Wednesday. The PM has previously stated she will step down when her Brexit deal is ratified by Parliament but she is under pressure to set a fixed date.
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4. At least 70 migrants feared dead off Tunisia coast
At least 70 migrants are believed to have drowned when their boat capsized 40 miles off the Tunisian coast. It is believed that the vessel left neighbouring Libya on Thursday as fighting between rival factions broke out. The UN said it was a “tragic and terrible reminder of the risks still faced by those who attempt to cross the Mediterranean”.
5. Tusk says Britain has 30% chance of staying in EU
The chances of the UK staying in the EU are as high as 30%, claims the president of the European Council. Donald Tusk said the British public had only truly debated Brexit after the 2016 referendum and it was likely the result could be reversed in a second referendum. He added: “The referendum was at the worst possible moment, it is the result of a wrong political calculation.”
6. Knife crime having ‘ripple effect across health service’
Britain’s rising knife crime rate is having a “ripple effect” across the health service with longer waits for ambulances and routine operations being cancelled, warns a leading surgeon. Professor Chris Moran said: “It has a ripple effect throughout the whole system because it obviously increases the workload of the emergency department.” Figures show 40,829 knife crime offences were recorded by police last year – an average of 112 a day.
7. Tory minister claims expenses for her adult children
MPs are boosting their expenses by claiming for adult children “dependent” upon them, claims the Daily Telegraph. Rules were originally intended to help MPs with children rent bigger homes but, following changes to the regulations, several MPs are using the allowance to claim for adult children in their 20s. Energy minister Claire Perry, who earns £111,148 a year, claimed £9,846 by citing her three children aged 17, 19 and 22.
8. Vigilante paedophile hunters ‘make police's job harder’
Online vigilante paedophile hunters are obstructing police investigations and destroying people's lives for “Facebook likes”, warns a chief constable. Simon Bailey, who leads the UK's response to child sexual abuse, says the activists are causing people to be wrongly accused, attacked and even take their own lives. “So many of these groups' drivers are about seeking infamy through the number of hits they get,” he added.
9. Middle class parents slam Oxbridge ‘social engineering’
Oxford and Cambridge’s recruitment of more state pupils has prompted private-school parents to claim that their children are being edged out by “social engineering”. Anthony Wallersteiner, head of Stowe School in Buckinghamshire, says many fee-paying parents are complaining about social engineering and positive discrimination.
10. Change UK MP upset by Have I Got News For You cancellation
Change UK’s Heidi Allen has complained after the BBC decided to pull Friday night’s episode of Have I Got News for You over fears her appearance would breach election impartiality rules. The MP said “maybe I’m just not as funny as Nigel Farage” after the BBC pulled the show just 20 minutes before broadcast because it would be “inappropriate” to feature political leaders in the European election period.
