Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 18 May 2019

1. Boris Johnson favourite to lead among Tory members

Boris Johnson is the runaway favourite to be the next prime minister among members of the Conservative Party, according to a new poll. The former foreign secretary was the first choice to replace Theresa May for 39%, with Dominic Raab trailing in second place among 13%. Support for all other contenders was in single figures. YouGov quizzed 858 Tory party members between May 10 and 16.

2. Prince William ‘felt plain like no other’ when Diana died

Prince William said he felt “pain like no other pain” after the death of his mother. The Duke of Cambridge said although the “British stiff upper lip thing” had validity in some circumstances, people should “relax a little bit and be able to talk about our emotions because we're not robots”. He made the comments in a forthcoming BBC TV documentary about mental health.

3. Air pollution damages every organ and most cells in body

Air pollution could be damaging every organ and almost every cell in the human body, according to a major new study. The Guardian says the research “shows head-to-toe harm, from heart and lung disease to diabetes and dementia, and from liver problems and bladder cancer to brittle bones and damaged skin”. The World Health Organization says air pollution is a “public health emergency”.

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4. Iran military says it can hit US ships in the Gulf

Tehran has claimed that Iranian missiles could easily hit US ships in the Gulf, and any conflict would threaten global energy supplies. “If a war happens, the world’s energy supply will suffer,” Gen Saleh Jokar, deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards, said on Friday as tensions mounted. He added: “Iran’s short-range missiles can easily reach present [US] warships in the Persian Gulf.”

5. More than 100 cases of Islamophobia in Tory party

The Conservative Party is dealing with more than 100 alleged cases of Islamophobia, including a string of previously unreported ones. The cases are said to include allegations that Tory members have called Islam a “cult” which is being allowed to “take over our country”. Others call the Muslim community an “infestation” whose members cause “mayhem wherever they decide to invade”.

6. Grenfell families angry as report is postponed to autumn

Grenfell campaigners have protested after the inquiry into the disaster delayed publication of its first report and any safety recommendations. It was due to be released this spring but it has now been put back to October. Grenfell United, the survivors and bereaved families group, said: “Six months after hearing our evidence the inquiry is yet to make a single recommendation to keep people safe in their homes.”

7. Did Benjamin Netanyahu buy off Hamas to protect Eurovision?

Israeli prime minister has “bought off” Hamas, the militant group that runs Gaza, to protect Eurovision from another onslaught of rockets, according to reports. Hamas officials said Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to allow the transit of hundreds of millions of dollars of Qatari aid money, eased restrictions on trade and extended the coastal zone from which Gazans are allowed to fish.

8. Matt Hancock warns May successor not to call election

If Theresa May’s successor calls an early general election it will risk handing Jeremy Corbyn the keys to Number 10 and “killing Brexit altogether”, warns the Health Secretary. Matt Hancock told the Daily Telegraph it would be a “disaster” to call a general election before the UK had left the EU as “people don't want it”. He added: “We need to take responsibility for delivering on the referendum result.”

9. Australians go to the polls in another general election

Australians are voting in the first general election since political infighting ousted the nation's fourth leader in a decade. The nation holds elections every three years, but no prime minister has succeeded in serving a full term since 2007. Scott Morrison says he has united his conservative government since he replaced Malcolm Turnbull but Labor opposition leader Bill Shorten has offered alternative policies.

10. Steven Mnuchin rejects subpoena for Trump's tax returns

The US treasury secretary has defied a House subpoena for Donald Trump’s tax returns. House Democrats are demanding six years of tax returns and expect to take matter to court as early as next week, after Steven Mnuchin’s rejection of the subpoena. The development sets up the prospect of another court battle between the executive and legislative branches of the federal government.