Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 7 Jun 2019

1. Labour holds on to Peterborough in by-election

Labour has claimed victory in the hotly contested Peterborough by-election, narrowly beating the Brexit Party into second place. Lisa Forbes won with a majority of just 683 votes, with Labour’s vote share down by more than 17% from the 2017 general election. The by-election was called after Labour MP Fiona Onasanya was convicted of lying about a speeding offence and recalled by voters.

2. Ofcom chief appointed chair of John Lewis

John Lewis has appointed Ofcom chief executive Sharon White as its new chair, marking the first time the retailer has chosen either an external candidate or a woman for the role. White, who will earn a basic salary of £990,000, was an especially surprise choice as she has spent most of her career in the public sector. The 52-year-old will replace Charlie Mayfield when he steps down in early 2020.

3. Domestic abuse survivors face mental illness

Women abused by a partner are three times more likely to later suffer depression, anxiety or even schizophrenia, according to one of the first such studies in the UK. A team at Birmingham University found the relation was two-directional: women who had sought help for mental health issues were also more likely to report abuse at a later date.

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4. Brexit preparations cost £97m in consultancy

The Government has spent £97m on consultants to help with preparations for Brexit, according to new figures from the National Audit Office. The spending watchdog criticised the Government for a lack of transparency on the spending, saying it disclosed only £65m of the outlay, with auditors uncovering the remainder.

5. Mexico sends troops to border to satisfy Trump

Mexico has deployed 6,000 troops to its southern border with Guatemala, in an attempt to stop migrants crossing the border and then heading for the US. The move comes after Donald Trump threatened to impose import tariffs on Mexican goods if it did not close its borders. The US president says he will impose a rising 5% tariff from Monday.

6. New Tory leader ‘will face confidence vote’

Downing Street is insisting that a new Tory leader must be in place before the summer recess, making it probable that the new prime minister will immediately face a confidence vote, The Guardian reports. Such a vote is particularly likely if divisive front runner Boris Johnson is chosen for the top job, the newspaper says. Theresa May officially resigned the leadership today.

7. New Orleans musician Dr John dies at 77

Grammy-winning musician Dr John died from a heart attack “towards the break of day” on Thursday, at the age of 77, his family have announced. Dr John, born Malcolm Rebennack Jr, learned to play piano from blues giant Professor Longhair in his home town of New Orleans and was known for blending the genres of blues, pop, jazz, boogie woogie and rock and roll.

8. Sustainable prawn farm to launch in Scotland

The world’s first clean water, land-based sustainable prawn farm will begin harvesting up to a million prawns this summer at Balfron in Stirlingshire. Great British Prawns says it is using sustainable energy to power the plant and will deliver the prawns from tank to plate within 24 hours, with no need for freezing and with zero air miles.

9. Liam: ‘I’d break Noel’s jaw over Oasis songs’

Former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher has admitted that he wanted to break his brother’s “f**king jaw” when he learned Noel had refused permission for the band’s songs to be used in a new documentary about Liam’s comeback following their split. No Oasis tracks feature in As It Was, which premiered in London last night.

10. Briefing: why everyone’s talking about swine fever

Southeast Asia has been hit by what experts say is the world’s biggest ever animal disease outbreak – an epidemic of African swine fever.

There is no vaccination for the disease, known as “pig Ebola”, which, though harmless to humans, is highly contagious and fatal for pigs. So what happened?

Why everyone’s talking about swine fever