Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 24 Jul 2019

1. Johnson ‘may keep Hunt as Foreign Secretary’

New Prime Minster Boris Johnson is picking his cabinet today and reportedly wants to keep Jeremy Hunt on his team. The Times says that Johnson is believed to have offered the position of defence secretary to his former leadership rival, who dismissed the role as a “notional demotion”. According to the newspaper, Hunt is only willing to stay on as foreign secretary, chancellor or deputy PM.

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2. Police divers search for swimmers missing in Thames

Police divers are searching three stretches of the Thames in London for three swimmers said to have got into difficulties in separate incidents while trying to cool off yesterday. A 22-year-old man went missing in Shadwell, near Wapping, at around 6pm. There were also reports of a person in trouble near Waterloo and another in Kingston.

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3. Farage ‘open to electoral pact with Johnson’ for no-deal

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has said he is open to the “possibility” of an electoral pact with Boris Johnson’s Conservatives in order to get a no-deal Brexit past Parliament – but added that he would need the new PM’s assurance that the UK will leave the EU by 31 October. Farage believes Johnson will need to call an early general election.

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4. Russia ‘apologises’ for violating South Korean airspace

South Korea claims to have received an apology from Russia after one of its military aircraft entered South Korean airspace, prompting Seoul to scramble fighter jets that fired warning shots. Russia earlier denied the violation, said to have taken place during the first Russian-Chinese joint air patrol in the region.

5. China blames ‘black hands’ of US for Hong Kong violence

China has said the “black hands” of the US are behind the violence in Hong Kong, where masked men believed to be triad gangsters beat pro-democracy protesters and passers-by earlier this week. Victims of the attack have given an emotional press conference during which they accused Hong Kong police of doing nothing to help them.

6. Thunderstorms strike Britain as heatwave continues

The Met Office has put a thunderstorm warning in place for the whole country until 9am, with a risk of power cuts, damage to property and disruption to travel networks. The alert follows what was expected to be the hottest night ever recorded in Britain. A record-breaking 38C is forecast for Thursday.

7. ‘Gay footballer’ deletes Twitter account

A Twitter user who claimed to be an anonymous Championship footballer intending to come out as gay has apparently reversed his decision at the last minute. The alleged sports star, who went by the username @FootballerGay, had promised to hold a press conference today where he would reveal his identity. But the Twitter account, which had more than 50,000 followers, was deleted last night, after the user tweeted: “I’m not strong enough to do this.”

8. French politicians mock teen climate activist Greta Thunberg

Right-wing French MPs have mocked Greta Thunberg and boycotted a speech by the Swedish climate change activist. The 16-year-old addressed the French parliament yesterday, telling them to “unite behind the science” of climate change. But lawmakers from parties including the conservative Republicans and far-right National Rally refused to attend, after dismissing Thunberg as the “Justin Bieber of ecology”.

9. MP’s spin doctor resigns in angry tweets

A communications manager for Sheffield Hallam MP Jared O’Mara, who quit Labour last year over alleged misogynistic and homophobic comments, has attacked his boss in a series of tweets. Gareth Arnold used the MP’s own Twitter feed to announce that he was quitting, writing: “Jared, you are the most disgustingly morally bankrupt person I have ever had the displeasure of working with.”

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10. Briefing: Boris Johnson’s views on key policies

Boris Johnson has been named the next prime minister, beating his rival Jeremy Hunt in the final round of voting by party members by 66% to 34%.

The MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip had already won over his fellow MPs in the parliamentary voting stages, securing more than double the votes than those of his nearest rival in all five ballots.

So what are his views on key government policies?

Boris Johnson’s views on key policies