1. Vaccine could arrive in hospitals within 10 days
Hospitals have been told to prepare for the rollout of a coronavirus vaccine in as little as 10 days’ time, reports The Guardian. With regulatory approval expected for the jab within days, health bosses said hospitals in England could expect to receive their first deliveries as soon as Monday 7 December. NHS workers are expected to be at the front of the queue for vaccination.
2. Sunak faces questions over undeclared financial interests
The wife of Rishi Sunak holds a multimillion-pound portfolio which makes her richer than the Queen, reports The Guardian. The chancellor’s wife and her family hold a multimillion-pound portfolio of shareholdings and directorships that are not declared in the official register of ministers’ interests. Sir Alistair Graham, a former chair of the committee on standards in public life, said the chancellor has “taken the most minimalist approach possible” to declaring his interests.
3. EU ‘set to cave’ on fishing rights next week
The European Union is set to formally recognise British sovereignty over UK waters, claims the Daily Telegraph. In what would be a significant breakthrough, Brussels is also reported to have accepted a British proposal for a transition period on fishing rights after January 1. Senior government sources believe that the EU will “cave” to other British demands on fishing as talks intensify next week.
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4. Sir Philip ‘plans luxury holiday’ as Arcadia empire teeters
Sir Philip Green's retail empire, which includes Topshop, Burton and Dorothy Perkins, is understood to be on the brink of collapse. Talks with potential lenders about borrowing £30m to help Arcadia through the Christmas period have failed and administrators could be appointed on Monday, putting 13,000 jobs at risk. The Daily Mirror says the controversial tycoon is planning a “luxury” Christmas break in the Maldives.
5. Donald Trump’s Pennsylvania court ploy fails
A US federal appeals court has rejected Donald Trump’s attempt to block president-elect Joe Biden from being declared winner in Pennsylvania. The panel of three judges ruled that the case was without merit because the Trump campaign has not provided proof. However, Trump declared on Twitter yesterday: “Biden can only enter the White House if he can prove that his ridiculous '80,000,000 votes' were not fraudulently or illegally obtained.”
6. Gove warns rebel MPs hospitals could be overwhelmed
Michael Gove has warned that every hospital in England faces being overwhelmed with Covid-19 cases if MPs fail to back the government’s new restrictions. The Cabinet Office minister is calling on MPs to “take responsibility for difficult decisions” as momentum gathers among Tory backbenchers opposed to the tiering system. The R number for Covid has fallen to between 0.9 and 1 for the first time since mid-August.
7. Iran vows ‘thunder’ revenge for scientist’s assassination
Iran says it will avenge the killing of its top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was assassinated near Tehran yesterday. Hossein Dehghan, military advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed to “strike” the perpetrators like “thunder”. The country's Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, called on the international community to condemn the “act of state terror” which he blames on Israel.
8. Police figures show steep rise in road rage offences
Road rage crimes have soared in the UK, according to analysis by Sky News. More than 3,500 offences were recorded – a rise of (39%) on 2017 and a 15% rise on 2018. Victims have been stabbed, punched, kicked, bitten and spat at. In 2019, a man was jailed for a road rage attack on an 80-year-old great-grandfather who was knocked unconscious in the street.
9. Lukashenko says he may surrender power in Belarus
Belarus' president has hinted he may be prepared to leave power after months of protests against his disputed re-election in August. Alexander Lukashenko said he supported reforms to the constitution to considerably weaken the role of any future president and added that he would “not be president” after that process. Opposition leaders say the 9 August presidential election was rigged.
10. Alex Ferguson pledges £2m to Rashford’s charity
Sir Alex Ferguson has teamed up with Marcus Rashford to tackle child food poverty. The two football figures have come together to support an appeal which is raising money for the poverty and food waste charity FareShare. “You have to be shocked at the number of people who are in need of food,” Sir Alex Ferguson told The Times, as he pledged up to £2million towards the charity, for which Rashford is an ambassador.
