Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 8 Sep 2013

1. FALKIRK 'COVER-UP' ALLEGATIONS HIT LABOUR

Labour sunk back into crisis yesterday as allegations surfaced of a cover-up over vote rigging Falkirk. After Ed Miliband tried to draw a line under the row by declaring there was no evidence of wrongdoing, it was alleged that key witnesses had been pressured to withdraw damaging evidence from the inquiry.

2. VOTERS OPPOSE ANY SYRIA ATTACK

British voters oppose any military attack on Syria, even if it were proven categorically that president Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons on his own people, according to a poll in the Sunday Telegraph. The Mail On Sunday reports that British companies sold chemicals to Syria that could have been used to produce the deadly nerve agent that killed 1,400 people.

3. TOKYO TO HOST 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES

Tokyo has been chosen to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games ahead of Istanbul and Madrid. The Japanese capital beat Istanbul by 60 votes to 36, after Madrid had been eliminated in a first-round ballot. As International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge announced the decision, the Tokyo delegation celebrated wildly.

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4. SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP INTACT SAYS DIPLOMAT

The American ambassador to Britain says the “special relationship” between the countries remains intact despite the Commons vote against participation in a military strike on Syria. Writing in The Observer, Matthew Barzun describes the "rush to declare this relationship dead, damaged, or diminished" as "strange" and lacking in perspective.

5. DID POLICE HOLD DUKE AT GUNPOINT?

Scotland Yard has confirmed a man was ordered to verify his identity in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, after a report claimed that Prince Andrew was held at gunpoint. The Sunday Express claimed that officers pointed their guns at the Duke of York and ordered him to “put your hands up and get on the ground” after mistaking him for an intruder.

6. NEW POLL SLASHES LABOUR LEAD

A new opinion poll has cut Labour's lead over the Conservatives to just one per cent going into the party conference season. The ICM Wisdom Index survey for the Sunday Telegraph, which asks voters to predict the outcome of the next general election rather than which party they support, puts Labour on 32% and the Tories on 31%.

7. 'MAD MONK' IS NEW AUSTRALIAN PM

Australia's prime minister-elect Tony Abbott declared last night that the country is “under new management and once again open for business” after his Liberal-National coalition comfortably defeated the Labor party. Abbott, dubbed 'the Mad Monk' in the Australian press, says his priorities are to abolish a tax on carbon emissions and stop asylum-seekers arriving by boat.

8. SARAH TEATHER TO STAND DOWN

Sarah Teather is to step down as an MP at the next election, because she “no longer feels that Nick Clegg's party fights sufficiently for social justice and liberal values on immigration". The Lib Dem was first elected in 2003, becoming the youngest MP, and later served as children's minister in the coalition government.

9. EDL'S TOMMY ROBINSON ARRESTED

English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson was arrested as about 500 supporters of the far-right group held a march in east London yesterday. Around 3,000 officers were deployed for the march and police say 14 people were arrested for public order offences. A tweet on the EDL website stated: "Tommy's been arrested for incitement."

10. FA 'TURNED DOWN GUARDIOLA'

The FA turned down the chance to interview the highly-rated Pep Guardiola for the England manager’s job last year, claims the Mail On Sunday. The 42-year-old expressed interest in managing England after leaving Barcelona, but the FA chose not to pursue the matter because they had taken a policy decision to hire and Englishman.