Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 13 Jun 2015

1. HONOURS FOR REDMAYNE AND LAMPARD

Van Morrison and Kevin Spacey are among the figures given knighthoods in the Queen's Birthday Honours list. There are OBEs for ex-England footballer Frank Lampard, and England's record-breaking cricketer James Anderson. Former Welsh rugby captain Gareth Edwards is knighted. OBEs go to goes to Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne and entertainer Michael Ball.

2. GORDON BROWN: UK IS ‘ON LIFE SUPPORT’

The UK is on “life support”, says Gordon Brown. The former prime minister is warning that that the Tory’s decision to play the “English card” could unravel the three centuries old Union. He accused the government of “starting to write off Scotland” and said Westminster and Holyrood’s insistence on “vetoes” over legislation could prove fatal.

3. MISSING MUM SURRENDERS IN OXFORD

A mum who has been on the run for more than a fortnight with her three-year-old son has handed herself in to police, saying her “time has run out". Rebecca Minnock was voluntarily met by police in the Oxford area after making contact with them yesterday evening. She vanished with Ethan Williams on the day she was due to hand him over to his father after losing a custody battle.

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4. BLAIR’S PRIVATE CHINA-DHABI CHANNEL

Tony Blair has been secretly acting as broker between Abu Dhabi and China, according the Daily Telegraph. Documents show how the former PM has been introducing some of the most influential Chinese political and business leaders to the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund he works for. He has visited China more than 20 times since stepping down as PM, compared with just five trips as leader.

5. DRUZE FEARS SYRIA SLAUGHTER

An Islamic sect in Syria fears it will be slaughtered after the pullback by the Assad regime left them vulnerable to the attack of extremist militants. The Druze, an esoteric offshoot of Islam considered heretical by Sunni extremists such as Islamic State, worry they may end up being victimised like Iraq’s Yazidi tribes, which Isis killed or put to work as slaves.

6. JEREMY CORBYN TOPS LEADERSHIP POLL

Jeremy Corbyn is the shock favourite to be Labour’s next leader amongst polled readers of a popular Labour website. A straw poll of LabourList readers found the left-winger was the first choice of 47% of respondents, streets ahead of his nearest rival. Andy Bunham, on 13%, was closely followed by Liz Kendall on 11%.

7. S&P MAY CUT UK’S CREDIT RATING

Leading credit ratings agency S&P may cut Britain’s rating if it appears likely to leave the EU. By highlighting the dangers of the UK considering a “Brexit”, S&P has become the most vocal business organisation yet to express concern over the the referendum. Just days ago, US president Barack Obama said he was “looking forward” to Britain remaining part of the EU.

8. STAR WARS SABERS IN THE TREASURY

George Osborne keeps lightsabers in the treasury. The chancellor was given the weapons by Lucasfilm before the studio announced that it would film the next Star Wars chapter in the UK. Because of the gifts’ cost - they are worth more than £140 - they are held by the treasury and not the minister they were given to. The information was revealed after a freedom of information request.

9. ACADEMICS SLAM OSBORNE SURPLUS PLAN

Academics have attacked George Osborne’s budget surplus proposal. Writing to The Guardian, Thomas Piketty, David Blanchflower and other experts say the chancellor’s plan to enshrine permanent budget surpluses in law is a political gimmick that ignores “basic economics”. They say Osborne is turning a blind eye to the complexities of a 21st-century economy.

10. GROHL SINGS ON WITH ‘BROKEN LEG’

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl continued a gig despite breaking his leg during the performance. The singer fell off stage while performing to thousands of fans in Sweden, and was heard telling the audience: "I think I really broke my leg." He added: "I'm going to go to the hospital, I'm going to fix my leg, but then I'm coming back and we're going to play for you again."