1. EU vote ‘to be held in June 2016’
The Independent On Sunday says David Cameron will hold the in-or-out referendum on Britain’s future membership of the European Union in June next year. The report claims the prime minister will announce the fast-tracked date as the centrepiece of his party’s annual conference in October. It is believed that the turmoil over Greece has helped influence the date.
2. Will Labour leader race be suspended?
Acting leader Harriet Harman has been urged to suspend the Labour leadership race amid claims that hard left infiltration is fuelling a huge surge in party membership. The Sunday Times claims more than 140,000 new activists are projected to have joined by the deadline for registration to vote, with many signing up to back the left-wing candidate Jeremy Corbyn.
3. Peer filmed ‘taking drugs with prostitutes’
A married peer has been accused of snorting cocaine with two £200-a-night prostitutes. The Sun on Sunday says Baron John Sewel, the deputy speaker of the House of Lords, snorted the drug off the breasts of the prostitutes. He is filmed referring to Asian women as “whores”, turning a framed picture of his wife face-down on the table, and saying: “I just want to be led astray.”
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4. Obama tackles Kenya over gay rights
Barack Obama has launched an unprecedented defence of gay rights in Africa. The US leader told Kenya’s president that the state has no right to punish people because of “who they love”. Visiting his late father’s homeland for the first time as US president, he confronted Uhuru Kenyatta on television with his “unequivocal” views.
5. ‘Laughing gas’ London teen dies
A teenager has died after allegedly using laughing gas at a party in south-east London. The 18-year-old was rushed to hospital after collapsing in a street in Bexley last night. He died two hours later. The Metropolitan Police said he was believed to have been drinking alcohol as well as ingesting legal high nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas.
6. £500k advance for Bojo’s Shakespeare book
Boris Johnson has landed a £500,000 advance to write a biography of William Shakespeare, says The Sunday Times. He hopes to publish the book next year, the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death. The contract is worth almost seven times Johnson’s salary as an MP. His last book, The Churchill Factor sold more than 160,000 hardback copies.
7. Hunt slammed for u-turn on elderly care
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt is facing a furious backlash after quietly shelving a key manifesto commitment to cap care costs for the elderly, reports The Observer. Experts claimed that the policy u-turn has cost taxpayers up to £100m.
Hunt has delayed the cap until 2020 – despite the fact it was promoted by the Conservatives in the build-up to the general election.
8. Middle-class parents secure ‘glass floor’
A new report claims that British middle-class parents have created a "glass floor" to protect their less able children from slipping down the social scale. According to the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission, better-off families have secured educational and social advantages. “It's a social scandal that all too often demography is still destiny in Britain,” said Alan Milburn.
9. Froome ‘died a thousand deaths’
Chris Froome is on the brink of winning the Tour de France. The British cyclist admitted he was "in difficulty" and feared he could lose the event during the "hardest climb" of his career on Alpe d'Huez. “I was on my absolute limits. I was dying a thousand deaths.” The 30-year-old is set to become the first Briton to win two Tours in Paris on Sunday, said: "I was on my limits.
10. Angel Di Maria ‘joins PSG for £46.5m’
Angel Di Maria is joining Paris St-Germain in a £46.5m deal, says French paper L'Equipe. However, Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal claims he "does not know why" Di Maria has not joined up with his team on their pre-season tour. Meanwhile, England and Scotland have been drawn in the same group for qualification for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
