Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 21 Nov 2015

1. Labour revolt will pave way for Syria air strikes

Britain is set for air strikes in Syria amid a Labour revolt against Jeremy Corbyn. The Daily Telegraph says up to 60 Labour MPs could support military intervention in defiance of the party leader. It is thought the rebellious Labour members will back air strikes on the basis of a UN resolution calling for "combat by all means" to be used to wipe out Islamic State.

2. George Osborne slipping in leadership poll

George Osborne's hopes of becoming the next Tory leader are fading, according to a new poll. The study puts Boris Johnson and Theresa May ahead of the chancellor among Conservative supporters. Johnson is the favourite candidate for leader among a third of Conservative supporters, while a quarter back May. The number of Tories who prefer Osborne has slumped to 23%.

3. Britain to be colder than Siberia this weekend

Are you ready for winter? A polar blast is set to make the UK colder than Siberia, according to The Times. Parts of Britain could face to four inches of snow this weekend in the coldest November temperatures in five years. An Arctic blast is forecast to drive temperatures lower than Siberia, with 70mph gales coming in from the North Pole.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

4. Did Conservatives hush up bullying allegations?

Senior Tory figures “covered up” complaints about the disgraced aide Mark Clarke before May’s general election, according to a leaked email. The party HQ claimed this week it could find no evidence of accusations of bullying made before August. However, ex-chairman Grant Shapps’ chief of staff Paul Abbott admitted “dealing” with a series of claims as far back as 2014.

5. Holocaust documents unearthed in Budapest

A massive and historically significant trove of Holocaust-era documents has been found hidden in a wall cavity by a couple renovating their Budapest apartment. The haul of 6,300 documents, which historians thought were destroyed during the second world war, is from a 1944 census that was a final step before the intended liquidation of the city’s 200,000 Jews in Nazi death camps.

6. Indignant Robert Webb quits Labour Party

Comedian Robert Webb has cancelled his Labour party membership, stating that electing Jeremy Corbyn as party leader was a mistake. Webb, who stars in Channel 4 comedy Peep Show, revealed the move during a Twitter conversation with a former head of campaigns for the Labour party under Tony Blair. “Standing order cancelled. Maybe I’ll vote for them. Maybe not,” he stormed.

7. Mercury prize-winner makes touching gesture

Benjamin Clementine has won the 2015 Mercury Music Prize, reports the BBC. The Londoner took the gong for his debut album, At Least For Now. He beat competition from acts including Florence + The Machine, Wolf Alice and Supergrass star Gaz Coombes. The 26-year-old invited all the other nominees to take to the stage with him when he accepted the prize.

8. Will deeper cuts follow Osborne borrowing failure?

George Osborne is set to miss his borrowing targets this year, says the Financial Times. Deficit reduction has slowed to such an extent that some economists expect a £10bn overshoot by the end of the financial year. That would be enough to put in jeopardy the chancellor’s ambition to eliminate borrowing by 2019-20. This could lead to him raising taxes further or impose even deeper cuts.

9. Seven dead in New Zealand helicopter crash

All seven people on board a helicopter died when it crashed in New Zealand. Officials said mountain rescue teams in helicopters reached the site at Fox Glacier but found no survivors. The fatal chopper is believed to be a Eurocopter Squirrel operated by local firm Alpine Adventures. The glacier is visited by thousands of tourists each year.

10. Klopp faces crunch visit to Manchester City

Is Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp already under pressure at Anfield? His side travel to Manchester City for an evening kick-off tie that will test both City's title credentials and the extent of Jurgen Klopp's impact since arriving at Anfield six weeks ago. Elsewhere, Manchester United are at Watford and Arsenal are at West Bromwich Albion.

Explore More