Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 8 Feb 2017

1. Diane Abbott 'may quit Labour front bench'

Diane Abbott, one of Jeremy Corbyn's key supporters, may quit her shadow cabinet post and defy a three-line whip by voting against the Brexit bill, Sky News suggests. The Labour leader has already lost three frontbenchers over the bill, which paves the way for tiggering Article 50 and is expected to pass unamended.

2. Court to decide on Trump's travel ban

A San Francisco court is debating whether Donald Trump's travel ban discriminates against Muslims. It is expected to deliver its verdict later this week, after hearing arguments from lawyers on both sides. The US President has called for his executive order, which was suspended by the courts last weekend, to be reinstated.

Trump travel ban: Judge expands definition of relatives

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3. Police paid informants £19.5m in five years

Police forces in England and Wales paid £19.5m to informants between 2011 and 2016, the BBC reports. The National Police Chiefs' Council said it was a "cost effective tactic", but a critic told the broadcaster that paying for information perpetuates a "cycle of violence and brutality".

4. Schools test body cameras for teachers

Teachers at two secondary schools in the UK are trialling the use of body cameras, wearing them "when necessary" in a bid to control unruly pupils. Cameras have been used by teachers in the US since 2015 and are often worn by British police and traffic wardens.

Body cameras for teachers branded 'over the top'

5. US may demand social media passwords from travellers

Visa applicants to the US from Muslim-majority countries may be asked to hand over the passwords to their social media accounts, including Facebook. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told a Senate committee on immigration the move was being considered as a way of detecting terrorists trying to enter the country.

6. Corbyn reveals Surrey County Council texts at PMQs

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has accused the Conservatives of a "sweetheart deal" with Tory-led Surrey County Council after it dropped plans to raise council tax by 15%. During Prime Minister's Questions he read out a series of leaked texts discussing plans to call off the referendum that a large tax rise would trigger. Surrey CC said there had been "no deal" with the Government.

7. Tara Palmer Tomkinson found dead at her flat

Former model and socialite Tara Palmer Tomkinson has been found dead at her flat in London. The 45-year-old god-daughter of Prince Charles recently revealed she had been receiving treatment for a brain tumour. Police were called to her flat in South Kensington on Wednesday afternoon where her body was found. The death is being treated as unexplained.

8. Stonehenge tunnel 'will threaten ancient tombs'

Experts warn the site of a proposed tunnel under Stonehenge could threaten ancient underground tombs. Historic England, English Heritage and the National Trust say they back the plans for a tunnel for the A303, but are worried its western entrance will be built too close to the Normanton Down Barrows.

9. Rolf Harris cleared of sex offences

Former TV star Rolf Harris has been found not guilty of three sex assault charges by a jury Southwark Crown Court. They also failed to return a verdict on four other counts and the prosecution may apply for a retrial. The 86-year-old was in 2014 for a string of other sex offences againsts women and girls, one under ten. He is expected to be freed this summer.

10. Briefing: the Shannon Matthews case

A two-part BBC drama will delve into the search for Shannon Matthews, the nine-year-old who went missing from her home in West Yorkshire in 2008, and the shocking truth about her abduction. The Moorside, which starts this evening, stars Gemma Whelan as Karen Matthews, who turned from anguished mother of a "missing" child only to one of the most vilified women in the country.

What happened in the Shannon Matthews case?