Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 12 Jun 2017

1. Johnson's leaked messages tell Tories to back May

Boris Johnson has urged his fellow Tories to "get behind" Theresa May as Prime Minister in a leaked message sent via a WhatsApp chat group. "She won more votes than anyone since Margaret Thatcher," he wrote. The leak has done little to quash rumours Johnson may stand for the party leadership himself.

Theresa May: 'I got us into this and I will get us out'

2. May appoints Gove new Environment Secretary

Theresa May has appointed Brexit campaigner Michael Gove the new Environment Secretary in her limited post-election reshuffle. His return to the frontbenches, following his sacking last year, shocked both analysts and the politician himself, who said he was "quite surprised". May is to meet the influential 1992 Committee of Tory backbenchers today.

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Brexit: Lords force Theresa May to give MPs single market vote

3. Queen's Speech delayed by DUP talks

The Queen's Speech, due to take place on Monday 19 June, has been postponed. Tory leader Theresa May has formed a minority government but cannot set out a legislative programme until negotiations with the DUP are complete. It is claimed part of the reason for the delay is that the speech has to be written on goat's skin parchment paper, which takes days to dry.

What is a 'confidence and supply' arrangement and how would it work?

4. En Marche! set to win majority in French elections

France's La Republique En Marche party of President Emmanuel Macron is on course to win a majority following its success in the first round of parliamentary elections in France. The final result will be decided in a run-off vote this weekend, but En Marche! is projected to win a landslide 445 seats in the 557 National Assembly together with its MoDem ally.

Emmanuel Macron's En Marche! on course for landslide win in French parliamentary elections

5. London house sales slump by almost a third

House sales in greater London fell by 29% in the three months to the end of April year-on-year, according to property site Your Move. Stamp duty increases, high prices and worries about Brexit are being blamed for the fall in the number of properties changing hands. Average prices across England and Wales rose 0.3%.

Retail sales defy 'overdone' fears of spending squeeze

6. Abedi 'made Manchester bomb alone in flat'

Manchester Arena attacker Salman Abedi built his suicide bomb alone in his flat, Greater Manchester Police said this weekend. Releasing new CCTV pictures of Abedi, officers said they still do not know where he stored the materials nor whether others were "complicit" in getting hold of them. Twenty-two people died in the attack.

Manchester Arena attack: Salman Abedi 'assembled deadly bomb alone'

7. 'No change' to Tump visit, says Downing Street

Downing Street has denied claims that Donald Trump has postponed his state visit to the UK. It said there was no change to the plans after reports that the trip had been "put on hold" after Trump called Theresa May to say he did not want to come if there were likely to be large-scale protests.

Donald Trump puts state visit to UK 'on hold'

8. Hundreds arrested at Russia protests

Hundreds of protesters have been arrested at anti-corruption rallies in Russia. People were urged to take to the streets by opposition leader Alexei Navalny but he was detained at his home ahead of the demonstrations. Protests went ahead in Moscow and St Petersburg but riot police were accused of making random arrests at the rallies.

9. Puerto Rico votes to become 51st state

Puerto Rico has voted to become a full US state rather than a colony, in a referendum which the opposition rejected as meaningless because of a low turn-out. Twenty-three per cent of the electorate turned out to vote, of whom 97.1% approved the measure after 95% of votes were counted. The vote had been boycotted by opposition parties.

10. Briefing: Is this the death of Ukip?

When Ukip's vote tallies were read out at electoral counts up and down the country, the muted applause said it all.

Just weeks after losing all but one of their councillors in the local elections, the party that pushed Britain to Brexit drew less than two per cent of the vote on election night.

Ukip failed to gain a single MP. Even in uber-eurosceptic Boston and Skegness, party leader Paul Nuttall ended up in third place with 7.7 per cent of the vote. Hours later, he resigned.

UKIP elects Henry Bolton leader in ‘shock’ result