Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 28 Jun 2017

1. Corbyn to force vote on public sector pay

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will table an amendment to the Queen's Speech bill tomorrow calling for an end to cuts to the police and the fire service and for the lifting of the public sector pay cap. The proposals will be debated in the Commons but are unlikely to succeed following the confidence and supply agreement between the Tories and DUP.

2. Hammond and Davis clash over Brexit

Chancellor Philip Hammond used a speech in Berlin to call for a softer Brexit with a transitional arrangement allowing free trade to continue, setting himself at odds with Brexit Secretary David Davis, who, speaking in London later yesterday, said that the UK will have completely left the single market by March 2019.

3. Radical reform needed to end inequality, says report

Successive governments have failed to improve social cohesion and reduce widening inequality in the UK, a report from the Social Mobility Commission says. It also says the gap between rich and poor will become worse and threaten economic prosperity and social unity unless there is radical and urgent reform. Chairman Alan Milburn warned "whole tracts of Britain feel left behind".

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4. Hillsborough charges decision due today

Relatives of the 96 people who died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster will find out today whether anyone will face trial for the deaths or the alleged police cover-up that followed. The Crown Prosecution Services will tell the families their decision at a private meeting this morning. An inquest jury in April 2016 found the victims had been unlawfully killed.

5. Faecal bacteria found in coffee chains' iced drinks

Bacteria from human faeces, in some cases in significant numbers, have been found in ice used by high street coffee chains Costa, Starbucks and Caffe Nero. Tests were organised by the BBC's Watchdog programme. Environmental health expert Tony Lewis said the findings were "concerning", while the chains said they had taken action.

6. Dragon Tattoo actor Nyqvist dies at 56

Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist has died at the age of 56. A statement from his family said Nyqvist, who played journalist Mikael Blomkvist in the original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and its sequels, was diagnosed with lung cancer a year ago. The actor was replaced by Daniel Craig for the Hollywood remake of Dragon Tattoo.

7. Trump praises Irish reporter's 'nice smile'

Donald Trump appeared to flirt with a female reporter from Ireland during a filmed phone call to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. The US President told his Irish counterpart that Caitriona Perry was "beautiful" as they discussed world issues such as migration and Brexit. "She has a nice smile on her face so I bet she treats you well," he said.

8. Woman who helped refugee boyfriend spared jail

A French woman has been spared jail after helping her Iranian refugee boyfriend cross the Channel in a small boat to seek asylum in the UK. Beatrice Huret, 44, a former supporter of France's National Front party, was found guilty of illegally assisting Mokhtar and two others but was not given a sentence after arguing she acted out of love.

9. Hen harrier on brink of extinction

New figures suggest the hen harrier is almost extinct in England and declining across the UK. There are only four breeding pairs left in England and numbers are down 9% in Scotland since 2010. Illegal killing and habitat destruction are to blame. The birds of prey eat grouse, which makes them a target for gamekeepers.

10. Briefing: Are we paying a queen's ransom for the royal family?

More than one million foreign workers are preparing to leave Britain within the next five years, according to research which seems to confirm fears of a Brexit brain drain.

A survey by accountancy giant Deloitte suggests that 36 per cent of non-British workers in the UK are thinking about leaving by 2022, with 26 per cent planning to move even sooner, by 2020.

This represents roughly 1.2 million jobs out of 3.4 million migrant workers in Britain, with almost half (47 per cent) of all highly skilled foreign employees considering leaving.

"That points to a short-to-medium term skills deficit that can be met in part by upskilling our domestic workforce but which would also benefit from an immigration system that is attuned to the needs of the economy." - David Sproul of Deloitte

The survey "underscores the severe jobs crisis facing the country as it begins the process of extracting itself from the European Union" and the findings are "likely to increase political pressure to ensure access to talent is maintained following Brexit", says The Independent.

The Crown Estate: Are we paying a queen's ransom for the royal family?

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