Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 9 Jul 2017

1. David Davis ally 'says May is dead in the water'

Theresa May has been dealt a blow after it emerged that former Tory minister Andrew Mitchell believes she should go. A Conservative MP claims that Mitchell told a dinner that May is "dead in the water". The source added: "He said she was weak, had lost her authority, couldn’t go on and we needed a new leader." Mitchell is an ally of David Davis, who is tipped to succeed May.

2. Germany tells Britain it can't help with Brexit deal

Germany has warned Britain not to rely on its help in securing a good Brexit deal. Ministers have chorused that Berlin's powerful exporters will push through a deal handing Britain substantial access to the EU’s markets. But Dieter Kempf, of the federation of German industries, said: "Over the coming months, it will be extraordinarily difficult to avert negative effects on British businesses in particular."

3. Demonstrators confront Ku Klux Klan in Virginia

Ku Klux Klan supporters were confronted by hundreds of counter-protesters in Virginia when they demonstrated against the planned removal of a controversial statue. Dozens of white supremacists marched to try and save a statue of General Robert E Lee, who led Confederate forces in the US Civil War. They were greeted by large crowds chanting "shame" and "racists go home".

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4. Theresa May seizes on Donald Trump's Brexit optimism

Donald Trump has declared the G20 summit in Germany a "wonderful success", despite his country's isolated position on climate change. Meanwhile, Theresa May is playing up the "optimism" of Trump over Brexit to try and quell a growing Tory rebellion. The US president pledged to strike a trade deal "very, very quickly" after Britain leaves the EU.

5. British acrobat plunges to his death 'as partner watches'

The 42-year-old acrobat who fell 100ft to his death in front of a 45,000-strong crowd in Spain was killed on the night that his partner had come to watched him live for the first time, according to reports. Pedro Aunion Monroy, who lived in Brighton, plunged to his death from a cube which had been hoisted above the stage at the music festival in Madrid.

6. Prison officers confiscate huge quantity of drugs and phones

Prison officers seized about 225kg (496lbs) of drugs and 20,000 mobile phones in one year, according to the Ministry of Justice. The haul comes after multi-million pound investment in mobile phone detectors and hundreds of specialist dogs for drug detection. Prisons minister Sam Gyimah said that the amount of drugs and phones in jails is "unacceptable".

7. Iraq poised to declare Mosul victory over Islamic State

Iraq is on the brink of declaring a final victory in the offensive to retake Mosul from Islamic State, a US general said. "An announcement is imminent," predicted Brig Gen Robert Sofge. "I don’t want to speculate if it’s today or tomorrow but I think it’s going to be very soon." The defeat would be the biggest yet for IS and comes after the Iraqi forces launched their campaign to recapture Mosul.

8. Businessman submits 'cheaper' plans for Heathrow runway

A hotel tycoon has submitted proposals for a third runway at Heathrow which he claims would be £5bn cheaper than the airport's current plans. After ministers expressed a preference for the airport's plans for a new runway and terminal costing £17.5bn, Surinder Arora put his proposal to the government's public consultation on Heathrow. He said the airport "needs competition and innovation".

9. Islamist activist says Grenfell victims 'murdered by Zionists'

An Islamist speaker claims the Grenfell Tower victims were "murdered" by Zionists, reports the Sunday Telegraph. It has emerged that just days after the fire, Nazim Ali, a director of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, said: "As we know in Grenfell, many innocents were murdered by Theresa May’s cronies, many of which are supporters of Zionist ideology."

10. Lunchbox bounces back in the Instagram era

The lunchbox is making a modern day "renaissance", says the Sunday Telegraph, as British workers attempt to outdo each other with "Instagram-worthy" meals. British consumers have spent an additional £39m on upmarket ingredients in the last year. Internet-savvy workers packed nearly two billion lunches in the year to 26 February, according to research, as retailers enjoy strong growth among lunchbox consumers aged 34-54.