Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 4 Dec 2017

1. Progress on EU ‘divorce bill’ but not Ireland border

Theresa May will meet European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker, and other key figures in the Brexit negotiations, in Brussels today. Over the weekend, some progress was made in fixing the “divorce bill” for leaving the EU, says the BBC. But no agreement was reached with Ireland over its border with the UK, The Guardian warns.

2. Fight against poverty ‘in peril’ says charity

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is warning in its latest state-of-the-nation report that the UK is at a turning point in the fight against poverty, and risks losing its “hard-fought progress”. Almost 400,000 more children and 300,000 more pensioners are now living in poverty than were four years ago - the first sustained rises in poverty for 20 years.

3. Trump lawyer tries to take fall for tweet

One of Donald Trump’s attorneys has said he composed a tweet supposedly sent by the US president that suggests Trump tried to obstruct justice. John Dowd said it was the first and last time he had written a tweet for Trump. The message was written in the president’s distinctive style, including a spelling mistake.

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4. Tony Blair says he is working to reverse Brexit

Former Labour prime minister Tony Blair yesterday told the BBC that he is working to reverse the decision to leave the EU, coming up with policy ideas at a new foundation. He said that it was now “very clear … that there is no extra money for the health service through Brexit”, despite campaign pledges, and that this might change voters’ minds.

5. Co-op to sell food beyond ‘best before’ date

The East of England Co-op – which is independent of the Co-operative Group – is to be the first large retailer to sell food after the ‘best before’ date expires, in a bid to cut food waste. Tinned and dried goods will be sold for 10p. While ‘use by’ dates must be complied with under Food Standards Agency rules, ‘best before’ dates are advisory.

6. Passenger jet crew ‘saw North Korean missile’

Crew on board a Cathay Pacific passenger jet reported seeing a North Korean missile “blow up and fall apart near our current location”, it has emerged. The explosion last week was caused by the hermit kingdom’s most powerful missile test yet. North Korea does not make public the routes of its missile tests in advance, unlike other world powers.

7. Facebook to create 800 new jobs in Britain

Facebook is opening a new office in London and creating 800 new jobs, boosting its total UK workforce to 2,300 by the end of 2018. The office will be the social media giant’s biggest engineering unit outside the US. It will also include an ‘incubator space’ for new media start-ups, where UK firms can spend three months in development.

8. Dorries sparks row over MPs’ online security

Tory MP Nadine Dorries has been criticised after she revealed that she shares the login for her Westminster computer with her staff, “including interns”. Dorries was trying to defend colleague Damian Green, who says pornography was accessed on his computer by another staffer. Other MPs have since admitted sharing passwords with staff.

9. Underwater cables ‘vulnerable to terrorist attacks’

A report written by Tory MP Rishi Sunak for a right-wing think tank has warned that terrorists in boats armed with grappling hooks could intercept Britain’s network of fibreoptic underwater communications cables. Sunak says such sabotage could deal a “crippling blow” to Britain’s security and economy, posing an “existential” threat.

10. Briefing: how the driving test is changing

A new driving test comes into effect this week in a bid to bring the format up to date by including “modern driving styles” and technology.

From 4 December, anyone taking their driving test faces “more manoeuvres”, such as reversing into a bay parking space. The “reverse around a corner” and “turn-in-the-road” manoeuvres will no longer feature, says the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, although instructors may still include them in lessons.

Driving test changes 2017: what’s in the new practical exam?