1. Army boss warns defence spending too low
Army chief Sir Nick Carter will warn the Government today that it is not spending enough on defence to keep up with the increasingly unorthodox strategies of rival powers including Russia. Carter will highlight the threat posed to the UK by cyber activities, warning “our ability to pre-empt or respond to threats” is being eroded.
2. Global growth may ‘dwarf’ Brexit downturn
Former Tory minister Lord O’Neill has said that improved global growth forecasts will mean better economic times for the UK this year - a boost likely to “dwarf” the Brexit downturn. However, the Remain-supporting peer said he still believes Brexit is a bad thing.
3. UKIP leader refuses to go after losing vote
Henry Bolton has refused to step down as UKIP leader, despite a vote of no confidence. The party’s national executive committee yesterday voted unanimously that it had no confidence in the 54-year-old former army officer, in part because of his relationship with a 25-year-old woman accused of racism. Bolton’s deputy quit last night.
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4. Women ‘too embarrassed to get smear tests’
A survey of more than 2,000 British women has found many delay going for cervical screening until later in life because they are too scared or embarrassed to have the test. Cervical cancer is most common in women under 35, but the survey, by Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, found almost two-thirds of women that age did not know this.
5. US shutdown bites as working week begins
Hundreds of thousands of government workers in the US will not be able to work today after Congress failed to agree a budget. The resulting shutdown means many civil servants will be on unpaid leave today, though essential services will be kept running. The standoff follows demands by Democrats for protection for former child migrants.
6. Macron: France would probably have left EU
French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show that France would “probably” have voted to leave the EU if given a national referendum like the UK’s – at least in “a similar context”. Macron, a strong supporter of further EU integration, said it was a “risk” to ask a yes/no question on a “very complicated” issue.
7. Girl of eight stabbed to death in West Midlands
An eight-year-old girl, named as Mylee Billingham, died in hospital on Saturday night after being stabbed. A 54-year-old man was arrested in connection with the stabbing, in a property in the Brownhills area of Walsall, West Midlands, and is in a critical condition in hospital with a knife wound to his stomach. Police said the case was “absolutely tragic”.
8. Oldman and McDormand win SAG awards
Gary Oldman and Frances McDormand were the big winners at last night’s Screen Actors Guild Awards in Hollywood. McDormand won best actress for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Oldman won outstanding performance by a male actor for his portrayal of Winston Churchill, under heavy prosthetics, in biopic Darkest Hour.
9. Amazon opens supermarket with no checkouts
Amazon’s first supermarket without checkouts opens to the public in Seattle today, after a year-long test run during which only Amazon staff could shop there. The delayed public launch has been blamed on problems with machine learning. The shop uses cameras, sensors and AI to work out what customers have taken from the shelves and then charges their online accounts.
10. Briefing: HMRC’s top five excuses for late tax filings
The Week can only apologise for this harsh reminder, but the deadline for filing self-assessment tax returns to HMRC is fast approaching.
By the time 31 January rolls around, we all try our hardest to have all our papers in order, our spreadsheets ready and our wallet primed. However, according to tales published by HMRC, not everyone is quite so organised, and each year the taxman receives some imaginative, bizarre, and even paranormal claims about why people have been unable to fill out their forms on time.
HMRC’s top five excuses for late tax filings
