Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 21 May 2018

1. UK is ‘turning a blind eye to dirty Russian money’

National security in the UK is at risk because the country is turning a “blind eye” to Russian “dirty money”, according to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. London is being used to hide the “corrupt assets” of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his allies, the MPs say. The committee wants the Government to investigate sanctions loopholes.

2. MPs call for buying sex to be made illegal

A cross-party group of MPs is calling for the buying of sex to be made illegal, in response to a rise in “pop-up brothels”. The group heard expert evidence that the use of websites to sell sex has driven an increase in short-let brothels, with gangs trafficking women around the country. There at least 212 police ongoing investigations into sexual slavery as of last month.

3. House prices still rising in parts of Wales

The Brecon Beacons are the last refuge of the property boom, new figures from Your Move suggest. Annual house price inflation exceeded 10% in parts of Wales at the end of March – while there were striking falls in house prices in London. In the City of London, which is largely offices, prices fell by 31.4%, the website says.

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4. Duchess of Sussex: ‘I’m a proud feminist’

The Duchess of Sussex – nee Meghan Markle – has described herself as a feminist following her marriage to Prince Harry this weekend. The former Suits actor says in a profile on the Royal Family’s website: “I’m proud to be a woman and a feminist.” As many as 100,000 people visited Windsor for a glimpse of the royal couple and celebrity guests on Saturday.

5. Grenfell inquiry to begin with tributes

The official inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire opens today in London. It will begin with tributes read by the family and friends of the 72 people killed in the blaze last June, and is expected to take about two weeks. The testimony will be streamed live online. Specialist counselling will be available during the hearings, in South Kensington.

6. Second term for Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has won a second term in office, despite international condemnation and allegations of vote buying and other irregularities in Sunday’s election. Maduro won 67.7% of the vote and intends to rule the crisis-hit nation for another six years. Both main opposition parties have declared the ballot void.

7. Trump demands probe into claims FBI spied on campaign

Donald Trump has ordered the US Justice Department to investigate claims that its own investigators and FBI agents monitored his 2016 election campaign for political and “inappropriate” purposes. The president’s tweeted demand follows reports that the FBI spoke to campaign aides about alleged links with Russian agents.

8. Ryanair profits soar despite grounded flights

Budget airline Ryanair has reported a 10% rise in annual profits following a year in which the travel plans of 700,000 of its customers were hit by cancellations. The increase in post-tax profit to €1.45bn (£1.27bn) was helped by a 9% rise in passenger numbers, the airline said. However, the airline has cut its profit guidance for this year by €100m (£87m).

9. Airports with worst flight delays ranked

Luton Airport is Britain’s worst airport for flight punctuality, followed by Gatwick, Jersey and Durham Tees Valley, according to analysis of Civil Aviation Authority data. The airports with the shortest average delays to the departure of flights were Heathrow, Leeds Bradford, Belfast City and London City. The average delay at Luton is 19.7 minutes.

10. Briefing: can the House of Lords stop Brexit?

Theresa May is planning to hand peerages to about ten Conservatives and one DUP member, in a bid to strengthen her hand in the House of Lords during Brexit votes.

Labour peer and fervent Remainer Lord Adonis claims May is intent on “stuffing” the Lords with loyal peers in an attempt to push through her Brexit agenda.

Can the House of Lords stop Brexit?