1. Davis ‘could quit’ over Brexit backstop row
Brexit Secretary David Davis could possibly quit the role over a dispute about putting a time limit on Theresa May’s EU “backstop” plan, according to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg. However, she added that he is unlikely to do so at this stage. Davis wants to publish a date at which the post-EU “temporary customs arrangement” will end.
2. Hunt promises ‘significant’ NHS cash boost
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt tells The Guardian today that Theresa May has decided to give the NHS a “significant increase” in budget to coincide with its 70th anniversary in July. Hunt said May was “unbelievably committed” to the service and will ditch the policy of allowing only a 1% annual increase in its budget, in place since 2010.
3. Taxpayer to foot £150m bill for Carillion
The taxpayer will pay more than £150m for the collapse of contractor Carillion, which held many government contracts, the National Audit Office says. Accountants and lawyers handling the firm’s collapse will earn £70m, prompting MPs to complain about a lack of competition among the big four accountancy firms leading to high fees.
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4. Nightclub owner Peter Stringfellow dead at 77
Peter Stringfellow, the impresario known for using topless dancers in his eponymous nightclubs, has died of cancer at the age of 77. His publicist said Stringfellow had wanted to keep his illness private and added that the Stringfellows nightclub in London’s Covent Garden would continue to operate as usual. The club opened in 1980.
5. London bottom of list for £1m house prices
Homes worth £1m or more are selling faster outside London, according to property site Rightmove. Cambridge has the fastest-selling £1m-plus properties in the UK, followed by Edinburgh, Harpenden, Bristol and St Albans. A £1m-plus property sells in an average of 45 days in Cambridge. Nationally, 16,119 such homes sold in 2017.
6. Paul Dacre steps down as Daily Mail editor
Paul Dacre is leaving his job as editor of the Daily Mail after 26 years. He will become the newspaper’s editor-in-chief and chairman of owner Associated Newspapers. His long stewardship of Britain’s second-highest selling newspaper included an influential campaign to bring the white racist killers of Stephen Lawrence to justice.
7. Mary Wilson, wife of Labour PM, dies at 102
Mary Wilson, the poet best known as wife of Labour prime minister Harold Wilson, has died at the age of 102 after suffering a stroke. Always a private person, she enjoyed a friendship with poet laureate Sir John Betjeman, who wrote a poem for her. Jeremy Corbyn led tributes, saying she was a “huge support” to her husband’s election wins.
8. BA pilot ‘was four times over alcohol limit’
A court heard yesterday that a British Airways pilot was four times over the legal alcohol limit as his 12-hour flight to Mauritius prepared for take-off on 18 January this year. Julian Monaghan, 49, was led from the aircraft in handcuffs. He pleaded guilty to the offence in Crawley yesterday and has been warned he faces a jail sentence.
9. Man almost killed by severed snake’s head
A Texas man almost died when he was bitten by the severed head of a rattlesnake. The un-named man was working in his garden when he killed the four-foot snake by decapitating it. He picked up the remains to dispose of them and was bitten. He was airlifted to hospital, where he is still being treated one week later, with weakened kidneys.
10. Briefing: what difference will Heathrow's new runway make?
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has confirmed the government’s plans for a third runway at Heathrow, and MPs are expected to vote on the proposal in the next three weeks.
A third runway at Heathrow “was given the green light in 2016, but remains a controversial matter for nearby residents, politicians from all parties, environmentalists and business leaders”, says Sky News.
Heathrow expansion: what are the pros and cons?
