Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 21 Oct 2018

1. Tory MP tells May she has 72 hours to save job

Theresa May has been told by a Tory MP that she has just 72 hours to save her job. Brexit supporter Andrew Bridgen told the Mail On Sunday that the Prime Minister must attend Wednesday's meeting of the Tory 1922 committee of backbenchers or risk a no-confidence vote. Johnny Mercer told The Sunday Times that Britain cannot be led by someone guilty of an "abject failure to govern".

2. Trump confirms the US will pull out of nuclear treaty

Donald Trump has announced that the US will withdraw from a landmark nuclear weapons treaty with Russia. The US President told reporters that Moscow had "violated" the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, which banned ground-launched medium-range missiles. He said he would not let Russia "go out and do weapons [while] we're not allowed to", adding: "I don't know why Obama didn't negotiate or pull out”.

3. 'Nearly 700,000' join march for People's Vote

Marchers seeking a referendum on the final Brexit deal attended a rally in London which organisers say was the biggest demonstration of its kind. The People's Vote marched to London's Parliament Square, with supporters saying it attracted nearly 700,000 protesters. Theresa May has already ruled out a fresh vote on Britain’s exit from the European Union.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

4. Health data shows flu jabs failed pensioners last winter

Last year's flu jab protected just one in 10 pensioners, data from Public Health England has revealed. Amid fears that new boosted vaccinations could run out, PHE said that worst protection was among over 65s with zero protection against some key strains. These failings led to the worst flu season for seven years, with 15,000 deaths from the virus.

5. Meghan and Harry 'won't seek royal role for baby'

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not seek any official royal role for their first child, claims The Sunday Times. According to a source, the couple hope their baby will grow up to have what Harry has described as "a relatively normal life". The source added: "That word 'normal' looms very large for Harry and Meghan".

6. Civil servants role-play reactions to second referendum

Civil servants have started secret contingency planning for a second referendum, reports The Sunday Times. Amid fears that Theresa May will struggle to get a Brexit deal through parliament, officials working for the Department for Exiting the European Union have been "war-gaming" a new vote. This included role-playing the reactions of Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg.

7. Trump 'not satisfied' with Saudi's Khashoggi account

US President Donald Trump says he is "not satisfied" with Saudi Arabia's account of the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The statement comes two days after Saudi Arabia finally admitted that Khashoggi was dead, saying he was killed in a "fist fight" in its Istanbul consulate. "I'm not satisfied until we find the answer," Trump said, adding that sanctions were an option.

8. Government will tell private schools to share pools

The government is to encourage private schools to share their swimming pools after it was revealed that fewer than half of all British children are able to swim 25 metres by the time they reach the age of 11. Education secretary, Damian Hinds, says schools will get a share of a £320m fund to help boost swimming lessons.

9. Health expert says we are weaning babies too late

A leading child allergy specialist said the public could be creating a food allergy epidemic because we are not weaning babies on to allergens sooner. Health officials encourage the introduction of peanuts and other allergens from around six months but Gideon Lack, professor of paediatric allergy at King's College London, says that could be two months too late.

10. Rare Titanic poster raises £62,000 at an auction

A poster advertising the Titanic's return voyage from New York to Europe has sold for £62,000 at an auction in Wiltshire. Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge described it as "one of the rarest Titanic posters in existence". It would have been displayed in New York, and is particularly rare as most such posters were destroyed after the liner sank on its way to the city from Southampton on April 15 1912.