Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 4 June 2022

1. Queen to miss Epsom Derby

The Queen will miss her second event of the Jubilee weekend after she pulled out of the Epsom Derby. Buckingham Palace said that she will instead watch it on television from Windsor. The Daily Mail said royal aides are taking a “bookend” approach to the celebrations by prioritising “getting the monarch on the Buckingham Palace balcony” for Sunday’s “show-stopping finale pageant”. Members of the Royal Family will attend Platinum Jubilee celebrations across the UK today.

2. Reform ‘would put ministers above law’

A human rights charity has expressed concern over a new national security law to be debated by MPs that would give ministers and spies immunity from accusations of assisting crimes overseas. Under the plans, the Serious Crime Act, which makes it an offence to do anything in the UK to encourage or assist a crime overseas, would be disapplied where “necessary for the proper exercise of any function” of MI5, MI6, GCHQ or the armed forces. Reprieve, a human rights charity, said giving such power to ministers and officials would “risk putting them above the ordinary criminal law”.

3. Africa ‘victim of Ukraine war’

African countries are innocent victims of the war in Ukraine, the head of the African Union has told Vladimir Putin. After talks in Russia, Macky Sall said Putin had promised to ease the export of cereals and fertiliser. “I found Vladimir Putin committed and aware that the crisis and sanctions create serious problems for weak economies, such as African economies,” Sall told journalists, adding that he was leaving Russia “very reassured and very happy with our exchanges”. Over 40% of wheat consumed in Africa usually comes from Russia and Ukraine.

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4. Bishop calls for PM to quit

The Bishop of Buckingham has called for Boris Johnson to resign, saying he “obviously” lied over parties in Downing Street during lockdown. The senior Church of England figure said it was “nonsense” for the PM to claim he did not realise what was going on and argued that the country needs a leader it can trust. The news comes after Johnson was greeted by a chorus of boos as he arrived at the Queen’s platinum jubilee thanksgiving service on Friday morning.

5. Trump aide charge with contempt

A former White House adviser has been charged with contempt of Congress for refusing to co-operate with the inquiry into last year’s US Capitol riot. Peter Navarro is the second Donald Trump aide to be arrested after defying a legal summons from the congressional committee investigating the attack. Meanwhile, the celebrity heart surgeon, Dr Mehmet Oz, who was backed by Trump, has won the Republican primary in Pennsylvania for US Senate after David McCormick conceded.

6. Post Office strike over pay freeze

Thousands of Post Office workers will strike today over a pay dispute. The BBC reported that 114 Crown Post Offices - those directly owned by the company - will close for a 24-hour period, while sub-post offices will have no cash deliveries or collections. The Post Office said the vast majority of its 11,000 branches will open as usual. The Communication Workers Union are protesting over a pay freeze in 2021-22 and a 2% rise for the following year.

7. Social media ‘influenced Depp verdict’

Amber Heard’s lawyer has accused the jury in her defamation trial of being influenced by social media. Speaking on US television, Elaine Bredehoft said: “They went home every night. They have families. The families are on social media. We had a 10-day break in the middle because of the judicial conference. There’s no way they couldn’t have been influenced by it.” The lawyer added that the verdict sent a “horrible message”. Asked whether Heard has the money to pay the $10.35m damages, Bredehoft said: “Oh, no, absolutely not.”

8. Camden Market up for sale

Camden Market has been put up for sale and its billionaire Israeli owner hopes a deal will net him as much as £1.5bn. The BBC said the 16-acre patchwork of more than 1,000 stalls, bars, shops, and cafes has long been associated with “counter-cultural movements, from punks to hippies,” priding itself on the “breadth of independent retailers selling fresh produce, trinkets, and arts and crafts”. It claims to attract 28m visitors a year. Investment bank Rothschild & Co is overseeing the sale process.

9. US jet crashes in California

The US Navy said one of its fighter jets has crashed in the southern California desert, killing the pilot. The FA-18E Super Hornet crashed in the vicinity of Trona, on Friday afternoon local time. Trona is about 236 miles (380 kilometres) southeast of the air station, which is in the Central Valley. The identity of the pilot and details of the crash were not immediately released. No civilians were hurt in the incident.

10. Pint passes £8 milestone

The cost of a pint of beer has surpassed £8 for the first time, reported the Daily Telegraph. Inflation has pushed the average price of a pint of beer in the UK to £3.95, according to data from research agency CGA, up from £2.30 in 2008. This means the average cost of the drink has soared by more than 70% since the 2008 financial crisis. However, while a London pub was found to be selling a pint for £8.06, the cheapest average pint was found at a pub in Lancashire and cost £1.79.