Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 20 October 2022

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1. ‘Chaos’ with Liz Truss
2. Food bank demand surges
3. Trump answers rape claim
4. Banks to post surging profits
5. Guru-Murthy sorry for expletive
6. Blind barred from shops and cabs
7. Fish heads flying at Waitrose
8. Nuclear weapons workers to strike
9. Meghan praises late Queen
10. Lowry painting in record sale

published 20 October 2022

1. ‘Chaos’ with Liz Truss

Liz Truss’s survival as PM is “even more uncertain” after a “chaotic day in Parliament”, said the BBC. The home secretary, Suella Braverman, resigned and there were allegations that some Tories were bullied and manhandled into voting with the government on fracking. Conservative MP Charles Walker told the BBC that the situation was a “shambles” and another Tory MP told the i paper: “The corpse is about to be cremated. It is going to be a very interesting 24 hours.”

Food bank demand has soared by 46% ahead of the “worst winter yet”, said The Independent. Leading charity The Trussell Trust, which supports a network of 1,300 food bank centres, is launching an emergency appeal, warning that “the soaring cost of living is driving a tsunami of need to food banks”. The charity has distributed 46% more emergency food parcels to food banks in August and September compared to the same months in 2021.

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Donald Trump has answered questions under oath in a lawsuit filed by E Jean Carroll, who says the former president raped her in the mid-1990s in a department store dressing room. Details of the testimony have not been revealed but Trump has previously said the magazine columnist’s rape allegation is “a hoax and a lie”. Last week he described the legal system as a “broken disgrace” after he was ordered to answer questions under oath. In a statement, Trump attorney Alina Habba said the Republican “was pleased to set the record straight today”.

Britain’s four top banks are set to report combined annual profits of about £33bn this year due in part to rising interest rates. With bumper third-quarter results due next week from HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest and Barclays pressure could grow for Jeremy Hunt, the new chancellor, to impose higher taxes on the banking sector. Although City figures have warned that higher taxes would “harm competitiveness”, they are “likely to prove popular with the public,” said The Times.

Krishnan Guru-Murthy, the Channel 4 News presenter, has apologised after calling Steve Baker a “c**t” last night. The broadcaster interviewed the Tory minister following Suella Braverman’s resignation as home secretary earlier in the day. Off camera, Guru-Murthy was heard arguing with Baker following their exchange, and he then muttered the expletive. After the clip went viral, Guru-Murthy tweeted that “that word in any context is beneath the standards I set myself and I apologise unreservedly”. Baker replied: “I appreciate you apologising.”

A charity for the blind said shops, taxis and other premises are increasingly denying entry or challenging customers with guide dogs. A study by the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association found that 81% of guide dog owners have been illegally refused entry to businesses or services because they were with their dog – up 5% from the last survey in 2019. This is despite the fact the Equality Act of 2010 states that it is unlawful for a person with a disability to be treated unfavourably because of a factor related to their disability, such as a guide dog.

Three in five Britons are planning for smaller Christmases this year as prices soar, according to a survey in the BBC. Just 3% of those polled in the Savanta Comres survey for the BBC said their Christmases will be bigger than last year. Meanwhile, reported The Times, fish heads are “flying off the shelves” at Waitrose as even its “affluent shoppers” feel the pinch of the cost of living squeeze. Sales of fish heads — used in stocks — increased by 34%, according to the latest report from Waitrose.

Almost 2,000 nuclear weapons workers will be balloted for strikes in the latest “industrial spat over pay”, said The Telegraph. Following a row over a below-inflation pay rise being offered by the Atomic Weapons Establishment, which develops and maintains the warheads for the Trident nuclear bomb, the Prospect union said it would begin balloting members for strikes from next week. Workers at BT, Royal Mail and several rail companies are also taking to the picket lines.

The death of the Queen was a “complicated time”, said the Duchess of Sussex. In an interview with Variety magazine, Meghan reflected on the “nice warmth” between her and the late monarch, whom she described as the “most shining example” of female leadership. The 41-year-old paid tribute to her husband’s grandmother as she reflected on the “outpouring of love and support” from the public. “Say what you like about Meghan Markle - and I have - but I salute this PR masterclass,” wrote Amanda Platell in the Daily Mail.

A painting by LS Lowry has been sold at auction for a record-breaking £7.8m. Going To The Match, which features football fans gathered at the former home of Bolton Wanderers, had been loaned to The Lowry gallery in Salford by the Players Foundation. However, there were fears it could disappear into a private collection when the Foundation was forced to sell. Julie Fawcett, the chief executive of the Lowry, said: “We firmly believe this iconic artwork must remain on public view, so it can continue to be seen by the broadest possible audiences, for free.”

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