Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 30 October 2022

1. Calls for Truss hack inquiry

Pressure is mounting on the government to hold an investigation into claims Liz Truss’s phone was hacked by agents working for the Kremlin while she was foreign secretary. Private messages between Truss and foreign officials, including about the Ukraine war, fell into foreign hands, said the Mail on Sunday. It is believed spies also listened into private conversations with Kwasi Kwarteng. Although the breach was discovered during the summer Tory leadership campaign the news was suppressed by Boris Johnson, according to the paper.

2. South Korea in mourning after deaths

South Korea has declared a national period of mourning over a stampede during Halloween festivities that killed at least 151 people. “This is truly tragic,” said President Yoon Suk-yeol. “A tragedy and disaster that should not have happened took place in the heart of Seoul last night.” The incident happened as huge crowds gathered in Itaewon - a popular nightlife area - for Halloween. The fire service said most victims were teenagers and adults in their 20s.

3. Russia suspends grain deal

Russia said it will suspend its participation in the grain export deal with Ukraine after drone attacks on the Crimean city of Sevastopol. “Taking into account the act of terrorism committed by the Kyiv regime with the participation of British experts” against “the ships of the Black Sea Fleet and civil vessels involved in the security of the ‘grain corridor,” said the Russian foreign ministry, the country will suspended its participation for an “indefinite period of time.”

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4. Johnson ‘plans to attend Cop27’

There is “alarm” in 10 Downing Street after it was reported that Boris Johnson plans to attend the Cop27 climate summit. Several sources said they had been told that the former PM is intending to go to the crucial meeting of world leaders in Egypt to show his solidarity with the battle against the climate crisis. However, said The Observer, Johnson’s attendance would be “potentially explosive” just days after Sunak took over as prime minister and decided not to attend.

5. UK set for ‘low Covid Christmas’

Experts have predicted that Britain will have a relatively Covid-free Christmas, as the recent surge in cases appears to have stalled. The UK Health and Security Agency shows a 15% decrease in reported Covid tests in the past week, as well as 15% drop in admissions and a 10% fall in deaths. According to modelling by University College London, infections are predicted to continue to decline until January, but may start to rise significantly in the New Year.

6. Voters trust Tories on economy

Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives have overturned Labour’s lead on who voters trust most to manage the economy, said a new poll for The Observer. The latest Opinium poll found that while Labour still leads the Tories on most issues, 33% said they would prefer “a Conservative government led by Rishi Sunak” to manage the economy, with 29% choosing “a Labour government led by Keir Starmer”. Asked the same question just a week earlier, 39% chose “a Labour government led by Keir Starmer”, with only 11% choosing “a Conservative government led by Liz Truss.”

7. Catherine supports addicts

The Princess of Wales has spoken out in support of people struggling with addictions, saying: “No one chooses to become an addict.” Announcing the launch of the Taking Action on Addiction campaign, the princess said: “I want to share a message of support to those who are continuing to suffer. Addiction is a serious mental health condition that can happen to anyone, no matter what age, gender, race or nationality.” Directly addressing those suffering, she said: “Please do not let shame hold you back from getting the help you so desperately need.”

8. Braverman ‘ignored advice on asylum seekers’

The Home Secretary has been accused of failing to act on legal advice that the government was illegally detaining thousands of asylum seekers. Suella Braverman received advice at least three weeks ago warning that migrants were being detained for unlawfully long periods at the Manston asylum processing centre in Ramsgate, Kent. David Neal, the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, said he was upset by the “wretched conditions” migrants were being kept in after he visited the centre.

9. Farmers burn excess food

Farmers are burning surplus food as a shortage of workers means they cannot make a profit on food left in fields, according to WWF researchers found. Almost seven billion meals worth of food goes to waste every year, much of it left to rot in fields, turned into energy or burned, said researchers. “At a time when people up and down the country are struggling to put food on the table it is unfathomable that millions of tonnes of food is going to waste on UK farms each year,” said a spokesperson.

10. Qatar lavishes gifts on MPs

Qatar has spent more money on gifts and trips for British MPs in the past year than any other country, reported The Observer. The gulf state offered gifts to members of parliament worth £251,208 in the 12 months to October 2022, including luxury hotel stays, business-class flights and tickets to horse-racing events. Transparency International said it was “extremely concerning” that MPs were accepting “thousands of pounds worth of hospitality from foreign governments with questionable human rights records”. The World Cup will be held in Qatar next month.