Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 6 November 2022

1. Nurses set for historic strike

Nurses are expected to announce their biggest-ever strike within days. The Royal College of Nursing is due to unveil the results of a ballot, with sources saying a large majority of nurses have voted in favour of action in a dispute over pay. If strikes go ahead, they would affect non-urgent but not emergency care. The development would “be a big test of the government’s resolve over pay constraints” as it deals with strike threats across the public sector, said The Observer.

2. Hacking linked to City

Private investigators linked to the City of London are using a computer gang based in India to target British businesses, government officials and journalists, reported The Sunday Times. Criminals targeted the private email accounts of more than 100 victims on behalf of investigators working for autocratic states, British lawyers and their rich clients. Among those hacked were people who have threatened to expose wrongdoing by Qatar in the run-up to this month’s World Cup.

3. Poll shows Brexit dissatisfaction

Most British people believe that Britain has not regained control of its borders since Brexit, according to a new poll in The Observer. The research, by Opinium, found that 73% think the UK has not been in control of its borders since Brexit and only 12% think Britain has been in control. Even Leave voters are unimpressed: only 7% of those who voted to leave the EU think the UK is in control of its borders since Brexit, while 85% think it is not.

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4. Twitter confirms blue-tick plan

Twitter has confirmed its intention to allow users to buy blue-tick verified status. The company said the feature would be open to users in certain countries who sign up to its Twitter Blue service for $7.99 (£7) per month. It is a “controversial” policy proposal, said the BBC, with concerns that the platform could be “swamped with fake accounts”. Meanwhile, a former Twitter executive said the platform’s new owner, Elon Musk. “doesn’t know what he’s doing” with Twitter and is “making everyone alarmed”.

5. Putin to call up criminals

Vladimir Putin has signed a law to conscript citizens with convictions for murder, robbery, larceny, drug trafficking and other serious crimes to be called up for military service. The move by the Russian president paves the way for him to mobilise hundreds of thousands of people who have been sentenced to probation or have recently been released, who were previously forbidden to serve. The criminals exempted include those who committed sex crimes against minors, attempted assassins of government officials, hijackers of an aircraft or those who illegally handled nuclear materials and radioactive substances.

6. Young people don’t respect Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill is viewed positively by just a fifth of young people in Britain, according to a poll commissioned by centre-Right think tank Policy Exchange. Those aged 18-24 are one-third less likely than over-65s to say they admired Churchill, while 36% of the public overall reported they think well of him. The polling, which was conducted among a nationally representative sample of 1,260 members of the public earlier this month, found that 36% of the public think of Churchill positively.

7. Man dies in police station

A man died in the front reception of Stoke Newington police station in north London last night. Writing on Twitter after officers cordoned off the area, Hackney Police said: “Stoke Newington police station is currently closed after a man died in the front office area shortly before 7pm on Sat 5 Nov. The death is not being treated as suspicious. The nearest police station with a 24-hour front counter facility is Islington.” Tottenham Copwatch, an activist group, posted that they had been told by Met police press officers that “someone just walked in and died.”

8. Coronation bank holiday announced

An extra bank holiday will be held across UK to mark the coronation of King Charles III next year. Rishi Sunak said the day will fall on Monday, 8 May 2023, two days after the ceremony at Westminster Abbey. The prime minister said the day off would be a “unique moment for our country” and would give people the chance to “come together and celebrate”. The decision to hold a bank holiday was taken by Downing Street, not by Buckingham Palace, and sources in the Palace declined to comment on the news last night, said the Sunday Telegraph.

9. Sunak ‘knew of bullying claims’

Rishi Sunak knew Sir Gavin Williamson was facing a complaint of bullying the day before he appointed him a cabinet minister, it is believed. The former chief whip, Wendy Morton, has told the BBC she raised concerns about text messages sent by Sir Gavin last month and former Conservative party chairman Sir Jake Berry insists he had told the prime minister of her complaint. Downing Street refused to say if the PM had confidence in Williamson last night after it emerged that “threatening and expletive-laden texts” were sent to a female colleague, said The Sunday Times.

10. Aaron Carter dies at 34

Aaron Carter, the pop singer and brother of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter, has died aged 34. “We’re just as upset as everybody and hope that fans can give their thoughts and prayers to his family,” a representative said, adding that the cause of the singer’s death is still being determined. Los Angeles county police said that officers attended Carter’s residence in Lancaster, California, on Saturday and found someone dead in the bathtub. Carter had previously spoken about his battle with mental health issues, including multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, acute anxiety and manic depression.