Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 8 November 2022

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1. Barbados on the attack
2. Deal on crossings in ‘final stages’
3. Midterm hopefuls question 2020
4. Williamson ‘slit throat’ threat
5. Billionaires emit million times more gases
6. US and Moscow still in touch
7. Thousands of Tories ‘quit since Sunak’
8. Mum dissected on Channel 4
9. Malik joins free meals campaign
10. Liverpool owners ‘go fishing’

published 8 November 2022

1. Barbados on the attack

The prime minister of Barbados has launched a “blistering attack” on rich nations at the Cop27 climate talks, said The Guardian. Mia Mottley said the prosperity and climate impact of the rich world had been reached at the expense of the poor and now the poor were being forced to pay again, as victims of climate breakdown that they did not cause. “Are we now to face double jeopardy by having to pay the cost as a result of those greenhouse gases from the industrial revolution?” she asked. “That is fundamentally unfair.”

Downing Street said talks on a deal with France over small boat Channel crossings are in the “final stages”. After his first meeting as prime minister with French leader Emmanuel Macron, Rishi Sunak said that although there was “not one simple solution” to tackling the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats, there was a chance to work closely with European neighbours on illegal migration. The Elysee Palace said the two leaders would “advance coordination to face the challenge of irregular migration”.

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Hundreds of candidates who deny the legitimacy of the last presidential election are standing in today’s midterm elections. The Brookings Institution found that 345 Republican candidates have agreed with Donald Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was rigged in favour of Joe Biden. This has prompted fears that “they could dispute the 2024 vote if they dislike the outcome”, said The Times. The entire US House of Representatives, as well as about a third of the Senate and key state governorships are up for grabs in today’s polling.

Gavin Williamson told a senior civil servant to “slit your throat” and “jump out of the window” when he was defence secretary, according to The Guardian. The unnamed official claimed Williamson, now a cabinet minister without portfolio, “deliberately demeaned and intimidated” them. Williamson said he “strongly” rejected claims of bullying. The fresh allegation comes as Williamson battles to keep his job as he faces an investigation for a separate bullying claim against fellow Tory MP Wendy Morton when she was chief whip.

A study from Oxfam found that a billionaire emits a million times more greenhouse gases than the average person. The charity found that billionaires’ investments produce an annual average of 3m metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per person - a million times higher than the average 2.76 tons of CO2 for those in the bottom 90%. “These few billionaires together have ‘investment emissions’ that equal the carbon footprints of entire countries like France, Egypt or Argentina,” said a spokesperson.

The US National Security Adviser has confirmed that communication channels between Washington and Moscow remain open despite the conflict in Ukraine. Jake Sullivan said that although it was “in the interests” of the US to maintain contact with the Kremlin, the US was “clear-eyed about who we are dealing with”. It comes as the White House refused to deny a report In the Wall Street Journal that Sullivan had been leading talks with Russia to prevent a nuclear escalation in Ukraine. Sullivan has previously warned that any use of nuclear weapons by the Kremlin would have “catastrophic consequences for Russia”.

Thousands of Conservative members have quit the party in the weeks since Liz Truss was replaced by Rishi Sunak, claimed a rival. The Reform UK party, which The Telegraph said has “replaced the UK Independence Party in British politics as a home for disaffected Tories”, claimed that 4,534 new members have joined since Truss had to stand down as PM. A spokesman said: “Reform is delighted to have welcomed so many former Tory members to our ranks.”

A mum who died from a rare eye cancer at 30 has been dissected for a Channel 4 documentary. Toni Crews “bravely gifted her body to science to help fight the war on the disease”, said The Mirror. A room full of students are seen watching as Professor Claire Smith, head of anatomy at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, leads workshops in which different parts of Toni’s body are examined. Thanks to voice-replicating technology, Toni can be heard narrating her own story in My Dead Body, which airs next month.

Former One Direction singer Zayn Malik has called on Rishi Sunak to offer free school meals to hundreds of thousands more needy children. Malik, 29, who relied on free dinners growing up in Bradford, said he hoped no child ever again had to experience the “hunger and stigma” he felt growing up. He urged Sunak to widen the Free School Meals scheme to all households receiving Universal Credit to stop parents having to make “impossible decisions like whether to buy food, turn on the heating, or go into debt”.

The owners of Liverpool FC said they “would consider new shareholders” following reports that the club is up for sale. Fenway Sports Group told the Liverpool Echo it “remains fully committed to the success of Liverpool, both on and off the pitch” after The Athletic reported that it is “inviting offers”. The Telegraph said that Liverpool’s owners are “seemingly on a fishing expedition to establish the true market value of their prized asset”.

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