Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 24 November 2022

1. Airports set to axe liquid rules

Restrictions on liquids and laptops in airport hand luggage could be abandoned in the UK within two years thanks to the deployment of high-tech 3D scanners. A source told the BBC that the government is considering rolling out the advanced technology, “which is similar to CT scanners used in hospitals”, said the broadcaster. Presently, passengers taking liquids in their cabin bags are restricted to containers of up to 100ml that must be placed in a single, transparent, resealable plastic bag. The rule has been in place since 2006, when terrorists planned to blow up several aircraft using homemade explosives at Heathrow.

2. ‘Whingeing’ MPs threaten Sunak

Rishi Sunak is facing a battle with “unhappy” Tory MPs who think the government “is lacking a clear policy agenda”, according to the i news site. Backbench Tories told the website there is “a lot of whingeing” and “lots” of them will quit before the general election. It follows a week that has been dominated by reports that the PM may try and push for a softer Brexit, causing further disquiet among his backbenches with some worried about the fate of their seats at the next election. A source told the i news site that No 10 officials have admitted privately that the government needs to introduce new policies.

Chequers 2.0: is the UK heading for a Swiss-style Brexit deal?

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3. Brits told to turn down boilers

The government is planning a £25m public information campaign in a bid to conserve Britain’s energy supplies by encouraging people to turn down boilers, switching off radiators in empty rooms and showering instead of taking a bath. The Times said the campaign will be led by ministers and celebrities and with broadcast adverts, social media messaging and online tips. Former prime minister Liz Truss, blocked plans for a public information campaign as she was “ideologically opposed” to it, said The Times, despite being advised by colleagues that it was a “no-brainer”.

Is the UK facing a winter of blackouts?

4. Mone ‘profited from PPE sleaze’

The Conservative peer Michelle Mone is facing fresh criticism after The Guardian reported that she and her children secretly received £29m from the profits of a PPE business that was awarded large government contracts after she recommended it to ministers. Documents indicate that after Mone helped the company, PPE Medpro, secure a place in the controversial “VIP lane” for government deals, tens of millions of pounds of the company’s profits were later transferred to a secret offshore trust of which Mone and her adult children were the beneficiaries. The Tory peer has repeatedly distanced herself from the company.

NOV 2020: Secret PPE scheme saw government hand billions to political ‘cronies’

5. GPs threaten ‘name and shame’ plan

GPs will be “named and shamed” for failing to see patients face to face, said The Telegraph. The NHS is to release data on every GP surgery in England, showing how long people have to wait for an appointment and the proportion that are held in person. Approximately two-thirds of appointments currently take place in person, compared with eight in 10 before the Covid crisis. GP leaders criticised the transparency drive, saying it would lead to arbitrary “league tables” that do not account for the challenges faced by practices which appeared to be performing the worst.

6. Palin set to lose again

Sarah Palin is projected to have again lost her bid for a political comeback after this month’s midterm elections. The former Republican vice-presidential candidate suffered her second defeat in three months to Mary Peltola, a Democrat, in the race for a US House of Representatives seat in Alaska. Peltola’s victory is a “blow” to GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy and the Republicans, who were handed a “razor-thin majority” in this month’s midterm elections, said NBC News.

US midterms 2022: five key takeaways from election night

7. Mail workers hold fresh strike

Royal Mail workers are beginning a 48-hour strike after talks between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) ended without agreement. Royal Mail said it had made its “best and final offer” and accused the union of “holding Christmas to ransom” but the CWU said the offer would “spell the end of Royal Mail as we know it”. It follows “months of wrangling over pay and working conditions” between Royal Mail and the union, said The Guardian.

Which winter strikes are happening and when they are taking place

8. Zelenskyy condemns ‘energy terror’

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of “crimes against humanity” after missile attacks caused blackouts across Ukraine. Addressing an urgent meeting of the UN security council late on Wednesday, the president said Ukraine would put forward a resolution condemning “any forms of energy terror” and dismissed Russia’s likely veto as “nonsense”. He added: “We cannot be hostage to one international terrorist.” The latest barrage of strikes killed at least seven people, Ukraine said.

9. Johnson compares Truss budget to comedy

Boris Johnson has compared Liz Truss’s disastrous financial policies to a badly played piano. Interview by CNN, the former prime minister was asked what he thought of his successor’s mini-budget. After initially declining to address the question, he said: “It’s kind of like when I play the piano. The notes individually sound perfectly OK, but they’re not in the right order, or occurring at the right time.” The Telegraph said the response seemed to be an allusion to a 1970s Morecambe and Wise sketch, in which Morecambe says “I’m playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order.”

What could Boris Johnson do now?

10. Parking tickets up despite ministers’ promises

Drivers are being given a record 30,000 parking tickets a day, reported the Daily Mail. The paper said that “shocking figures” revealed ruthless private companies issued 2.7m tickets to drivers between April and June – or one every three seconds. Ministers have “caved in” after parking firms launched a judicial review of plans to protect drivers, which included cutting the maximum fines from £100 to £50. Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “Private parking companies are acting like pirates.”