Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 5 January 2023
The Week’s daily digest of the news agenda, published at 8am
- 1. Labour dismisses Sunak promises
- 2. William ‘attacked Harry’
- 3. Strike laws ‘breach human rights’
- 4. Cold medicine supplies low
- 5. Francis to preside over funeral
- 6. Amazon joins tech cutbacks
- 7. Government adds to Mone pressure
- 8. Police ‘lose interest in fraud’
- 9. Thunberg statue is ‘greenwashing’
- 10. UK ‘not ready for electric car surge’
1. Labour dismisses Sunak promises
Labour dismissed the five promises unveiled by Rishi Sunak yesterday as “so easy it would be difficult not to achieve them” and “aimed at fixing problems of the Tories’ own making”. The prime minister pledged to halve inflation and bring down NHS waiting lists, as he made five pledges to voters. Chris Mason, the BBC’s political said Sunak’s speech “shows he is a PM in a hurry” but with the health service “under extraordinary pressure right now...some people watching might say ‘Is that it?’.”
Can Rishi Sunak turn things around for the Tories in 2023?
2. William ‘attacked Harry’
The Duke of Sussex’s memoir claims that his brother the Prince of Wales attacked him during a row over his relationship with Meghan Markle, according to The Guardian. In his forthcoming book, Spare, Harry allegedly writes about a confrontation in 2019 that was sparked by William calling the duchess “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive”. When Harry told William he was “parroting the press narrative” about his wife and the brothers, they had a physical confrontation at Nottingham Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Prince Harry, Princess Diana and the media
3. Strike laws ‘breach human rights’
Bosses will be able to sue unions and sack staff under government plans to curb the right to strike, claimed The Times. New laws will enforce “minimum service levels” in six sectors, including the health service, rail, education, fire and border security. The legislation will require a proportion of union members to continue working to retain a “minimum level” of service. Trade unions may take legal action over the plans, believing they are in breach of the human rights act.
Winter strikes: who will back down first?
4. Cold medicine supplies low
Pharmacy leaders said cough and cold medicines are in short supply because of a lack of planning by the government. The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies said chemists were struggling to get hold of remedies including throat lozenges, cough mixtures and certain painkillers. Leyla Hannbeck, its chief executive, accused ministers of being “in denial” over issues with the drug supply chain. The Department of Health and Social Care said it was aware of low availability of some brands.
5. Francis to preside over funeral
The Vatican said that close to 200,000 people paid their respects to former Pope Benedict XVI during his lying in state over the last three days. “By comparison with the enormous throng of people – most of them Poles – who came to see Pope John Paul II lying in St Peter’s Basilica”, the thousands queuing are “fewer but even more diverse”, said the Catholic Herald. Pope Francis will preside over the funeral today, the first time a sitting Pope has led his predecessor’s funeral in over 220 years.
6. Amazon joins tech cutbacks
Amazon will shed more than 18,000 roles as it cuts costs, the tech giant’s boss says. The job cuts amount to around 6% of the company’s 300,000-strong corporate workforce. Chief executive Andy Jassy said the announcement was brought forward “because one of our teammates leaked this information externally”. The “retail behemoth” has become the “latest tech giant to unveil painful cutbacks as the cost of living crisis eats into profitability”, said Sky News.
What Silicon Valley lay-offs mean for the future of tech
7. Government adds to Mone pressure
A company linked to the Conservative peer Michelle Mone supplied defective gowns that could have compromised the safety of patients, according to the Department of Health and Social Care. The Guardian said the allegation “will add to the intense public and political pressure” on Mone over her apparent involvement in PPE Medpro. Bank documents leaked last year indicated that Mone and her three adult children had secretly received £29m originating from the company’s profits on the government PPE deals. She denies any wrongdoing.
Michelle Mone: The Tory peer facing ‘shocking’ allegations of pandemic profiteering
8. Police ‘lose interest in fraud’
A leading fraud barrister has said that police have lost interest in catching scammers and fraudsters. Clare Montgomery, a recorder and High Court judge, who has been involved in some of the nation’s biggest fraud cases, said that although “you get the occasional show trial in that area” the reality is that “99% of fraud at that level is not even investigated, still less prosecuted”. Just 0.8% of the police workforce were focused on economic crimes, despite fraud accounting for 39% of all crime.
How Scotland Yard took down iSpoof in UK’s biggest ever fraud investigation
9. Thunberg statue is ‘greenwashing’
Students have accused Winchester University of “greenwashing” after it spent almost £24,000 on a statue of Greta Thunberg. Members of the Labour Society, the Allotment Society, and the Sustainability Society gathered at the West Downs Centre, where the statue is located, to protest. The group said they wanted beef taken off the canteen menu, cheaper vegan options and buildings made more energy efficient “rather than wasting money on meaningless statues”.
10. UK ‘not ready for electric car surge’
New car sales in the UK fell last year to their lowest level in three decades, new figures show. During 2022, 1.61m new cars were registered in the UK, the lowest level since 1992. Demand for electric vehicles continued to grow as they accounted for almost a fifth of new car sales. However, warned the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, charging infrastructure is not being built quickly enough to cope with the growing demand for electric cars.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The pros and cons of globalization
Pros and Cons Globalization can promote economic prosperity but also be exploitative
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Magazine solutions - October 11, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - October 11, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine printables - October 11, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - October 11, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 24, 2024
Daily Briefing Trump closes in on nomination with New Hampshire win over Haley, 'Oppenheimer' leads the 2024 Oscar nominations, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 23, 2024
Daily Briefing Haley makes last stand in New Hampshire as Trump extends polling lead, justices side with US over Texas in border fight, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 22, 2024
Daily Briefing DeSantis ends his presidential campaign and endorses Trump, the US and Arab allies push plan to end Gaza war, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 21, 2024
Daily Briefing Palestinian death toll reportedly passes 25,000, top Biden adviser to travel to Egypt and Qatar for hostage talks, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 20, 2024
Daily Briefing Grand jury reportedly convened to investigate Uvalde shooting response, families protest outside Netanyahu's house as pressure mounts for hostage deal, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 19, 2024
Daily Briefing Congress averts a government shutdown, DOJ report cites failures in police response to Texas school shooting, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 18, 2024
Daily Briefing Judge threatens to remove Trump from his defamation trial, medicine for hostages and Palestinians reach Gaza, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 17, 2024
Daily Briefing The US strikes Houthi targets in Yemen a third time, Trump's second sex defamation trial begins, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published