1. Badenoch blames Whitehall
The Business Secretary has said it was impossible to push ahead with government plans to scrap all EU laws because of Whitehall intransigence. Kemi Badenoch announced yesterday that her department can only immediately scrap or reform approximately 600 EU laws, despite Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, pledging to scrap all rules remaining on the statute book by the end of the year. Labour branded the move a “humiliating U-turn” and former cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg said that the “blob” had triumphed.
Which EU laws will Britain keep after all?
2. Trump lashes out
Donald Trump called a CNN interviewer a “nasty person” and claimed his sexual abuse verdict would help him win in 2024, during a primetime appearance before GOP voters. During what The Independent described as a “combative back and forth” with moderator Kaitlan Collins, Trump was questioned about his storage of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate and he said he was not being allowed to talk. “I want you to answer the question, that’s why I asked it,” said Collins. “You’re a nasty person,” the former US president said to applause from the audience of Republican voters.
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Will Republicans stick with Trump after sexual abuse verdict?
3. Piers Morgan hacking claim
Piers Morgan knew about illegal phone hacking when he was editor of the Daily Mirror, the high court has been told. A trial initiated by Prince Harry heard claims that illegal activity, including voicemail interception, was “carried out on an industrial scale” by staff at Mirror newspapers. Among the witnesses was one who described how Morgan was “laughing mockingly” as he repeatedly played staff a private voicemail left by Paul McCartney for his then girlfriend, Heather Mills. Morgan denies knowingly commissioning or publishing stories based on illegally obtained voicemails.
Prince Harry’s privacy case against Associated Newspapers
4. Concern over GP replacement plan
Thousands of hospital doctors without the highest level of training will be drafted into GP surgeries, reported The Times. In the latest move to tackle staff shortages in the NHS, Health chiefs want to allow an intermediate class of doctors to work in GP surgeries to reduce waiting times and free up appointments. However, GP leaders said the move could be unsafe and lead to widespread treatment by doctors who lack the detailed training of qualified general practitioners. Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said that such doctors were “definitely not a replacement for fully qualified GPs”.
The pharmacist will see you now: will Sunak’s antibiotic prescription plans work?
5. Minister disputes Archbishop claims
The Archbishop of Canterbury has described the government’s flagship illegal migration bill as “morally unacceptable” legislation that will “damage the UK’s interests and reputation at home and abroad”. However, immigration minister Robert Jenrick said the Archbishop was “wrong on both counts” that the bill was “morally unacceptable” and “politically impractical”. He added that “none of the vocal critics of the bill, certainly not the Labour Party or the Liberal Democrats have brought forward any viable alternatives”.
6. More mafia arrests in Italy
Police in Italy have arrested a further 61 suspected members of Italy’s most powerful mafia, in a series of raids across seven regions. They are suspected of crimes including fraud, drug-trafficking, infiltrating government and extorting local farmers. The raid comes a week after more than 100 people were arrested across Europe in what is thought to be the biggest operation to have ever been carried out against the ‘Ndrangheta. Authorities have been “waging an intense campaign” against the group in recent years, said NBC News.
7. Plaid Cymru leader quits
Adam Price has stood down as leader of Plaid Cymru after a report found misogyny, harassment and bullying in the party. The research found the nationalist party had “failed to implement a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment” and that women had been “especially” let down, according to Wales Online. In his resignation statement, Price said he no longer had the “united support” of his colleagues. A new leader will be in place in the summer, the party has said.
8. Millions of Brits have long Covid
Two million Britons have been left with symptoms after contracting Covid-19, and 400,000 need specialist care, according to new research reported in The Mirror. The paper quotes one long Covid victim as saying Covid-19 “has completely changed my life”. Data shows that long Covid sufferers face a range of symptoms from severe fatigue to brain fog. Many have stopped work as “even standing up leaves them gasping for breath”, said the paper. What causes Long Covid “remains a mystery”, it added.
Long Covid: how to treat it and who is at risk
9. GB News ‘wants Raab’
Dominic Raab could be offered a presenting role on GB News following his resignation over bullying allegations last month, said the i news site. The former deputy prime minister had lunch with GB News’ editorial director, Michael Booker, in Westminster on Tuesday, to discuss the prospect of Raab taking up a presenting role on the TV channel. Tory MPs Jacob Rees-Mogg, Esther McVey, Lee Anderson and Philip Davies already present shows on the right-leaning channel.
Was Dominic Raab really stitched up?
10. Complaints over ‘terribly white’ remark
An actress’s remark on ITV that the Royal family’s balcony appearance during the Coronation was “terribly white” has become the most complained about moment on TV this year. The comment from Adjoa Andoh has generated more than 4,000 complaints to Ofcom, the media regulator. The 60-year-old actress, who plays Lady Danbury in the Netflix series Bridgerton, has since insisted that she did not mean to cause any offence. However, Ofcom said it was considering whether to investigate the issue further.
