Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 13 May 2023

1. Patel to blame Tory leaders

Priti Patel will blame “those in power and control” of the Conservative Party for the local election losses. In a speech, the former home secretary will say that “errors and mistakes made by a minority in Westminster have cost [the] party dearly”. Speaking to the Conservative Democratic Organisation, described by the BBC as a “grassroots pro-Boris Johnson group”, she is expected to say that some colleagues in Westminster “have done a better job at damaging our party” than the opposition, left-wing campaign groups and “our enemies in the media combined”.

2. India plans to reclaim treasures

India plans a major campaign to reclaim the Koh-i-Noor diamond and thousands of other stolen treasures from Britain in a “reckoning” with the colonial past, claimed The Telegraph. India’s ministerial and diplomatic staff will be mobilised for repatriation claims “on a scale that would dwarf Greece’s demands for the Elgin Marbles”, said the paper. The claims would present a “daunting diplomatic situation for Rishi Sunak”, it added, after the PM was hailed as a “living bridge” to Indians in the UK by Indian premier Narendra Modi after he was made Tory leader.

3. Labour ‘needs clause IV on steroids’

Labour will have to offer voters at the next general election a radical vision that “goes further and deeper” than Tony Blair’s government, Sir Keir Starmer will say. In a speech later, Starmer will compare the scale of the changes he would make to “clause IV on steroids”, in reference to Blair’s move in 1995 to rewrite the Labour constitution, known as clause IV, ditching the party’s commitment to mass nationalisation. “This is about rolling our sleeves up, changing our entire culture, our DNA,” he will say.

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4. Opposition rally against Erdoğan

Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is “in the fight of his life” against an opposition that has united against him for Sunday’s elections, said the BBC. The leader’s main rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, appeared before a “throng of supporters” yesterday, “flanked by allies from across the political spectrum who have come together as never before”, it said. His supporters believe they have a chance of reclaiming power from the all-powerful president. However, noted Hurriyet, Erdoğan says he plans to win and “pave the way for building the Century of Türkiye”.

5. Musk names new Twitter CEO

Elon Musk has named a new chief executive of Twitter. Linda Yaccarino, the former head of advertising at NBCUniversal, will oversee business operations at the site, which has been struggling to make money. A graduate of Pennsylvania State University, Yaccarino “built her career as an advertising executive”, said Sky News, and has been described as “a marketer’s leader” by Mark DiMassimo, founder and creative chief of ad agency DiGo. “From dealing with Musk to fixing Twitter Blue,” she will have lots “in her in-tray”, said The Guardian.

6. Pressure to allow Zelensky at Eurovision

The BBC is under pressure to challenge a decision not to allow Volodymyr Zelensky from addressing tonight’s Eurovision final. The European Broadcasting Union, an alliance of 112 member organisations which owns Eurovision, has barred the Ukrainian president because political messages are against its guidelines. However, Downing Street called for a change of heart, saying that “the values and freedoms that President Zelensky and the people of Ukraine are fighting for are not political, they’re fundamental”.

7. Windsor MP in vape ‘scandal’

A Tory MP has been accused of breaching lobbying rules after he encouraged ministers to put vaping at the heart of the UK’s anti-smoking drive but failed to declare that his family stands to profit from disposable vapes. Adam Afriyie, the outgoing Tory MP for Windsor, has often spoken in the Commons about the benefits of vaping and has lobbied the government on the same issue. However, revealed the ipaper, Afriyie’s wife is a shareholder in a firm that sells disposable vapes and Afriyie himself is the chair of a firm that sells the products.

8. Dyson attacks Sunak on tech

Rishi Sunak has overseen a “scandalous neglect” of the science and technology sectors, said Sir James Dyson. In a letter to The Times, the leading entrepreneur said that government policies are deterring multibillion-pound companies like Dyson from investing in the UK in favour of countries that “encourage growth and innovation rather than deter them”. He also said the prime minister’s pledge to make the UK a “science and technology superpower” is nothing more than a political slogan. The government said: “The UK is open for business as an innovation nation.”

9. Officer suspended over ‘punch video’

A police officer who was filmed punching a man nine times while restraining him has been suspended by North Wales Police. The incident occurred during the arrest of a man, 34, in Porthmadog, Gwynedd, north-west Wales. The Independent Office for Police Conduct said it had launched an investigation. “I’ve seen the footage this morning and I take this very seriously,” Amanda Blakeman, chief constable at North Wales Police, told the North Wales Chronicle.

10. Macron compared to cult leader

A new law, which would make it mandatory to hang the portrait of Emmanuel Macron in all French town halls, has led to the president being compared to a cult leader. MPs have described the measure as being tone deaf at a time of violent protests and sinking poll ratings. “Tonight, the Macronists made it mandatory to display the portrait of Emmanuel Macron in all town halls. Do they really want us to hate him more?” said Ugo Bernalicis, from the La France Insoumise party, after the bill was approved.