Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 14 May 2023

1. Sunak ‘loses control of party’

Rishi Sunak is “losing control of an increasingly anarchic Tory party” as former cabinet ministers “openly” criticised policy under his leadership and dozens of backbench MPs “plotted a new rebellion over Brexit”, said The Observer. “Recriminations” over heavy losses in recent council elections, and anger among pro-Brexit MPs that Sunak is dropping plans to drop more than 4,000 EU laws, mean discipline is at risk of “completely disintegrating on the right of the party”. However, Jacob Rees-Mogg has warned that the Tory party will look “absurd” if Sunak is ousted as leader.

2. Starmer ‘will give vote to EU citizens’

Sir Keir Starmer will allow millions of EU citizens to vote if Labour wins the next general election, claimed the Sunday Telegraph. In a move that “could force the Conservatives out of London altogether” and “unseat Boris Johnson if he stands again for Parliament in 2029”, the Labour leader will launch a “package of proposals” including votes for settled migrants, said the paper. He now faces accusations of trying to “rig the outcome” of a future election and “laying the groundwork for a referendum to rejoin the EU”.

3. Sweden wins Eurovision

Sweden’s Loreen has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the second time. The singer, who last won the competition in 2012, won with her “soaring pop anthem” Tattoo, said the BBC. However, the UK fared less well: Mae Muller finished in 25th place - just one above bottom. Meanwhile, as Ukrainian duo Tvorchi performed their entry, Heart Of Steel, their home town Ternopil “came under fire from Russian missiles”, noted Sky News.

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4. William ‘plans different coronation’

Prince William has decided his coronation will “look and feel different” from the King’s service so that it is “modern” and “relevant”, said The Sunday Times. The Prince of Wales has reportedly started thinking about how to “evolve” the ancient ceremony when he succeeds his father. In a significant difference, William will not include a “homage of the people”, which caused controversy in the run-up to last weekend’s coronation. “There is no way he will go down that route or anything like it,” said a source.

5. Khan calls for Pakistan protests

The former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has called for nationwide “freedom” protests after his arrest and detention last week triggered deadly unrest. In response to the arrests, Khan’s supporters have already set fire to government buildings, blocked roads and damaged property belonging to the military. His detention came hours after he was rebuked by the military, which he accuses of being involved in an assassination attempt against him last year, noted Pakistan Today.

6. Nurse leader U-turns on demands

The leader of the Royal College of Nursing is demanding a double-digit pay rise for the profession, reported The Sunday Times. Pat Cullen had previously called for her members to accept the government’s offer of 5%. However, they rejected the deal by 54% to 46% and are preparing a ballot on whether to strike again. In a U-turn on her previous position, Cullen has now called on Stephen Barclay, the health secretary, to reopen negotiations and said the talks need to “start off in double figures”.

7. Sunak almost sent troops to Sudan

Rishi Sunak was “within hours” of sending British paratroopers into Sudan for a mission that would have been the largest British parachute drop on operations since the Suez crisis of 1956, said the Sunday Telegraph. The Ministry of Defence sent 200 parachutes to Cyprus as it considered the chances of the mission going ahead as “very likely”. Last month, Yahoo News reported that Colchester’s 16 Air Assault Brigade was deployed to Sudan as part of a top-secret rescue mission approved in the early hours of a Sunday morning.

8. Bamber hopes to clear his name

Jeremy Bamber said the “endgame” was near in his 38-year battle to prove he was innocent of the White House Farm murders after a police regulator ruled against the force that secured his conviction. Bamber, 62, is serving a whole-life tariff for the murders of his adoptive parents, his adoptive sister and her six-year-old twins. All were shot at White House Farm in Essex, in August 1985. He has always insisted he is innocent and the Independent Office for Police Conduct has concluded that Essex Police breached its statutory duty by not referring 29 serious complaints about how senior officers handled the case.

9. Tory councillor calls for Braverman to go

A Conservative councillor who represents an area where the government plans to turn an ex-RAF base into a migrant camp has called on the Home Secretary to quit after she “ignored advice” from a senior civil servant to scrap the plan. Roger Patterson called for Suella Braverman to lose her job over her handling of the plan to keep up to 2,000 asylum seekers at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire. Local politicians believe the government’s proposals will scupper a £300m regeneration programmed for the site, previously home to the Red Arrows and the Dambusters.

10. LED lights force elderly off the road

Elderly drivers are being “forced off the road” due to the rise in the use of illegal ultra-powerful headlights, said the Sunday Telegraph. The College of Optometrists said that its members are seeing an increase in the number of patients that are no longer driving at night because they are dazzled by LED lights. The difficulty is particularly serious for older drivers with eye conditions, such as cataracts, because of the impact bright lights have on people with those conditions.