Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 8 June 2023

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1. Sunak ‘to approve Boris list’
2. Trump warned of federal probe
3. Met apologises for homophobia
4. Deaths follow dam disaster
5. Harry emotional in court
6. US deal ‘hasn’t been priority’
7. Johnsons face new Covid claim
8. Pence launches White House bid
9. First heat alert of 2023
10. Inquiry wants your Covid story

published 8 June 2023

1. Sunak ‘to approve Boris list’

Rishi Sunak is set to “wave through” Boris Johnson’s honours list within weeks “amid hopes that it will help bring to an end months of acrimony between the two men” said The Times. Sunak is keen to “clear the decks” and move on, said a source. The development would spark two by-elections, because Nadine Dorries, the former culture secretary, and Alok Sharma, the former Cop26 president, are both expected to stand down to take peerages.

The Justice Department has told Donald Trump’s lawyers that he is a target in a federal investigation into the possible mishandling of classified documents, reported CNN. The move by federal prosecutors to notify the ex-president of a criminal probe “suggests he could soon faces charges”, said the BBC. However, asked by the New York Times if he had been told he is a target of a federal investigation, Trump said “you have to understand” that he was not in direct touch with prosecutors.

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The Metropolitan Police Commissioner has apologised to human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell for the force’s homophobic failings. Mark Rowley said he was “sorry to all of the communities we have let down”, a move that Tatchell described as a “ground-breaking step forward” that “draws a line under past Met persecution”. The Peter Tatchell Foundation has been leading an #ApologiseNow! campaign calling on all UK police chiefs to apologise for past homophobic persecution, noted ITV News.

At least three people have been confirmed dead as a result of flooding from the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam, according to local media. Ukraine said the disaster would leave hundreds of thousands of people without access to drinking water and turn at least 500,000 hectares deprived of irrigation into “deserts”. Ukraine’s military has released footage appearing to show drones delivering water bottles to people stranded by floodwaters.

Prince Harry said yesterday that he hoped his High Court case would stop the “abuse, intrusion and hate” towards him and his wife. During an “emotional” final day of evidence, the Duke “appeared to fight back tears” when asked after eight hours of questioning how he felt about being the victim of alleged phone hacking, said The Times. The duke paused before replying “it’s a lot”. Harry is just one of more than 100 claimants alleging they were the victims of phone hacking by Mirror Group Newspapers.

A full trade deal with the US has not been a priority “for a while”, Rishi Sunak has admitted ahead of a meeting with Joe Biden. Although a transatlantic deal was touted as one of the key potential benefits of Brexit, Donald Trump’s defeat by Joe Biden “saw hopes of a deal fade”, said The Independent. Ahead of his trip to Washington, the PM said: “I think that for a while now, that has not been a priority for either the US or UK.”

Boris and Carrie Johnson hosted a friend overnight at Chequers when Covid restrictions were in place, reported The Guardian. Dixie Maloney, a corporate events organiser who helped plan the couple’s wedding, stayed at the-then PM’s country mansion on 7 May 2021 when indoor gatherings between different households were banned except when “reasonably necessary” for reasons such as work or childcare. Johnson’s spokesperson said the stay was “entirely lawful” but the paper said the news will “increase pressure” on him “at a time when his political career is on the line”.

Former US vice-president Mike Pence has criticised Donald Trump heavily during a speech launching his 2024 campaign. Formally launching his White House campaign, the former Indiana governor and congressman accused Trump of being unfaithful to the US constitution and of abandoning conservative values. Trump, he said, “endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol” on the day of the January 6 riot. “But the American people deserve to know that on that day, president Trump also demanded I choose between him and our constitution.”

The year’s first health alert has been issued as Britain prepares for the hottest day of the year so far on Saturday. The UK Health Security Agency and Met Office’s warning was issued amid predictions that parts of the southeast will be hotter than Marbella, Ibiza and Tenerife. It covers London, the East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, southeast and southwest, and takes effect from 9am Friday until Monday morning. The official heatwave threshold might be met in parts of central and southern England, said the BBC.

The Covid Inquiry is asking members of the public to share their experiences of how the coronavirus pandemic affected them to help form its recommendations. Every Story Matters “aims to aid understanding of the full picture of what happened and what more needs to be done to ensure the UK is better prepared in the future”, said Sky News. “The scale of the pandemic was unprecedented”, said Inquiry chair Baroness Hallett, “but no-one's story is the same as yours, so please help me understand the full picture by sharing your story”.

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