Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 11 July 2023

1. New twist in BBC scandal

The young person involved in the scandal over a BBC presenter reportedly paying for explicit pictures has said the central allegations are “rubbish”. Last week, The Sun published claims from the young person’s mother that payments from the BBC presenter helped fund her child’s crack cocaine habit. However, the young person has stated through lawyers that “nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality”. Tim Davie, the BBC Director-General, is expected to face questions about the scandal in a scheduled media briefing on the BBC’s annual performance.

BBC sex pictures scandal: could unnamed presenter face prison?

2. Arrest after teacher stabbed

A boy has been arrested on suspicion of the attempted murder after a teacher was stabbed at a school in Gloucestershire. A male teacher was taken to hospital with a single wound after being attacked at Tewkesbury Academy in Gloucestershire just after 9am. He was later discharged from hospital. Armed police detained the teenager an hour after the stabbing about five miles south of Tewkesbury. A parent told the BBC that the teacher involved was “very popular” with parents and pupils alike.

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3. MPs approve Johnson report

The House of Commons has approved the Privileges Committee report that rebuked the conduct of Boris Johnson’s allies. The latest report singled out seven Tory MPs and three Tory peers as being part of a “co-ordinated campaign of interference” with the committee’s inquiry into Johnson’s conduct. The seven names include big-hitters such as Jacob Rees-Mogg, Nadine Dorries, Priti Patel, and Michael Fabricant. Commons leader Penny Mordaunt earlier said she hoped the approval would bring an end to the “sorry affair”.

Privileges committee: who are its members and what powers does it have?

4. Spending rises in June

Retailers in Britain enjoyed a sharp rise in spending in June as hot weather encouraged consumers to buy summer clothing and outdoor goods, said the British Retail Consortium. Sales increased by 4.9% in June, above the annual average growth rate, as shoppers splashed out on swimwear, beach towels, outdoor games, garden furniture and barbecue food. “Much of the increase was driven by high inflation pushing up the overall value of spending, masking a drop in sales volumes”, said The Guardian, but the figures still “suggest a pickup in sales from May”.

Why aren’t soaring interest rates bringing down inflation?

5. Putin met Wagner chief

The Kremlin has confirmed that Vladimir Putin met with Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and his top commanders just five days after the mercenary group’s aborted mutiny. The Russian president reportedly offered an assessment of Wagner’s actions on the battlefield in Ukraine, where the mercenaries have fought alongside regular Russian troops. The three-hour meeting on 29 June was a “likely attempt to portray a return to normalcy in the ties between two men”, said The Independent.

What will Russia look like after Putin?

6. Ministers keep hotel beds empty

The government is spending more than half a million pounds a day to keep thousands of empty hotel beds on-hold for migrants as a “buffer”, said The Times. Home Office sources said the beds are needed in case there is a surge in migrant crossings. Brandon Lewis, a former immigration minister, has warned that the cost of accommodating migrants “risks fuelling public resentment, especially in some of the most deprived and left-behind parts of the UK”.

The cost of housing asylum seekers examined

7. Sunak calls for Nato commitment

The prime minister will call on Nato allies to commit to spending a minimum of 2% of their GDP on defence as he attends an alliance summit in Lithuania. Rishi Sunak will insist that the commitment will be crucial to the alliance’s ability to deter and defend against the kind of tactics Russian President Vladimir Putin has used in Ukraine. The gathering has begun with a “welcome boost” after Turkey dropped its objections to Sweden joining the alliance, noted the BBC.

Cluster bomb controversy hangs over Biden’s ‘chilly’ visit to UK

8. ‘Worrying’ weather landmark

The start of July was the hottest week on record for the planet, said the World Meteorological Organization. The UN body said that temperatures were breaking records on land and in the oceans, with “potentially devastating impacts on ecosystems and the environment”. It blamed climate change and the early stages of an El Niño weather pattern. “We can expect more records to fall as El Niño develops further and these impacts will extend into 2024,” said a spokesman, adding that “this is worrying news for the planet”.

9. Hairdressing linked to cancer risk

Researchers have found that hairdressers and beauticians could be at a greater risk of developing ovarian cancer. The new study, published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, also found that those working in sales, retail, clothing and construction industries could carry a higher risk. The authors of the study, who emphasised that “inferences from the results are limited”, said that those found to have a higher risk were more likely to be exposed to a number of “agents” including ammonia and hydrogen peroxide.

10. Employee stole from Man City

A former Manchester City employee has been ordered to pay the football club £2,550 after being found guilty of stealing more than £100,000 to help fund her wedding. Fiona Barclay, 34, was sacked from her job in the club’s hospitality department when it was discovered that she had been taking money over the previous 24 months. She admitted that she had spent the money on her wedding and to buy gifts for her husband and family. Her lawyer told the court that Barclay was “utterly disgusted with herself”.