Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 14 August 2023

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1. Trump tells DeSantis to quit
2. Fears of A-level inequality
3. Did cot save crash baby’s life?
4. ‘Clashes’ ahead of boat tragedy
5. Concern over cancer plan
6. Satnavs blamed for ‘frightening’ trend
7. Cigarette card scheme considered
8. Children ‘silenced’ by Covid probe
9. XR criticises Ulez scheme
10. Footage shows level crossing danger

published 14 August 2023

1. Trump tells DeSantis to quit

Donald Trump has told Ron DeSantis, his closest challenger for the Republican nomination, to “leave the race”, as his lead over him stretched to 43 points. A national poll put the former president on 58%, DeSantis on 15%, and Mike Pence, Trump’s vice-president, on 5%. “He’s doing very, very poorly in the polls,” Trump said of DeSantis. “He really should leave the race.” The Florida governor’s campaign is “scrambling to stay alive”, said The Times, while “every time Trump faces another indictment, his poll numbers – and fundraising – are strengthened”.

Disadvantaged students will “bear the brunt” of grade deflation when this year’s A-level and GCSE grades are released, said The Guardian. As hundreds of thousands of sixth-formers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland await the results of their A-levels and other exams, a study of students by the Social Mobility Foundation found that those from disadvantaged or low-income backgrounds in England were less likely to have received the help they needed to make up for learning lost during the Covid pandemic.

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A cot is believed to have saved a baby’s life after a car crashed into a tent at a campsite. Nine people were injured when a blue Ford Fiesta left the road at Newgale, Pembrokeshire, on Saturday night. Mike Harris, the owner of Newgale Campsite, described the baby’s good fortune as a “miracle”. Two people were seriously hurt and remain in hospital, with one casualty airlifted to hospital. Police are appealing for any dashcam or doorbell footage that might show what happened.

Eyewitnesses said that gunfire and clashes involving migrants broke out in Dunkirk in the hours before a small boat sank in the Channel. “Chaos spread through the camp” on Friday as migrants prepared to board boats laid on by smuggling gangs “despite choppy waters and high winds”, said The Times. An Afghan teenager told the paper there were clashes as Afghans sought places on boats. A vessel, overloaded with about 65 people, sank in the early hours of Saturday. Six people died and another five were taken to hospital in Kent.

Two-thirds of NHS cancer waiting time targets are expected to be scrapped in England. Health chiefs want to reduce the number of targets, most of which have been routinely missed in recent years, from nine to three. They say leading cancer experts are backing the plan, which they insist will simplify the “outdated” standards. However, the head of the Radiotherapy UK charity said she is “deeply worried” and Labour accused the Conservatives of creating a cancer care crisis and leaving patients waiting “dangerously long”.

Episodes of vehicles being driven the wrong way on England’s motorways rose to almost 900 in the last 12 months. “Alarmed” motoring groups are calling for “technological interventions to reverse the increase in these potentially lethal driving errors”, said The Guardian. The 13% increase, which is thought to be linked to an over-reliance by drivers on satnav devices, is “frightening”, said the AA. Edmund King, president of the organisation, urged motorists to “use common sense” and not “over-rely” on the satnav.

Positive messages urging smokers to give up will be inserted in packets of cigarettes under plans being considered by the government. Influenced by schemes in Canada and Israel, ministers hope they can make an extra 30,000 smokers give up, saving £1.6 billion in health costs. “Colourful cigarette cards featuring Hollywood stars, decorated war heroes or successful sportsmen were once a sought-after prize for smokers,” said The Times, but the new cards would include such messages as “never quit trying to quit”.

Children are being “silenced” by the Covid inquiry, said a charity boss. Dan Paskins, director of UK impact at Save the Children, said Baroness Hallett’s inquiry must urgently hear evidence on the impact of government decisions on pupils. His remarks came as Save the Children joined dozens of charities demanding an explanation for “unacceptable delays” in examining the impact of the pandemic on young people. The news comes “amid mounting evidence of the negative effects of lockdown on children”, said The Telegraph.

A co-founder of Extinction Rebellion (XR) has condemned Sadiq Khan’s ultra-low emissions zone (Ulez) as “intrusive” and “regressive” for the lowest-paid Londoners. Writing on X, Roger Hallam said supporters of the schemes had a “total lack of sensitivity and self-awareness”, as well as a “myopic privilege”. He wrote: “What is needed are citizens’ assemblies to give popular democratic legitimacy to the transition, and to make sure the rich pay their way.” The expansion of the London zone has been “a point of contention amongst both politicians and the public”, said the BBC.

“Shocking” footage shows parents letting their toddlers play on live railway lines, young people doing one-armed press-ups, and dog walkers sitting their pets on the tracks for photos, said Sky News. The compilation of CCTV video released by Network Rail shows people risking their lives at footpath level crossings in Worcestershire. The rail company said it found instances of “incredibly dangerous behaviour” at crossings. “No matter how well you think you know a crossing, all users must obey the rules around using level crossings every time they use it,” said Alexandra France, level crossing safety manager.

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