Top story: ‘Stitch-up’ fear as May readies offer to Corbyn
Hello, it’s Warren Murray getting you caught up on the latest wheelings and dealings.
Rival groups of Labour MPs are piling pressure on Jeremy Corbyn over whether a Brexit deal with Theresa May should include the option of a second referendum. One group has written to the Labour leader saying he can achieve a “sensible deal” with a customs union, no hard border in Northern Ireland and protection for jobs, workers’ rights and the environment – but a second referendum would “be exploited by the far right and damage the trust of many core Labour voters”. However, 12 other MPs have written a letter urging Corbyn to secure a public vote.
May is now expected to write to Corbyn to set out the government’s offer, with negotiations due to resume in Downing Street today. Progress towards a compromise appears to have been slow. While the aim is to arrive at a single model, a cabinet source suggested it would all end in another set of options being put to the Commons. Senior MPs have said they fear a “stitch-up” where MPs are not properly consulted about those options first. In the House of Lords, the government is accused of egging on a “filibuster” to scupper the bill that was fast-tracked through the Commons, requiring Theresa May to seek an extension of article 50 to avert a no-deal Brexit.
This morning it has emerged that Donald Tusk may be poised to offer a one-year “flextension” of the Brexit process, with the option for Britain to pull out sooner. May’s attorney general, Geoffrey Cox, has told the BBC that the PM will have little choice but to accept.
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Newport West safe in Brexit storm – Labour has retained its south Wales stronghold of Newport West after a byelection fought amid Brexit chaos. Ruth Jones, an NHS physiotherapist and a former president of the Wales Trade Union Congress, took the seat with 9,308 votes ahead of Conservative candidate Matthew Evans, the leader of the opposition on Newport city council, who polled 7,357 votes. The majority was 1,951.
The seat had been held by the veteran MP Paul Flynn for 32 years until his death in February. Newport voted to leave the EU in the referendum and the byelection was seen as a test of current sentiment towards the main parties. At the 2017 election, Flynn’s majority was 5,658.
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Amazon reviews divorced from fact – Badly translated versions of classic books and critically panned remakes of Hollywood films appear to have glowing endorsements on Amazon thanks to the website’s policy of bundling together reviews of different products. Analysis by the Guardian shows products that have actually been given one-star ratings appear alongside rave reviews of better quality items, making it impossible for consumers to judge the true value of what they are about to buy. Now that we have mentioned Amazon, we can legitimately segue into the divorce settlement between its founder, Jeff Bezos, and MacKenzie Bezos. Their total stake in Amazon of $143bn made them the richest couple in the world. She keeps 25% of that, but gives up voting rights for her shares. He walks away with 75% of their Amazon stake, and full ownership of the Washington Post and the Blue Origin rocket venture.
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Time to let the light in – The UN security council has opened its curtains for the first time since a bazooka attack while Che Guevara was speaking in 1964. The shell fell short but the noise rattled the United Nations’ windows in New York.
The curtains were drawn to provide protection from flying glass. Guevara, then a major and Cuba’s industry minister, reportedly said afterwards that the drama had “given the whole thing more flavour”.
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Wings over Britain – Almost 1.2 million house sparrows were spotted in gardens during this winter’s Big Garden Birdwatch but smaller garden birds appear to have suffered from the previous winter’s cold weather. Long-tailed tits decreased by more than 27% and wrens by 17% in 2019. The populations of both species are thought to have been affected by the “beast from the east” winter blast. Apart from house sparrows, the other most sighted species among 7.5 million birds counted by nearly 500,000 people over the last weekend in January were the starling, blue tit, blackbird and woodpigeon. The birdwatch has highlighted significant declines in garden birds such as the song thrush – in 2019 it was 20th in the rankings and seen in just one in 10 gardens.
Today in Focus podcast: The Tories and their Islamophobia problem
Conservative peer and former party co-chair Sayeeda Warsi discusses the problem of Islamophobia within her party and why it needs to be doing more. Plus Jim Waterson on the Facebook Brexit adverts that are secretly run by staff of a Lynton Crosby firm.
Lunchtime read: Hang on there, Jordan Peterson
Thousands of companies have filed their gender pay gap figures, revealing men are paid, on average, more than women in the majority of British businesses.
Despite the results, myths and misconceptions about the gender pay gap persist. We’ve pulled together some of the most common myths – from the limitations imposed by childrearing, to women being naturally inclined to work for less – so you can navigate the pay gap deniers.
Sport
The Tottenham and England defender Danny Rose has revealed he cannot wait to walk away from football because he is so disgusted by the racism that blights the game – and the response of the authorities to it. Phil Neville believes the women’s game is on the brink of “boom time” but has advised his England players to put glory before money and concentrate on football rather than chasing commercial deals.
Tomorrow is Grand National day and if you’re planning to have a flutter on the big race at Aintree don’t do so until you’ve perused our horse-by-horse guide. World Rugby has extended its deadline for the Six Nations and Rugby Championship unions to take the concept of a Nations Championship a step further until next week. And Eddie Jones has ruled himself out of replacing Michael Cheika as Australia’s head coach after this year’s World Cup.
Business
The issue of Elon Musk tweeting nonsense has landed him in front of a federal judge, accused by financial regulators of breaching an agreement that he would run his social media posts about Tesla past the company’s board first.
Shares have been mixed in Asia, with Chinese markets closed for a holiday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 0.3% while the Kospi in South Korea was flat. Shares fell 0.9% in New Zealand and the S&P ASX in Australia dropped 0.8%. Earlier in the US, government data showing applications for unemployment aid had fallen to a 49-year low, pointing to a strong rebound in hiring. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% while the Dow gained 0.6% and the Nasdaq fell 0.1%. The pound is getting $1.308 and €1.166 while the FTSE is bound for a slightly higher opening.
The papers
A break from Brexit on some of the front pages today. The FT leads with: “Ethiopia crash report puts pressure on Boeing by dismissing pilot error”. The Guardian has: “Crackdown on tech firms over harmful web content” and the i runs a story about accusations about “pressure-selling” to students: “Universities named and shamed over offers.”
The Mail is hailing success for its campaign: “Victory in war on insurance loyalty rip-offs”, the Express also leads with campaign success: “100,000 thank yous”, after that many people called for cystic fibrosis drugs to be made available on the NHS.
There’s still Brexit to be found leading the Telegraph: “May pushed towards a second referendum” and the Times: “Cabinet plot to stop May bid for long Brexit delay.”
The Sun reports that Harry and Meghan took a three-night babymoon costing £33,000: “Heir big spender.” The Daily Mirror writes about Barbara Windsor’s dementia: “Babs agony.”
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