Top story: ‘It is possible you are right and I am wrong …’
Hello, I’m Warren Murray. Let’s get to grips with the major stories unfolding this Monday morning, of which there are several.
David Davis has resigned as Brexit secretary overnight after tensions in the government reached breaking point at the weekend. This morning there is speculation of a leadership contest, with Theresa May under siege from Eurosceptics after she won cabinet endorsement at a Chequers summit for her vision of a soft Brexit. The reaction to Davis’s departure has been intense through the night and we are continuing to cover it live – here is a summary of what we know so far.
May’s plans involve a “facilitated customs arrangement” intended to remove the need for a hard border in Ireland, and the creation of a UK-EU free-trade area, in which the UK would abide by a “common rule book” of EU regulations. While accepted by many, including key leaver Michael Gove, it has incensed hardline Brexiters who see it as a harbinger of capitulation to Brussels. There is talk of names being gathered for a vote of no confidence in the PM. In a fairly scathing resignation letter, Davis said he was quitting rather than stay as a “reluctant conscript” to May’s plan.
May is set to meet the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers this evening where she will try to stare down angry Eurosceptic Conservative MPs. Beforehand she will defend her plan in the Commons: “In the two years since the referendum result we have had a spirited national debate, with robust views echoing round the cabinet table as they have on breakfast tables up and down our country. Over that time, I have listened to every possible idea and every possible version of Brexit. This is the right Brexit.”
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Thai jubilation – Four boys have been freed from the floodbound caves of Mae Sai and the rescue operation is set to continue today if conditions permit. There are pictures from the moments the first boys came out and were whisked away to hospital.
To bring out the other eight, plus their coach, large stockpiles of air tanks and other equipment will need to have been replenished at the cave site, while the 90 divers who took part in yesterday’s eight-hour rescue will also need to have rested. We are, of course, continuing to cover this extraordinary situation live.
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Novichok kills woman – Wiltshire woman Dawn Sturgess has died from exposure to the novichok nerve agent. Her partner, Charlie Rowley, 45, remains critically ill in Salisbury district hospital after they apparently handled an item contaminated with the substance. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, head of UK counter-terrorism policing, said on Sunday night: “This is shocking and tragic news. Dawn leaves behind her family, including three children.” In Salisbury the home secretary, Sajid Javid, said it was the “exact same nerve agent” as used against Sergei and Yulia Skripal. “We know back in March that it was the Russians. We know it was a barbaric, inhuman act by the Russian state. Again, for this particular incident, we need to learn more and let the police do their work.”
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Trump’s (un)welcome mat – Police are to mobilise in numbers not seen since the 2011 London riots when Donald Trump arrives on Thursday. Anti-Trump groups have promised a “carnival of resistance” and Matthew D’Ancona says it is fitting: “Shame on the prime minister for allowing this trip to go ahead.” Before leaving the US, Trump tonight will name the country’s next supreme court judge. The shortlist reportedly consists of federal appeals court judges Amy Coney Barrett, Thomas Hardiman, Brett Kavanaugh and Raymond Kethledge. Any one of them could tip the balance of the nine-person court toward conservatives and revisit landmark rulings on abortion access, racial discrimination, gay rights and other issues. The Senate confirmation process could be drawn out and ugly, with a multimillion dollar advertising war under way urging citizens to pile pressure on senators through phone calls, emails and protests.
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When your number’s up – It’s the blood test you might not want to have. Scientists have devised a way of estimating how long you have left to live. It is based on telltale markers in the blood that show how old the body seems from the way it functions, rather than how long it has been out of the womb. Medical researchers call this our “phenotypic age”. With the results in hand, doctors might be able to see what is contributing most to a person’s rate of ageing and suggest lifestyle changes that could reduce it. “Maybe you’re 65 years old but physiologically you look more like a 70 year old, so your mortality risk is more like that of a 70 year old,” explains Morgan Levine, from Yale University.
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The Guardian, Facebook and your data – We have been at the forefront of exposing the abuse of online personal data by the likes of Cambridge Analytica. But along the way, readers have rightly asked how and why the Guardian shares their activities on our site with Facebook. Paul Chadwick, the Guardian readers’ editor, summarises the questions and answers.
World Cup
The delirium sweeping the nation and among England fans in Russia might not be fully mirrored in the team’s camp, but manager Gareth Southgate stands on the verge of history and talk at their base has turned to the heroes of 1966. Captain Harry Kane insists England’s ambitions will not be satisfied by a first appearance in a World Cup semi-final for 28 years and that “finishing the job” is the target in Russia. Standing in their way are Croatia, who can boast a masterful midfield and variety up front but England will be buoyed by the side’s frailties.
France meet Belgium in the first semi-final, with subplots aplenty, not least that of Thierry Henry, the Belgium coach thrust into the position of trying to help those players defeat the country of his birth, for whom he won 123 caps, not to mention a World Cup and European Championship. And what of Olivier Giroud’s inability to score a goal? The France centre-forward has yet to get off the mark in 412 minutes of football spread across five appearances at these finals but his name will be among the first on Didier Deschamps’ teamsheet for Tuesday’s game. Catch all the buildup to the final four encounters at our live blog!
Lunchtime read: How Simon Pegg conquered his demons
“I was lost, unhappy and an alcoholic.” Not words you would expect to read from funny man Simon Pegg, who is promoting his latest outing in the Mission: Impossible franchise. “It was awful, terrible,” he says. “It owned me.” Not the movie, but his grim battle with depression and the bottle.
A turning point for Pegg came after his daughter, Matilda, was born – not because it snapped him out of it, but because it didn’t. “It was the most cosmic experience of my life,” he says. “I thought it would fix things and it just didn’t. Because it can’t. Nothing can, other than a dedicated approach, whether that’s therapy or medication, or whatever.” For Pegg, he “woke up in the Priory” after his wife had had enough. “I went into AA for a while, too … I don’t think it’s cool, like I was Mr Rock’n’roll, blackout and all that shit. It wasn’t, it was just terrible.” There’s more, including Pegg’s thoughts on Tom Cruise’s Scientology, in a revealing interview with Tim Jonze.
Sport
Dave Brailsford has launched a stinging attack on the recently elected president of world cycling’s governing body, the Frenchman David Lappartient, accusing him of having a “French mayor” mentality. Peter Sagan took the overall lead in the Tour de France following an uphill sprint win in La Roche-sur-Yon after another hectic finale involved a major crash on the final bend and yet more splits in the field.
At Wimbledon, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal remain on course for an inevitable conclusion after many promising young guns wilted under the blistering sun during week one. Rohit Sharma, purring through the gears in conditions that have the best batsmen salivating, guided India to an emphatic seven-wicket win over England in Bristol to ensure the tourists victory in the T20 series. And Phil Mickleson reported himself to officials after the five-time major champion broke the rules again by tamping down grass obstructing play.
Business
Asian shares have mostly been higher with investors appearing optimistic about the outlook for the global economy despite tariffs imposed by Washington and Beijing on each other’s exports. In Japan the Nikkei rebounded to a one-week high. The pound has been trading at $1.329 and €1.130 overnight.
The papers
It was a race to squeeze the David Davis news into final editions and we are bringing you what we can of those, plus the earlier efforts. The Guardian leads with “Cabinet in crisis as David Davis resigns”. The Times says “Davis triggers cabinet crisis with resignation”.
“Brexit minister resigns”, says the Mail, calling it a “bombshell” for Theresa May. Beside that it also runs the death of Dawn Sturgess – “Murdered by novichok”. The Mirror leads with the Salisbury poisoning – “Novichok mum dead” – and squeezes Davis on to page two with the headline: “Absolute shambles”. The Telegraph says “Davis quits to leave May in crisis”. The Express says: “May tells EU it’s time to get serious”.
“Daring rescue to free boys in flooded cave” says the i while the Metro calls it “Escape from killer cave” – reminding us that one of the rescue workers died in the effort. “We Kane win it” trumpets the Sun as England head for the World Cup semi-finals – the final edition also gets Davis and novichok down the left side. The FT has: “May urges Eurosceptics to rally behind plan for ‘the right Brexit’”.
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