Top story: freezing weather snowballs
Good morning, Graham Russell here with the news to start your incredibly cold and frosty week.
The bucolic wonder of a snowy weekend has turned into the nightmare of an icy Monday, with freezing weather causing school closures, transport problems, power cuts and health fears across much of the country. For the latest developments, see our liveblog here.
Hundreds of schools will be closed today and police have urged drivers not to venture out unless they must as the Met Office warned conditions overnight could turn snow into the nemesis of people everywhere: black ice. The RAC is bracing for more than 10,000 breakdowns, and crashes and strandings have already caused chaos on major routes including the M1, M5 and M25. Delayed flights on Sunday are likely to cause backlogs on Monday. Passengers arriving at Heathrow reported being stuck on the asphalt for hours when stranded planes blocked the gates.
NHS England warned that heart attacks increase after a cold snap, accounting for 40% of excess winter deaths. It urged those with heart and lung conditions to keep their homes warm and get their flu jabs when possible. Temperatures will creep above freezing during Monday but sub-zero temperatures overnight are expected to bring more ice and freezing fog tomorrow.
If there is a plus side, Met Check put the chance of a white Christmas in London at 25%. In Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and Leeds, the chance rises to 50%.
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Set phases to stun – The Irish government has warned it will hold the UK to the phase-one agreement reached on Friday after David Davis claimed it was more a “statement of intent” than a legally enforceable document. “This, as far as we’re concerned, is a binding agreement,” said Joe McHugh, the Irish government’s chief whip. Theresa May – who has also appeared to suggest the deal had wiggle room – will today declare to MPs a “new sense of optimism” on EU talks. Perhaps brave, considering she faces potentially fiery Brexit discussions in cabinet this week and the prospect of a rebellion over the EU withdrawal bill.
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Duke in Danish blue – Prince Philip’s credentials as a global citizen go on show today with the unveiling of his portrait, painted the year he retired – as it were – at 96. The artwork features a striking blue sash denoting the order of the elephant, Denmark’s highest honour, to recognise his great-grandfather, Christian IX, who was king of Denmark from 1863 to 1906.
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NHS boss resigns in protest – The respected crossbench peer Bob Kerslake has quit as the chairman of the board at King’s College hospital in frustration at the government’s “unrealistic” savings targets. Writing in the Guardian, he called for a “fundamental rethink”, adding that the government and financial regulator NHS Improvement were “simply not facing up to the enormous challenges that the NHS is currently facing”.
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“Every right to speak up” – The US ambassador to the UN has said the women who have accused Donald Trump of sexual misconduct “should be heard”. Nikki Haley, who was appointed by Trump, said: “I think any woman who has felt violated or felt mistreated in any way, they have every right to speak up.” She added she was proud of those who had come forward but that it was up to the people to decide if the issue was settled given Trump’s subsequent election victory.
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The magpie has landed – A bloody-minded bird with a penchant for swooping on humans has pipped the Australian equivalent of the Trafalgar Square pigeon to be voted the country’s bird of the year. Critics called the Australian magpie, which triumphed in a poll run by BirdLife Australia and Guardian Australia, either a boring choice or an unworthy one given its propensity to attack people in spring. Second was the ibis, a creature noted for poking its long beak into office workers’ lunches and rubbish bags, hence its nickname “bin chicken”. Columnist Paul Daley recalls running the magpie gauntlet. The birds always won.
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Lunchtime read: Nobel prize confirms a lifelong nuclear mission
Half a century after the Cuban missile crisis, we again find ourselves at a time of deeply disturbing nuclear threats, writes Tilman Ruff of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, the group that has been awarded the Nobel peace prize for 2017. Ruff says “self-assured destruction” can never be a solution, adding: “For far too long these weapons have loomed over humanity, threatening to obliterate us any day. For far too long the voices who told us that these global suicide bombs were crucial to our security held sway.” He notes that the treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons was adopted by a vote of 122 to one at the UN in July, the challenge now is to bring nuclear-armed states to the table to sign up.
Sport
Police officers and stewards had to separate up to 20 players and members of staff from Manchester United and City after an extraordinary bust-up in which bottles and punches were thrown and Mikel Arteta, one of Pep Guardiola’s assistants, was left with blood streaming down his face. This followed Manchester City’s declaration as the best team in town and possibly the Premier League, opening up an 11-point gap at the top of the table. Jürgen Klopp, meanwhile, refused to accept that his team selection and substitutions had cost Liverpool victory in the Merseyside derby.
Finally, Guardian writers have picked their England XI for the crucial third Ashes test, speculating on who can rescue England, while La Rochelle have defeated the Wasps 49-29 to take maximum points from their first three Champions Cup games.
Business
Oil prices fell on Monday as last week’s rise in the US rig count pointed to a further increase in American production that could undermine Opec-led efforts to tighten markets. Home secretary Amber Rudd has announced plans for a new national economic crime centre, saying billions are still being laundered through the City. Bitcoin made a solid if unremarkable debut in the first hours of trading on the Chicago Board Options Exchange, whose website creaked under the attention.
The pound is buying $1.34 and €1.13.
The papers
Snowy images – most of them joyous – feature on every front page except the Mail and FT, with the Tories’ Brexit talk angering Ireland the second most prominent story.
The Times focuses on Ireland warning Theresa May on Brexit alongside a snow story. “Alert as Black Ice Monday follows Ski Sunday” is the headline on a picture-led story. It carries a single column on an investigation saying survivors of the Grenfell fire feel it is being exploited by interest groups. The Guardian gives the two main stories a similar weighting plus the tense wait for news on the fate of the Briton jailed in Iran.
The Telegraph splashes on an NHS survey that asks 10-year-olds whether they feel comfortable with their gender, and includes a side story on Visa’s year-long quest to chose the perfect sound to play every time a card or smartphone purchase is made. It signals “speed and convenience” while being “energetic and optimistic” apparently.
The Sun fears Russian thugs will ruin the 2018 World Cup because their bans end before it kicks off and it celebrates with I’m A Celeb winner Georgia Toffolo.
The Mirror carries the same “Toff at the Top” headline as the Sun but focuses on the weather. “Black Monday” is the headline. The Express says the UK is going to face Arctic conditions until Christmas.
The Mail continues its campaign against plastics pollution, saying one in four local authorities are failing to collect a variety of plastic rubbish. It also carries a picture of Mick Jagger’s youngest child Deveraux on his first birthday.
The FT reports on chemical and big pharma wanting to stay under EU rules, plus it says a Labour government would consider moving parts of the Bank of England to Birmingham.
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