Top story: Planning has ‘barely scratched the surface’
This is Alison Rourke bringing you all the top stories on this bank holiday Monday.
Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, says the government has hardly begun to prepare what would need to be done in a no-deal scenario, and there was a serious risk of an “unsustainable legal vacuum”. The withdrawal agreement with the EU is intended to allow for most existing laws and institutions to remain in place during a transitional period of almost two years, while the government negotiates the details of its future trading relationship with the EU. But if talks break down – or MPs reject the deal – it is unclear what would happen next.
Labour’s analysis suggests new legislation would have to be passed hastily in four key policy areas: EU citizens’ rights; immigration rules for EU travellers entering Britain; criminals held under the European arrest warrant; and the Irish border. The government has long promised an immigration bill – but has not yet even published a white paper. The home affairs select committee warned recently that “if there’s no deal, [the immigration system] is going to be completely chaotic as no one will know what the arrangements will be until the very last minute and there is going to be no time for anyone to plan at all”.
* * *
‘Jacksonville is in mourning’ – A gunman has killed two people and himself at a video gamers’ competition in Florida. Nine others were also injured. Police named the shooter as David Katz, 24, of Baltimore. It’s believed he was in town for the competition. The bar where the event was taking place was livestreaming the football video game competition when the gunfire started. The sheriff’s office said many people were transported to hospital, and its deputies found others hiding in locked areas near the venue.
* * *
Cold case breakthrough – A suspect in the 1998 murder of the Dutch boy Nicky Verstappen has been arrested in Spain. The 11-year-old disappeared during the night of 9 August 1998, while at a summer camp at the Brunssummerheide nature reserve, near the German border. His body was found the next evening, close to the campsite. The arrest of a follows a Europe-wide manhunt sparked by the largest DNA testing programme in the Netherlands’ history. “Jos B, 55, a suspect in the death of Nicky Verstappen was arrested in Spain on Sunday afternoon,” police said.
* * *
‘Holy grail’ of dieting? – A weight-loss pill has been hailed as a potential hero in the fight against obesity after a major study showed it did not increase the risk of serious heart problems. Taken twice a day, lorcaserin – which is already available in the US – is an appetite suppressant which works by stimulating brain chemicals to induce a feeling of fullness. A US study saw 12,000 people who were either obese or overweight given the pills or a placebo, with those who took the drug shedding an average of 4kg (9lbs) in 40 months. “I think it is the thing everybody has been looking for,” said Tam Fry, of Britain’s National Obesity Forum. The drug’s availability in the UK will be subject to approval by NHS regulators.
* * *
Goodbye London – The number of homeowners leaving the city for the Midlands and the north has trebled since 2010, according to a new report by agents Hamptons International. The average Londoner quitting the capital pays £424,610 for their new property, enough to buy a large detached house in a good suburb of Birmingham but which only pays for a two-bed flat above a shop in east London. Many are looking for bigger homes and better schools.
* * *
Cold comfort – One in five vanilla ice-creams has no vanilla, cream or fresh milk, according to a new survey. Vanilla has traditionally been Britain’s favourite flavour but a Which? investigation of supermarket and branded ice-creams found a number of them came up short. Only half of the 24 surveyed contained all three traditional ingredients. Of the five products offering soft-scoop vanilla ice-cream without fresh milk, vanilla or cream, three were supermarket-own brands from Asda, Morrisons and Tesco. Soft-scoop vanilla ice-creams from Wall’s and Ms Molly’s, which is exclusively sold at Tesco, were the other two products missing the three key ingredients.
Lunchtime read: Salley Vickers’ best books for surviving family holidays
Struggling to understand your relatives this bank holiday weekend? Summer is traditionally a time for lucky families to recover from the strains of the work and school treadmill and take time together on holiday – but this added space and time also allows the tensions that trammel and contain us in the web of family life to spring to life like waiting demons, writes novelist Salley Vickers (Vacation, Cleaner of Chartres). She recommends psychologist Terri Apter’s The Sister Knot on sibling rivalry that most will recognise: “She’s got the red spade and you said I could have that!” Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons is not exactly realism, but the Starkadder family, with their hysterical self-dramatising, are the protagonists in one of the funniest books I know about family life, Vickers says.
Mansfield Park is perhaps Jane Austen’s least-loved novel, but, writes Vickers, it is possibly her best for its depiction of the upper-middle-class neglect suffered by Maria and Julia, the spoilt Bertram girls; this in turn leads to their failure to make happy marriages. And finally, don’t go without Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale, a terrifying study in the irrational power of jealousy.
Sport
Johanna Konta, who was struck down by a heavy virus only a week ago, insists she is fit to be a contender at the US Open, which begins at Flushing Meadows today. Andy Murray starts his campaign against James Duckworth, the Australian who has one edge on the former world No 1 – his list of surgeries outstrips Murray’s by five to three.
Celebrations in Perpignan will continue for a good while yet following Catalans Dragons’ Challenge Cup triumph on Saturday but for the sport itself the question is where such a historic moment can take rugby league.
Manchester United host Tottenham tonight, and José Mourinho wants his team to be inspired by the loyal support they received despite the disappointing 3-2 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion last week.
And Maurizio Sarri joked that breaching Newcastle United’s back-line was tougher than breaking down Serie A defences after his Chelsea side preserved their perfect start to the Premier League season with a 2-1 win at St James’ Park.
Business
The payday lender Wonga is on the brink of collapse following a surge in compensation claims that could force it to call in the administrators this week. Reports say Wonga, once the fastest-growing financial services provider in the UK, has lined up Grant Thornton to handle an insolvency.
Asian shares rallied overnight on the back of another strong session on Wall Street on Friday where the S&P500 and the Nasdaq indices both reached record highs.
The FTSE100 is expected to open flat, however, while the pound is buying $1.286 and €1.106.
The papers
Several of this morning’s papers lead on the pope’s visit to Ireland: “Pope begs for forgiveness after decades of abuse and cover-ups” is the Guardian’s headline. The i and the Times both carry large pictures of the pontiff, the i with the succinct headline: “Pope begs for forgiveness.”
Both the Telegraph and the Daily Mail splash on the “most effective weight-loss pill yet”. “‘Holy grail’ pill beats middle aged spread” is the Telegraph’s headline, while the Mail goes with: “Slimming pill proven to beat middle-age spread.”
The Mirror meanwhile leads on Wonga on the “brink of collapse”. Its headline is “Wonga need a loan”, while the Sun reports on the “Strictly race row”, saying the show’s new star has slammed the programme for “racist” decisions.
The FT reports Uber is shifting gears from cars to bikes on short trips and the Mail carries the death of a British couple in Egypt, including an interview with the couple’s daughter: “Something in their room did kill my parents” is the headline.
For more news: www.theguardian.com
Sign up
The Guardian Morning Briefing is delivered to thousands of inboxes bright and early every weekday. If you are not already receiving it by email, you can sign up here.
