Top story: ‘She’s got to make a decision’
Good morning to you all. I’m Graham Russell with your daily news bite at breakfast.
Theresa May is very much stuck in the middle with EU (again), with both wings of her party urging her to make clear what kind of Brexit deal Britain wants or face a no-confidence vote, and peers saying the existing EU withdrawal bill is fundamentally flawed. Even Donald Trump weighed in last night, saying he would have taken a “tougher stand” than May in Brexit negotiations.
Among the factors fuelling discontent is an admission by Downing Street sources that the PM has opted against setting out a fresh vision for Brexit this year, instead making a speech next month that focuses only on security cooperation.
Added to this, the House of Lords constitution committee has said the EU withdrawal bill – which reaches that chamber tomorrow – needs a huge rewrite because it “risks fundamentally undermining legal certainty”. Lady Taylor of Bolton, the chair of the committee, said: “We acknowledge the scale, challenge and unprecedented nature of the task of converting existing EU law into UK law, but as it stands, this bill is constitutionally unacceptable.”
Brexit supporters have become increasingly vocal in recent weeks amid fears the government’s approach is softening. The former Northern Ireland secretary Theresa Villiers used an article in the Sunday Telegraph to warn that Britain risked remaining in the EU “in all but name”. Jacob Rees-Mogg hinted strongly that he would like Philip Hammond to be sacked, telling Peston on Sunday “he seems to be disagreeing with government policy, the Conservative party manifesto and Mrs May’s speeches”.
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Mars is the star – Bruno Mars saw off challenges from Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z to triumph at the Grammys last night. The singer won all six awards he was up for, while Lamar took five and Jay-Z took home none of the eight awards he was nominated for. Many attendees walked the red carpet with white roses to honour sexual abuse survivors, a piggyback off the Time’s Up talismans worn at the Golden Globes this month. The night’s highlights included a performance by Kesha as part of a years-long comeback for the singer who accused producer Dr Luke of sustained emotional abuse and rape. And let’s not forget the sketch involving Hillary Clinton reading from the Trump bombshell book Fire and Fury. The winners list is here, and how about this picture gallery.
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‘Deep-seated concerns’ – More than £160,000 has been raised via crowdfunding to help a junior doctor fight a decision to remove her from the medical register after being convicted of manslaughter. Thousands of doctors and supporters of Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba say the ruling threatens the “culture of openness” that is critical to learning from medical error, suggesting she was partly convicted by evidence from her own self-appraisal. An open letter stated “... healthcare professionals will henceforth be reluctant to share knowledge openly or reflect on clinical errors for fear of criminal prosecution”. Bawa-Garba was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence in 2015 over the death of six-year-old Jack Adcock.
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Trump rates himself – The US president has told Piers Morgan “I’m very popular in your country” and receives “so much fan mail” from Britons in their long-trailed interview on Sunday. Donald Trump also said he loves Britain, though that sentiment might not be reciprocated, with more than 80,000 people already signing up to protest during his planned visit to the UK. The Stop Trump Coalition wrote: “We oppose this state visit to the UK and commit ourselves to one of the biggest demonstrations in British history, to make very clear to our government, and to the world, that this is not in our name.” The interview was a case of one narcissistic egomaniac meeting another narcissistic egomaniac, writes John Crace.
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Skiers killed – Two Britons have fallen to their deaths while skiing in the French Alps. The 25-year-olds were skiing off-piste around Chamonix-Mont-Blanc when they slipped and fell several hundred metres, police said. A third Briton raised the alarm after the accident in icy conditions on the well-known route.
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Too much information – The company behind a fitness tracking app has inadvertently revealed sensitive information about US military bases and spying activities by publishing a global map of its users’ activity. The map, released by Strava, displays the internal layouts of US bases in countries including Afghanistan and Syria and shows regular jogging routes. Analyst Nathan Ruser, who first noted the lapse, said the heatmap “looks very pretty” but is “not amazing for Op-Sec” – short for operational security.
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Lunchtime read: eaten out of house and home deposit?
Aged 26, Elle Hunt is squarely a millennial and doubts she will ever own her own home. Not because she wants to rent for ever – she wants too many dogs for that – but because, like so many others, she can’t imagine being able to afford one. There are some who argue a deposit is within the grasp of all millennials if only they would cut back on takeaway coffee and avocado toast. Are they right? She recorded all her spending for a month, then talked to money-saving expert Martin Lewis to find out.
Sport
The wonder of Roger Federer’s Australian Open victory on Sunday was not just that it gave him his 20th major in a record 30th final but that the 36-year-old Swiss fashioned a fortnight of such sweet perfection to get there. One of Maro Itoje’s most vivid memories of winning his first England cap – in Rome in 2016 – is not his first touch of the ball but the joy it brought his father, Efe, in the Six Nations crowd. Returning to the scene of his England debut will be a real family affair, with mother Florence joining Efe, and Maro now on 14 England caps.
Amateur boxing’s governing body, Aiba, has been plunged into a fresh crisis after the International Olympic Committee admitted it was “extremely worried” that a man linked to organised crime had become the organisation’s interim president. Pep Guardiola has said Leroy Sané will be out for a few weeks at least, as he complained about Cardiff City’s overly physical approach in Manchester City’s FA Cup win. And Tiger Woods recorded his best finish in a full-field PGA Tour event since August 2015.
Business
Economic growth in the UK is expected to slow in the first few months of this year thanks to high inflation, weak consumer confidence and uncertainty about Brexit, according to a survey of customers by Lloyds bank.
The FTSE100 is expected to follow Asian markets higher at the open this morning, while the pound is buying $1.413 and €1.138.
The papers
We have the usual Monday variety on the fronts. The FT reports Britain is seeking the power to vet EU rules passed during the transitional phase of Brexit. It adds that pro-European cabinet members will step up their campaign today to keep the UK in some form of customs union. The Telegraph and Express also carry the latest on Brexit infighting between the Leave and Remain camps.
The Guardian has an exclusive analysis revealing hundreds of thousands of young people are living in rented properties in such bad condition they are a health hazard. The second story is a report that defence secretary Gavin Williamson quit as a managing director of a company after his relationship with a junior colleague emerged.
The Times says social media companies are being urged to act on grooming after police received more than 1,000 complaints of explicit or suggestive messages being sent to children. Brexiters plotting to oust Philip Hammond is the second story, beneath an image of Roger Federer kissing the Australian Open trophy.
The Mail continues its coverage of gambling advertising, citing a study claiming two-thirds of teenagers feel there are too many betting ads on TV.
The Sun has a single column on Theresa May’s Brexit woes but focuses on Thomas Cook’s plan to let British tourists book their sun loungers before they even head out on their holidays.
The Mirror says 130 babies a year are dying as a result of their parents falling asleep with them in bed.
For more news: www.theguardian.com
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