Top story: Keir Starmer heaps pressure on PM
Good morning and welcome to the Guardian daily briefing. I’m Martin Farrer and these are the top stories this Thursday morning.
Officials in Brussels fear that Theresa May’s political weakness means she will not be able to deliver on any promises she makes in her much-anticipated speech in Florence tomorrow outlining the government’s latest thinking on Brexit. The claim has been made by shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer who said the EU’s negotiating team was deeply sceptical of May’s ability to “follow through” on any of her promises. “They want to see real progress ... Not a speech and nothing else,” Starmer said after meetings in Brussels. As part of her attempts to create cabinet unity on Brexit, the prime minister will be accompanied by Boris Johnson on her flight back to Britain after attending the UN general assembly in New York. The cabinet meets today.
In her other big set-piece of the week, May used her speech to the UN to issue a veiled warning to Donald Trump that his plan to withdraw from the Paris climate change treaty ranked alongside North Korea’s nuclear missile tests as a threat to global security. She said cooperation was the only way to confront international challenges and hinted that the US risked undermining that effort “for its own gain”.
North Korea opted for a blunter choice of words in its continuing spat with the US, as the foreign minister likened Trump’s threat to destroy the country as like “the sound of a dog barking”.
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Sampson sacking – The Football Association is likely to come under increasing pressure today to explain why it allowed England women’s manager Mark Sampson to remain in his job despite knowing for nearly three years about serious allegations involving his conduct while coaching at Bristol Academy. It comes as the FA launches a third investigation into allegations of racism against Sampson and MPs gather evidence about why the previous two inquiries were inadequate. That Sampson has been saacked for the former allegations might just be too convenient, writes our chief football correspondent Daniel Taylor. Either way, FA chief executive Martin Glenn has some serious explaining to do despite his protestation that no one in the hierarchy was to blame for the fiasco.
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‘Maria finished the job’ – People in the British Virgin Islands are picking up the pieces of their lives after the territories were battered by a second devastating hurricane in the the space of two weeks. After Hurricane Irma levelled many of the islands’ buildings, Maria came along this week and “finished the job”, says Tortola resident Karon Brown. Maria continues to cause havoc as it barrels westwards through the Caribbean and has left Puerto Rico’s three million people without any electricity. On Dominica, the first island hit by Maria, the population have not only lost power but also lack running water and can only communicate with the outside world by satellite phone.
In Mexico, rescuers are still searching for victims of the earthquake that has destroyed dozens of buildings in the capital Mexico City. Among them are 30 children unaccounted for after their school collapsed.
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GP safety warning – About seven million people are being treated at GP surgeries in England that have severe safety problems, says a report into more than 7,000 practices by the Care Quality Commission. Many are failing even after inspectors told them to improve, according to the report which rated surgeries by indicators including whether they were effective, caring, safe and well-led. London has the highest rate of inadequate practices, while the north-east scored the best.
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Spanish standoff – Tensions between Spain’s government and Catalan separatists have worsened after prime minister Mariano Rajoy told the region’s leaders to “stop this radicalism and disobedience”. His televised address came as thousands thronged the streets of Barcelona in protest at police raids on Catalan government buildings as Rajoy tries to shut down attempts to have an independence referendum next month. The crisis is one of Spain’s worst political crises since the return to democracy four decades ago and our correspondent Sam Jones warns that Rajoy’s rattled response could play into the hands of separatists.
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If you can’t stand the heat ... The frenzy around Michelin’s famous restaurant guide has forced one of France’s most celebrated chefs to plead to be stripped of his three-star ranking because he’s tired of being under constant pressure to create magnificent dishes. Sébastien Bras, whose restaurant in the Aveyron has been honoured with the premium grade for almost 20 years, said: “Maybe I will be less famous but I accept that.”
Lunchtime read: Why old-school radicalism could solve new crisis
The rise of the gig economy and zero-hours contracts mark a “profound set of changes” affecting western countries, according to the historian Chris Renwick, who argues in today’s long read that the return of precarious working conditions means we need the welfare state more than ever. Reviving the radicalism of reformers such as Keynes and Beveridge could help solve today’s problems, he says. Our columnist Owen Jones has been thinking along similar lines in the week where the Guardian investigated the ballooning levels of debt blighting many UK households. He writes that the Tories can’t fix the debt crisis because, starting in the 80s, their policies caused it.
Sport
A payment made by Sergey Bubka, the senior vice-president of athletics’ world governing body, to a now disgraced senior figure is to be investigated by the independent Athletics Integrity Unit. Seán O’Brien has blamed Warren Gatland and his coaching staff for the British & Irish Lions’ failure to win their series against the All Blacks. Andrew Strauss has defended the make-up of his England selection panel and said Sir Ian Botham is “100% wrong” if he thinks the two county directors on the panel use their positions to help sign players. In Carabao Cup action last night, Marcus Rashford’s double propelled Manchester United to victory over Burton Albion, Michy Batshuayi scored a hat-trick as Chelsea saw off Nottingham Forest, and there were also wins for Manchester City, Everton and Arsenal. Holders United will play Swansea and Chelsea meet Everton after the fourth round draw was made.
Business
Shares in Asia Pacific slipped overnight after the US Federal Reserve called an end to QE and hinted at another interest rate rise later this year. The outcome of the Fed meeting boosted the US dollar, undermining stocks. The FTSE100 is expected to rise modestly at the open later today. The pound fell against the greenback to $1.35 but rose ever so slightly against the euro at €1.135.
Elsewhere, Google has paid $1.1bn for HTC’s smartphone operation.
The papers
The prime minister is the focus for several papers, but for different reasons. The Times reports that Theresa May used her UN speech to warn the organisation that it needs to reform – “UN is failing the world, May tells global leaders”. The Guardian emphasises another part of her speech under the headline: “May hits out at US ‘threat’ to climate treaty”. Others prefer a Brexit tale. The Express has “May’s big push for EU exit”, while the Telegraph splashes on ”Treasury ‘talking down Brexit’”.
Elsewhere, the Mail goes with “The care homes that just don’t care”, which picks up another Care Quality Commission report, while the Mirror’s headline is “Crime lords”, exposing peers’ expenses. The Sun reports on a Briton in Dubai who faces jail for a finger salute and, by contrast, the FT leads with news of the US Fed calling the end of crisis-era QE monetary policy.
For more news: www.theguardian.com
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