Top story: Tory loss would be ‘absolute disaster’
Hello, I’m Warren Murray, and the following is based on actual events.
The North Shropshire byelection is being held today and Conservatives MPs say losing the seat of disgraced Owen Paterson would be “an absolute disaster” for Boris Johnson. The odds still favour the Tories’ Neil Shastri-Hurst to replace Paterson. But the scale of a challenge by the Liberal Democrats’ Helen Morgan has some foreseeing her upset victory.
A Lib Dem win would be a political earthquake even greater than their Chesham and Amersham victory in June, and would cap a disastrous week for Johnson after Tuesday’s rebellion by 99 Conservative backbenchers over new Covid rules, staged against the backdrop of lockdown-breaking No 10 parties. On Wednesday, Shastri-Hurst declined four times in an interview to say he believed Johnson was “a man of honesty and integrity”.
The Lib Dems are pinning their hopes on Labour and Green supporters voting tactically. After a damning new photo of a Conservative Christmas party emerged on Tuesday night, Morgan’s campaign quickly promoted it to voters in North Shropshire on Facebook under the tagline: “Tell them the party’s over.”
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‘Very tragic event’ – Four children have been killed and several critically injured in Tasmania when they fell about 10 metres from a bouncy castle that blew into the air. It happened at Hillcrest primary school in Devonport. It is the end of the school year in Australia and the school was holding a “Big Day In” celebration. Debbie Williams, the local police commander, said: “This is a very tragic event and our thoughts are with the families and the wider school community, and also our first responders. There is no doubt that this has been a very confronting and distressing scene.”
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Get tested, uni students told – The number of Covid cases has risen sharply at some universities as about a million students begin to head home for the Christmas break, prompting fears they could fuel the spread of the virus. Students have been urged to take Covid tests before they leave. Chris Whitty has said people should cut back on socialising in the run-up to Christmas Day.
“Don’t mix with people you don’t have to,” said the chief medical adviser, warning that a rise in Covid hospitalisations is “nailed on” after cases hit a record high. Research from Hong Kong suggests the Omicron variant multiplies about 70 times quicker in bronchial tissue of the windpipe than the original and Delta versions, but 10 times slower in lung tissue – which might explain why it seems to spread quickly but cause less severe illness. The researchers say, though, that the results need to be interpreted with caution. Much more Covid news about today – our live blog signposts the way to the stories.
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No to Brexit forever-war – The public do not share the UK government’s appetite for perpetual post-Brexit conflict with the EU, which is seen as a better partner than the US, according to a report from the European Council on Foreign Relations. The thinktank warns the government’s approach is “eroding the UK’s capacity to cooperate with the EU”. Its polling found people were evenly split on who was most to blame for the current dire state of relations between the UK and EU, with 39% blaming Britain (mostly Labour voters) and 38% blaming the EU (mostly Conservative voters). There was a lack of enthusiasm for following the US into any conflict with China. Only 6% of respondents favoured a UK foreign policy that prioritised military strength, while 40% said they would like foreign policy to focus primarily on strengthening the domestic economy.
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Arrest over deadly fire – One person has died and two have been confirmed as missing after a fire in Reading, as police warned there were likely to be no more survivors. A 31-year-old man from Reading was arrested on Wednesday morning on suspicion of arson and murder after the blaze at the Rowe Court block of flats in Grovelands Road. Royal Berkshire fire and rescue said firefighters rescued one resident from the building using a ladder. Emergency services remained at the scene last night, with work to begin on Thursday to assess structural damage. Those affected by the fire would be provided temporary accommodation and support, said Jason Brock, the leader of Reading borough council.
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Deer little thing – A baby Java mouse-deer has been born at Warsaw Zoo in Poland. The new arrival is around 10cm tall and its sex is not yet known.
The zoo welcomed its first mouse-deer, Arnold, in 2020, before he was joined by Linda in July this year. Mouse-deer are among the smallest hooved animals on the planet.
Today in Focus podcast: Putin’s designs on Ukraine
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Lunchtime read: Covid, racism and what to do now
We were told coronavirus didn’t discriminate, but it didn’t need to – society had already done that for us. But there is a path to a fairer future if we want it, writes Gary Younge.
Sport
Australia’s best-laid preparations for the second Ashes Test were thrown into disarray before the start of play at Adelaide Oval as their captain, Pat Cummins, was ruled out after being identified as a close contact of a positive Covid-19 case. Just hours before Thursday afternoon’s toss in Adelaide, it emerged that Cummins was dining at a restaurant in the city on Wednesday night when a person at the next table was identified as a positive case. Gabriel Martinelli’s form has been fitful since he returned from injury a year ago but Arsenal’s 2-0 win over West Ham was his best all-round performance under Mikel Arteta and he crowned it in a fashion that felt eerily familiar. The Premier League was straining to keep its competition on the road and its clubs on side on Wednesday night as postponed matches and uncertainty over Covid rules heightened the sense of a returning crisis. Burnley’s match at home against Watford became the third top-flight fixture called off in the past week after a Covid outbreak in the visiting squad.
It is Arsenal Women’s “unacceptable” collapse and the team’s somewhat lucky progression to the Champions League quarter-final stage, despite this 4-1 defeat to Hoffenheim, that will dominate post-match discussions, yet it is perhaps the rise of the Bundesliga’s third-placed side – in their first season in Europe – that deserves attention on their exit. Kevin De Bruyne has described how a difficult few months has featured being “kicked in the face, kicked in the ankle” and then contracting Covid, though the midfielder hopes he is finding his best form after two goals in Manchester City’s 7-0 win over Leeds on Tuesday. Perhaps it was only right that, with Christmas just around the corner, the ultimate pantomime villain of darts was front and centre on the PDC world championship’s return to normality as Gerwyn Price came from behind to beat Ritchie Edhouse.
Business
The US Federal Reserve has accelerated the speed at which it will end its pandemic-era support and pencilled in three rate hikes next year in a major shift of policy that could lead to borrowing costs rising all over the world. The move to tackle rising inflation is a flashing red signal for the Bank of England as it meets today to decide whether or not to follow suit. Asia share markets followed Wall Street upwards overnight although the FTSE10o is expected to open flat. The pound is on $1.325 and €1.174.
The papers
Our Guardian splash today: “Warning to cut back on socialising as Covid cases surge to record high”. Also on the front, another chapter in the Conservative sleaze debate: “Tory MP pleaded for work from Saudis”. And the sentencing of necrophile David Fuller: “Life in jail for ‘vulture’ who preyed on the dead”. Of that, the Metro says “Mortuary vulture to die in jail”.
“Cut back on plans over Christmas” says Chris Whitty in the Times, and Lewis Hamilton is shown receiving his knighthood just as he is on other front pages. “Scale back Christmas plans” says the Telegraph, while it’s a “Wary Christmas” from the Mirror and the Express conveys Whitty’s wishes for “a very sensible Christmas”. The i sums up the key message thusly: “Don’t mix with friends unless you have to”.
The Daily Mail takes a more adversarial angle: “It’s Boris versus scientists”, saying the PM “insists he won’t cancel parties or close hospitality” – an unsurprising stance, perhaps, given recent revelations. And the lead in the Financial Times is “Covid cases hit record 78,000 as Omicron cases sweep the country”.
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