Top story: Labour backing on offer as May meets EU chiefs
Good morning, Warren Murray here with matters for your attention.
As Theresa May heads to Brussels today, Jeremy Corbyn has offered the backing of Labour for her Brexit deal if she supports a permanent customs union with the EU. In a letter to the PM, Corbyn set out legally binding commitments including close alignment with the single market; keeping UK rights and protections in line with the EU; future UK participation in EU agencies and funding programmes; and agreements on future security arrangements, such as the European arrest warrant. “We do not believe that simply seeking modifications to the existing backstop terms is a credible or sufficient response,” writes Corbyn, arguing that Labour believes its proposals would be acceptable to the EU.
May will arrive in Brussels with Donald Tusk’s warning of a “special place in hell” for Brexit’s cheerleaders still echoing off the walls.
The European parliament’s Brexit coordinator, Guy Verhofstadt, has stoked the flames by tweeting: “Well, I doubt Lucifer would welcome them, as after what they did to Britain, they would even manage to divide hell.”
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Antisemitic abuse up, says monitor – Jewish community leaders and politicians have condemned a third successive year with a record number of antisemitic incidents in the UK. In 2018 there were 1,652 incidents logged by the Community Security Trust, a 16% increase on 2017. It said the more than 100 cases a month indicated a general atmosphere of intolerance and prejudice. However, there were also spikes related to events in Gaza and the argument over antisemitism in the Labour party. In total there were 173 incidents recorded that explicitly showed anti-Israel motivation alongside antisemitism, while the most common type of incident involved verbal antisemitic abuse. There was a fall of 17% in the number of violent antisemitic assaults.
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No screen at bedtime – Children should not be using phones and other devices in their bedrooms or at meals, the UK’s chief medical officers have said, as they launch official guidance for managing screen time. Other pointers are telling children not to look at screens when crossing the road. Parents are also counselled to curb their oversharing. “Parents and carers should never assume that children are happy for their photos to be shared,” the recommendations say. “For everyone – when in doubt, don’t upload!” The doctors added their voice to calls to safeguard young people online, with the government on the verge of imposing a legally binding duty of care on social media companies.
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All bets are off – The four scheduled horse races in Britain today have been cancelled after three racehorses tested positive for equine influenza, despite having been vaccinated against it. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) made the dramatic move last night. The BHA said the affected stable, in Cheshire, had runners at Ayr and Ludlow on Wednesday, where they were in close proximity to dozens of other horses from many racing stables. “I’ve never known anything like this in all my time in racing,” said champion jockey turned trainer Peter Scudamore. The BHA said shortly after 11pm that it acted with the support of its industry veterinary committee, following confirmation of the positive tests. An outbreak of the highly contagious virus caused turmoil in Australian racing in 2007.
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E-waste shame – The UK is Europe’s worst country for illegally exporting toxic electronic waste to developing countries, a two-year investigation has suggested. Environmental watchdog the Basel Action Network (Ban) put GPS trackers on computers, LCD monitors and printers sent to recycling facilities in 10 countries, and traced some of them to Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tanzania, Thailand and Ukraine. It is illegal under EU law to export to non-OECD countries hazardous electronic waste containing toxic substances such as mercury, lead and flame retardants. Campaigners estimate 352,474 metric tonnes of electronic waste are being illegally shipped from the EU each year, and in some countries it is dumped or burned, potentially contaminating crops and threatening human health.
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‘They’re super-delicate’ – An airlift for thousands of baby flamingos has taken place in South Africa after drought led to their abandonment by their parents at a disappearing waterhole. The 2,000 chicks were taken from Kamfers Dam in Northern Cape province to several locations including Cape Town where they are being hand-reared.
Bird conservationist Nicky Stander said the aim was to raise and eventually release them. “They’re super delicate-feeling. Every time I go to bed I still feel them in my hands,” she said. “I think we all feel very motherly towards them all.”
Today in Focus podcast: Who decides the price of life?
The cystic fibrosis drug Orkambi could extend the lives of thousands of children – but it comes with a price tag of £105,000 per patient per year.
The NHS says it cannot afford it. Health editor Sarah Boseley explores how the cost of a life-extending drug can be weighed next to a person’s life. Plus: Natalie Nougayrède on the conspiracy theories threatening European unity
Lunchtime read: Why it pays to be privileged
Within Britain’s elite occupations, the advantages of class are still mistaken for talent – as one of the beneficiaries candidly puts it: “It is mad to pretend there’s not been an incredibly strong following wind throughout my career.” The rocketing incomes enjoyed by top earners since the 1980s, we often hear, are perfectly acceptable, as long as those from all class backgrounds have fair access to the jobs that generate such disproportionate rewards.
But is getting ahead in contemporary Britain really just a simple matter of merit? “Well,” Sam write Sam Friedman and Daniel Laurison “having spent the past five years researching who gets in and who gets on in Britain’s elite occupations, our answer is a resounding no. Only 10% of those from working-class backgrounds (meaning those whose breadwinning parent did ‘routine’ or ‘semi-routine’ work, or didn’t work) make it into Britain’s higher managerial, professional or cultural occupations.”
Sport
Pep Guardiola said Manchester City’s return to the top of the Premier League was reward for their refusal to concede the title to Liverpool but warned his team face “a final” against Chelsea on Sunday. In the women’s game, City’s Nikita Parris scored twice against Chelsea to secure a place in the Continental Cup final. A body has been recovered from the wreckage of the plane that crashed in the Channel with footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson on board, three days after the aircraft was found.
Johanna Konta and Katie Boulter got the ball rolling on Great Britain’s path to Fed Cup promotion with hard-fought wins as they beat Slovenia, but with Greece awaiting on Thursday, the hard work is only just beginning. England have kept France guessing by naming Joe Cokanasiga, Brad Shields, Dan Cole and Ben Moon in a 25-man squad for Sunday’s Six Nations game at Twickenham. Geraint Thomas is confident cycling is now “one of the cleanest sports around” after admitting he would not have won the Tour de France during the sport’s dark ages. And the two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova has told a Czech court how she grabbed the blade of an intruder’s knife and forced it away from her neck, leaving blood “everywhere”, during an attack at her home in December 2016.
Business
Data showing that Germany could be heading into recession cast a shadow over European trading on Wednesday but Asian shares were more positive with several bourses in the black. One of those was Australia where the ASX200 hit a four-month high despite speculation that the boss and the chairman of NAB bank – once the not-very-proud owner of Clydesdale bank – are the latest casualties of the country’s inquiry into banking standards. The FTSE100 is set to fall slightly at the open later while the pound is buying $1.293 and €1.138.
The papers
Donald Tusk’s comments make the front pages of several papers, including the Guardian, which says “Tusk: special place in hell for those who backed Brexit without a plan”. The Times has “EU set to snub May again after ‘hell’ jibe from Tusk” and the Telegraph’s splash is “Brexiteers have special spot in hell, says Tusk”. The FT has a different Brexit lead: “Failure to seal ‘most’ Brexit trade deals infuriates business leaders”.
Shame of different kinds is splashed on other front pages. The Mail has the story of a man who travelled from London to Devon to reach his injured mother and still beat the ambulance there: “A journey to shame 999 service”. The Mirror has a report on homelessness, which it calls “Britain’s shame”, and the Express has pictures of children with cystic fibrosis asking “How can a row over money deny them a longer life?” as MPs fight to make a drug available on the NHS. The i’s lead story is “Smear test revolution set to save thousands of women” and the Sun’s main piece (which also features on several other front pages) is “Meg: Don’t victimise me, Dad”, based on interviews with anonymous friends of the Duchess of Sussex in People magazine.
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