Top story: Tory Brexiters renew plots to oust May
Good morning briefers. I’m Martin Farrer and these are the Guardian’s top stories from Britain and around the world.
Theresa May will head to Berlin and Paris today to plead with Europe’s two most powerful leaders for a longer extension to article 50 ahead of a crunch summit of EU leaders on Wednesday. Risking a possible renewed leadership challenge from furious Brexit-supporting backbenchers, the prime minister will ask Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron to throw their weight behind a plan to delay Brexit until June. In exchange she will promise that Britain will abide by EU rules in the meantime and she will argue that she can still deliver an agreement with Labour to seal a final leave deal. Her mission comes after parliament last night passed the Cooper-Letwin bill which legally binds May to seek a delay. However, Britain could still crash out of the EU on Friday if all 27 EU leaders cannot agree on an extension in Brussels on Wednesday.
Amid the despair, an agony aunt-style column by comedian Nish Kumar today answers your questions about the breakup of our relationship with Europe. It won’t tell you much about the intricacies of the Irish backstop but you’ll learn about the impact on the price of spreadable Lurpak and how John Bercow’s trademark call of “ORRDDERRR” can control dogs.
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Nobody’s fault – Couples seeking a divorce will no longer have to prove fault under government plans to end the “blame game” faced by families which many experts believe can be seriously damaging to children caught in the middle. Justice secretary David Gauke says legislation will be introduced “as soon as parliamentary time allows” in the wake of a consultation that revealed support for reform. Currently in England and Wales, unless someone can prove there was adultery, unreasonable behaviour or desertion, the only way to obtain a divorce without their spouse’s agreement is to live apart for five years. Under the new arrangements couples will be required to make a statement citing “irretrievable breakdown” rather than having to provide evidence relating to behaviour or separation.
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‘Disorder by design’ – David Miliband has accused Donald Trump of manufacturing a crisis at the US-Mexico border in order to justify his hardline immigration plans while failing to tackle the crisis in Central American countries that is the root of the problem. The former foreign secretary, who is now head of one of the world’s largest humanitarian aid groups, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), delivered the stinging criticism in an interview with the Guardian in New York. The US government was “failing in its most basic responsibilities”, he said, and that Trump’s approach to immigration amounted to “disorder by design”.
Trump’s immigration policies also appeared to be behind a continued purge of the leadership of his homeland security team after it was announced that the head of the US Secret Service would be leaving his post. Randolph Alles denied that he had been fired but the news comes a day after Trump ousted Alles’ boss, homeland security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. It is thought the president felt the pair had not been hardline enough in dealing with migrants trying to enter the US from Mexico.
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Freedom blow – The leaders of Hong Kong’s “umbrella” movement of civil disobedience have been found guilty of public nuisance charges in a verdict that raises renewed questions about political freedoms in the former British colony. The nine defendants, who included sociology professor Chan Kin-man, 60, law professor Benny Tai, 54, and Baptist minister Chu Yiu-ming, 75, were clapped by supporters gathered at the courthouse. The trio were among those convicted of rarely used colonial-era charges for their participation in the 2014 protests. They face up to seven years in jail.
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Prison violence – Twenty prison officers have been injured after an outbreak of violence at Feltham young offenders’ institution in west London at the weekend. Thirteen were taken to hospital for treatment but have since all been released. The head of the Prison Officers’ Association said the violence was “unacceptable” and it would push for prosecutions. It was not clear what prompted the violence at the youth jail which was once judged unsafe but had seen a fall in violent incidents.
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Shelling out – Britons threw away 720m eggs last year, three times more than in 2008, and at a cost of £139m, according to study of food waste. Researchers said overcautious consumers were relying too much on best-before dates to decide if eggs are fresh enough, while the growing popularity of vegetarian diets means we are now buying more eggs. The study says 29% of people discard eggs solely because they are past their sell-by date, even though they are often safe for some time afterwards.
Today in Focus podcast: Can anyone beat Netanyahu?
After a series of damaging corruption allegations against “King Bibi”, could Israelis decide it’s time for a change in today’s election? Plus: Sherrie Smith on the discrimination faced by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities
Lunchtime read: ‘It’s why we need art’ – Munch exhibition reviewed
“The Scream hits you like a bomb in black and white,” writes our art critic Jonathan Jones in his five-star review of the new Edvard Munch exhibition opening at the British Museum this week. It is a lithograph version of the Norwegian’s famous painting but it doesn’t disappoint, making us feel “the same claustrophobic oppression that is tormenting Munch’s universal figure of the modern soul”. The Scream is on display along with Munch’s other “apocalyptic masterpieces of symbolist gloom” made in the 1890s and 1900s when he drew on his harrowing childhood to paint works such as The Sick Child, Dead Mother And Child and Vampire II. It all adds up to an exhibition that shows “why we need art”.
Sport
Maurizio Sarri has accepted it will be difficult to keep Eden Hazard if he wants to leave this summer, after the brilliant Belgian’s latest masterclass in a 2-0 win over West Ham that lifted Chelsea to third in the Premier League. Mauricio Pochettino has described the Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City as the biggest game of his managerial career. Tommy Fleetwood will not be changing his strategy on his third visit to Augusta as he seeks his first major when the Masters gets under way this week. Unbeaten centuries from Joe Root and Gary Ballance helped Yorkshire secure a draw with Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, while Somerset pulled off a remarkable 74-run win at Taunton against Kent. Christian Wade has said he is “lost for words” after taking a step towards his dream of playing in the NFL by signing for the Buffalo Bills. Toni Duggan, the England and Barcelona forward, has said she cannot wait for Tuesday’s friendly against her adopted country Spain. And Raheem Sterling has called on more players to speak out against racial abuse but said he would not be tempted to walk off the pitch in protest.
Business
James Packer, the Australian billionaire and son of the late media mogul Kerry Packer, is in talks with Las Vegas casino group Wynn resorts about selling his own gambling empire for $7bn. Crown Resorts, which is listed on the Australian stock market, confirmed it was considering a cash and shares offer for the group in a move that would see Packer sell up the business that he developed with the proceeds of selling his father’s media empire. Asian markets were flat overnight while the FTSE100 is also due to open fairly level. The pound is buying $1.307 and €1.16.
The papers
Several front pages today feature news the government is overhauling divorce laws to make an “irretrievable breakdown” the only grounds for divorce. The i reports: “Divorce law revolution ends couples’ blame game” while the Mail calls it: “Divorce on demand”.
Brexit and its impact on the Tory party leads on the Telegraph: “PM told: you are now the problem”; the FT: “May’s green light for European elections enrages Tory sceptics”; the Guardian: “May risks Tory wrath to plead for more time”; and the Times: “May pleads with Merkel to be given extra time”. The Express reports more than 2,500 town hall employees are on salaries of more than £100k. “Council fat cats costing you millions,” its headline says. The Mirror has a story about investigations into people suspected of committing atrocities in Rwanda: “Yard probes ‘genocide 5’ living in Britain”.
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