UK News Today: New Rwanda plan & England heartbreak
Today’s UK news is heavily dominated by UK politics, as Home Secretary James Cleverly signed a new Rwanda treaty – one that addresses concerns raised by the Supreme Court and Boris Johnson’s appearance at the Covid inquiry.
Politics will likely dominate the rest of the week – as Boris Johnson will appear for two days to give evidence over his handling of the pandemic and immigration is another hot topic – its set to be top of the agenda for this week’s Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs).
UK IN FOCUS
Cleverly signs new Rwanda deal that address concerns
Home Secretary James Cleverly has said that a new treaty with Rwanda addresses concerns raised by the UK’s Supreme Court, which recently deemed the government’s plan to send migrants to Rwanda as unlawful due to potential human rights breaches. Tories on the right of the party are putting pressure on the PM to stop boat crossings. More than 45,000 people came to the UK via small boats in 2022. Over the next few days, the government will bring forward new legislation to try to avoid more legal challenges to its Rwanda plan. The PM must decide whether he wants to infuriate his party’s moderate MPs or get behind the right of the party.
Brits wake up to frost, fog, and below-freezing temperatures
The UK woke up to a Wednesday morning marked by cold temperatures, frost, and fog, with no relief in sight. Persistent rain led to nearly 200 flood warnings and alerts across England, causing motorways to resemble rivers and making travel extremely difficult. Seven road closures persisted overnight, and National Highways provided no estimated timeframe for reopening severely flooded sections of major roads. The Met Office issued two yellow weather warnings for ice in Scotland until 11 am, cautioning about icy patches on untreated roads. Another rain warning was in effect for Northern Ireland until 4 am. Forecasters anticipate a brief dry spell with sunshine today, followed by increasing wind and cloudiness in the afternoon, with rain expected later, particularly in the southwest, Northern Ireland, and Wales. The unsettled weather is predicted to persist throughout the week, including the weekend, with temperatures remaining around average.
Woman killed and boy, 16, injured after shooting in Hackney
Tragedy unfolded in London as a woman lost her life, and two others, a 20-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy, sustained injuries in a shooting incident at a residence in Vine Close around 6 pm on Tuesday, according to the Metropolitan Police. Despite the efforts of emergency services, the 42-year-old woman succumbed to her injuries at the scene, and her next of kin are currently being informed. A murder investigation has started, and as of now, no arrests have been made. Initial reports suggest that the crime may be linked to an online feud over ‘territory’ between the involved parties, and the police are actively seeking two armed men believed to be responsible for the shooting.
‘Devastated’ – Team GB miss out on 2024 Olympics despite England thrashing Scotland
Despite England’s dominant 6-0 victory over Scotland at Hampden Park in their final Nations League group game, Team GB’s football team failed to qualify for the 2024 Olympics. The Lionesses secured a 4-0 lead in the first half with goals from Alex Greenwood, Beth Mead, and a two-minute brace from Lauren James. Fran Kirby and Lucy Bronze added to the score in the second half. However, the victory needed to be by at least three more goals than the Dutch to keep Team GB’s Olympic qualification hopes alive. Despite entering injury time with a glimmer of hope, the Netherlands secured a 4-0 win over Belgium, dashing Team GB’s chances. The irony of Scotland needing to lose to England for some of their players to go to the Olympics was noted, although both sides denied any intention of rigging the game for Team GB’s benefit.
Covid inquiry: Boris Johnson in the hot seat
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson will make an appearance at the Covid inquiry today – (he arrived three hours early), his first of a two-day grilling over his handling of the pandemic. His appearance comes after another twist in the saga that is Boris Johnson’s WhatsApp messages, as it has been revealed that nearly six months of messages could not be retrieved. A spokesperson for Johnson blamed a “technical issue.” There has already been a lengthy saga over evidence submitted by Johnson, as PM Rishi Sunak’s government has refused to hand over Johnson’s unredacted messages, notebooks and diaries until ordered to do so by the high court.
Thousands of junior doctors to strike
Junior doctors in England have decided on more strikes in December and January after rejecting a new pay offer in talks with the government. The British Medical Association (BMA) union disclosed that the proposed offer amounted to an additional 3% on average this year, in addition to the 8.8% increase already granted. The planned strikes are scheduled for three days starting at 07:00 on 20 December and an unprecedented six days starting at 07:00 on 3 January, making it the longest walkout in the NHS’s history. The breakdown in negotiations occurred after five weeks of talks, during which industrial action had been temporarily halted. The BMA is advocating for a 35% pay increase to offset what it claims are below-inflation raises since 2008.
SPORT IN FOCUS
England thrash Scotland
International Football: England beat Scotland 6-0 but despite the thrashing, it wasn’t enough to get England to the top of the Women’s Nations League – or book Team GB’s spot at the Olympics. England did put on an incredible performance, however, but mistakes earlier in the campaign proved costly.
Rice scores late in thrilling match
Premier League: Declan Rice scored an injury-time goal to bag Arsenal all three points in a thrilling match against relegation-threatened Luton FC. It was a performance of two faces by Arsenal, with goalkeeper David Raya in the firing line for several huge errors that allowed Arsenal to even be in that situation.
Newspapers in focus
Catch up on today’s newspaper headlines.