Top story: abuse in the corridors of power
Good morning to you all, Graham Russell here with today’s news, views and sports.
The true extent of sexual harassment in Westminster could emerge this week as accounts of abuse of power continue to surface. Over the weekend two senior Tories have already failed to deny, or apologised for, past behaviour such as asking an assistant to buy sex toys and sending sexually explicit messages to a teenage job applicant. Theresa May has already moved to protect MPs’ staff, calling on the Speaker, John Bercow, to establish an independent mediation service and to force MPs to adopt a grievance procedure that is at present voluntary.
“We’re not going to be immune from it,” said Labour MP Lucy Powell. “It’s the attitudes and the power inequalities, whether it’s Hollywood, the BBC or Westminster.”
It comes as more than 150 artists, curators and museum directors have signed a letter denouncing sexual harassment in the art world. “We have been groped, undermined, harassed, infantilised, scorned, threatened, and intimidated by those in positions of power who control access to resources and opportunities,” it says.
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A military line in the sand – A major step in tackling Europe’s human trafficking crisis will be decided today in the UN, when plans for a 5,000-strong five-nation army will be put under their noses. It is intended to bring stability to north Africa, the jumping-off point for many desperate for a better life in Europe. Since 2014, 30,000 have died in the Sahara and 10,000 drowned in the central Mediterranean. Inevitably, the problems centre on who will pay the $400m bill (clue: Trump isn’t happy). In the latest pieces in our collaborative series, we look at how Libya turns into a dead end for so many and how Europe exported its refugee crisis abroad.
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Kevin Spacey – The Hollywood star has apologised after being accused of making unwelcome sexual advances towards a 14-year-old actor at a party in 1986. He said he did not remember the incident but if it happened it was likely to have been “deeply inappropriate drunken behaviour”. Alleged victim Anthony Rapp said he had “locked away” the alleged incident within himself, being spurred to come forward after recent revelations against Harvey Weinstein.
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Beyond the blade – Last night a teenage boy was stabbed to death in Croydon, south London, the constituency of Sarah Jones who is leading efforts in Westminster to tackle the growing problem of knife crime. As police launched a murder investigation, Jones said knife crime had doubled in a year and that is was now “a public health crisis”. She has previously called for a 10-year multi-agency approach similar to that which reduced the number of teenage pregnancies.
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Gordon Brown in his own words – He did the right thing, he just didn’t communicate it well enough. That, if you are of the modern TLDR social media generation, is essentially what Gordon Brown says of his tenure at No 10 in an autobiography coming out soon. “I fell short in communicating my ideas. I failed to rally the nation. We won the battle – to escape recession – but we lost the war – to build something better,” he writes. A penny for the one-time chancellor’s thoughts on the challenge facing Philip Hammond, who must juggle a £20bn hole in the nation’s coffers as well as public-sector wage increases, Brexit turmoil and fiscal targets.
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Trump’s tour of note – Remember Piko Taro? Possibly not, but what if I say the words Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen? The singer behind the 45-second viral hit has apparently been recruited to entertain Donald Trump during his Asia tour next week. Hopefully his ditty – plus his round of golf with PM Shinzo Abe – will relax the US president to the extent he will not escalate the region’s nuclear tensions.
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Lunchtime read: We don’t have to kill Isis returnees
A former director of global counter-terrorism at MI6 questions the wisdom of killing UK citizens who have returned after fighting for Isis, saying there are both practical and ideological reasons why there might be a better way. Responding to minister Rory Stewart’s suggestion last week that British Isis fighters should die, Richard Barrett says that, apart from the serious legal issues his statement raises, it overlooks the fact that about 400 returnees are back in the UK already. He also makes the point that there is no advantage in abandoning our values of tolerance and justice in this way. In fact the reverse is true: it gives the terrorists an easy victory.
Sport
Lewis Hamilton has established himself as the greatest British racing driver of all time after he won his fourth world championship at the Mexican Grand Prix. He said achievement “doesn’t feel real”. England’s rugby union team have flown to Portugal for a week-long training camp with fitness question marks over four players before the November internationals. After England Under-17s’ 5-2 triumph against Spain in Kolkata, Antonio Conte has said youth team success will make the senior side “very difficult to beat” in future. West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle has won a defamation case in Australia over claims by a masseuse that he showed her his penis.
Caroline Wozniacki claimed the biggest title of her career after staving off a Venus Williams fightback to win the WTA Finals title. Houston Texans players have staged a protest against their team’s owner, Bob McNair, after he said “we can’t have the inmates running the prison” when speaking about the NFL protest movement. And in horse racing, the death of Big Fella Thanks has provoked calls for a debate on the age limit for veteran steeplechasers.
Business
The manufacturing sector could be at the forefront of new technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, 3D printing, and augmented and virtual reality, if a deal can be struck with the government, a review has found. Siemens chief Jürgen Maier said the move could be worth £455bn over the next decade, create thousands of jobs and serve as an antidote to the Brexit gloom.
The high court is being swamped by cases involving music piracy and illegal streaming of Premier League matches, an analysis has shown. Nearly 130 cases were brought by the music licensing and performance rights bodies, plus 39 by the Football Association.
The pound is buying $1.313 and €1.131.
The papers
Today’s papers mostly focus on a jubilant Lewis Hamilton’s celebration of another world championship and MPs’ sexual abuse.
The Times and the Mail set themselves the task of pinning the blame for the sexual harassment crisis engulfing (both major parties in) Westminster on Theresa May, saying she is “struggling” or “battling” to contain the crisis. The Times paints an uncomfortable image, saying the PM was “struggling last night to keep ahead of the tide of sexual harassment allegations”. The Mail is also at pains to play down its own front page, saying the complaints “should not be confused with the very serious allegations” against Harvey Weinstein.
The Guardian makes the point that the only thing separating the Conservatives and Labour on the harassment issue is time, with MPs predicting more sleaze allegations will emerge from both sides. It also carries newslines from Gordon Brown’s autobiography and the potential jailing of Catalonia’s president.
The Telegraph stands by May, saying it understands she will sack any minister proven to be a “sex pest”, with smaller stories on Philip Hammond saying the NHS must make savings to fund a pay rise, and Catalonia’s sacked MPs promising to turn up to work regardless. The i doesn’t pick a side, choosing the headline: “May calls for crackdown on abusive MPs.”
The Mirror moves from Westminster to focus on harassment claims at the BBC and the suspension of Radio 5 Live presenter George Riley. It also carries a picture story promoting the Pride of Britain awards tonight, at which emergency services personnel attending the Grenfell Tower fire and Manchester arena bombing will be among those honoured.
The FT puts Spain’s turmoil front and centre, with the headline: “Catalonia’s first day of direct rule puts Madrid authority to the test.” It also can’t resist a bit of Brexit, with its very own analysis stating the UK’s main European trade partners haven’t enough customs officials to handle a no-deal Brexit.
The Sun tries to throw the Great British Bake Off’s Sophie Faldo off her game with claims she is being investigated for benefits fraud. And the Express focuses on the news that married people should stay married if only to cut the chances of developing dementia. The headline is: “Stay married to avoid dementia.”
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