Monday briefing: Corbyn's customs union crunch for May

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/26/monday-briefing-corbyns-customs-union-crunch-for-may

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Top story: Corbyn to set out post-Brexit priorities

Good morning. I’m Martin Farrer and these are the top stories to ensure you don’t get caught cold this chilly Monday.

Jeremy Corbyn will today increase the chance of Theresa May losing a crucial Commons vote on Brexit in the spring by pledging Labour’s support for remaining in the EU customs union. An alliance of Labour, the other opposition parties and pro-remain Tories could force the prime minister to adopt an amendment in the forthcoming trade bill to remain in the customs union, which her government opposes. Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, described it as “crunch time” for May while Liam Fox, the trade secretary, admitted that the government was delaying the bill because it was worried about losing a vote. Corbyn, however, will risk the wrath of some in his own party by stopping short of pledging to remain in the single market because it could crimp Labour’s plans for economic reform.

In another part of the increasingly dense Brexit forest, the Cabinet Office minister, David Liddington, will map out concessions to the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland over what happens to powers being repatriated from Brussels. A “very big change” to the EU withdrawal bill will aim to head off accusations of a power grab by Whitehall.

‘Beast from the east’ – Prepare to be cold. Very cold. The so-called “beast from the east” is due to sweep into Britain this week bringing sub-zero temperatures and inevitable talk of travel chaos. The Met Office has issued an amber warning of snow for north-east, central and south-eastern England on Tuesday, and eastern Scotland on Wednesday. It says travel delays on road, rail and at airports are likely. Rural communities could be cut off, people could lose their phone signal and wind chill could make some some areas feel like it’s minus 15C. The cold snap, which means parts of the Arctic circle could be warmer, will last for a week and has been caused by stratospheric warming that will suck cold air in from Siberia.

Leicester explosion – Six people are in hospital, two of them with critical injuries, after an explosion destroyed a convenience store in Leicester on Sunday night. Video taken at the scene showed flames billowing into the night sky as fire engulfed the shop, which also had a flat above. Police declared a major incident after the blast in Hinckley Road and six fire engines were needed to get the fire under control. Kat Pattinson, who lives nearby, said “there was a huge bang and the whole house shook. If there had been no bang, I would have thought it was an earthquake”. Another resident said the scene of destruction was “like a movie”.

Millennials’ growing problem – One in seven millennials will be dangerously overweight before they hit middle age, placing them on course to be Britain’s fattest generation ever. As part of a new campaign against obesity, Cancer Research UK forecasts that people born between the early 1980s and mid-1990s are set to overtake baby boomers as the age group with the highest proportion of overweight or obese people. Half the postwar generation were too heavy by the time they reached 35 to 44, but 70% of millennials will reach the same mark by 2026-28. The charity, which says excess weight is linked to 13 types of cancer, says millennials needed to cut down on junk food and eat more healthily. Even if they escape being overweight, another study suggests young adults face the increasing scourge of cyberbullying.

‘A dictator for life’ - A communique released at the weekend by China’s ruling central committee appeared mundane. But it contained the bombshell that Xi Jinping is setting himself up for a lifetime in power by scrapping the two-term limit on presidential office. Our China correspondent, Tom Phillips, has been gauging reaction to the move which one leading expert, the former US diplomat Susan Shirk, said would ensure that Xi became a “dictator for life”. Rights activists said the crackdown on disssent which has marked Xi’s rule would now get much worse. Another China observer said Xi was becoming a “Putin-plus”, only “much more effective, much more powerful and, frankly, much more ambitious”.

‘Creepy’ and ‘sexist’ – New Zealanders have reacted angrily to an interview with their prime minister Jacinda Ardern for Australian TV, calling it “creepy” and “sexist”. In the interview, veteran broadcaster Charles Wooley describes Ardern as more attractive than any other prime minister he has ever met and speculates about when she and her partner, Clarke Gayford, might have conceived the baby they are expecting soon. At one point he asks: “How did a nice person like you get into the sordid world of politics?” The couple appear uncomfortable at times but social media users were outraged at the focus on “her looks and baby talk”.

Lunchtime read: Seven ways to boost your libido

This is maybe not so much a lunchtime read, perhaps more of an evening read. But the morning briefing is branching out to look at seven ways to boost your libido. Exhaustion, stress and a bad relationship can all contribute to a loss of sex drive, so what can you do about it? Nic Fleming, a science writer, is our guide through the morass and suggests, for starters, that it’s good to talk. If you’re not on good terms with your partner it’s less likely you’re going to have sex is the general gist, while studies have also found that a lack of sleep reduces sex drive. Fantasising can also help. “Therapists often tell women they can increase flagging interest in sex by fantasising, reading erotica or watching pornography, and research suggests they are right,” Nic writes.

Sport

Pep Guardiola believes that Manchester City’s 3-0 Carabao Cup final win – in which the club’s old guard swatted aside Arsenal – can fire their push for a treble of trophies this season. The manager also adopted a defiant tone against the FA in the wake of his charge for wearing a yellow ribbon in support of imprisoned Catalan politicians. England and Scotland must explain their roles in the tunnel bust-up involving Owen Farrell shortly before the Calcutta Cup match on Saturday, raising the possibility of disciplinary action against the England centre. Meanwhile, with the Six Nations suddenly his side’s to lose, Ireland coach Joe Schmidt is doing a manful job of trying to dampen the escalating expectations of his public. Tiger Woods has said his Masters plan is on track after Justin Thomas won the Honda Classic in a playoff with Luke List. And, as Formula One prepares to take to the track for the first time in 2018 at the opening test in Barcelona today, Zak Brown, the executive director of McLaren, has insisted that anything less than a marked improvement in performance from the British team would be unacceptable.

Business

Richard Adams, the former finance chief of Carillion, sold £800,000 worth of shares in the company after his retirement – and just months before a profit warning that marked the firm’s descent into administration and rendered shares worthless.

On the markets the pound is buying $1.399 and €1.137. The FTSE100 is expected to rise 0.5% at the open.

The papers

Jeremy Corbyn’s big Brexit speech has got the papers in a bit of a flap today.

The Mail fills its front page with the headline “Corbyn’s Brexit betrayal” over a story about how the Labour leader plans to keep Britain “shackled to Brussels”. It is a similar story at the Telegraph, with David Davis warning that Corbyn is “selling snake oil over Brexit”.

The Guardian has a different take: “Corbyn Brexit speech to put May on the spot”. But the FT is concerned with politics of another stripe, splashing on machinations in Beijing with the headline: “Xi set to tighten grip on power as China seeks to extend presidency”.

The Times leads on a story about new legislation that will challenge the independence of univerisites.

Elsewhere, the Mirror, Express, Metro and Star are preoccupied with the expected week-long big freeze in Britain. The Mirror’s splash headline is “Beware the beast from the east”, while the Express goes for the familar-sounding “Snow chaos to cripple Britain”.

For more news: www.theguardian.com

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