Plus, why are people using a horse drug to treat Covid-19?
| Johnson to continue cabinet reshuffle |
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| | | It’s been the biggest shake-up since Boris Johnson became prime minister - and there’s more change to come. His cabinet reshuffle has so far seen some big names go, some stay while others have moved to different roles. Notably, Gavin Williamson was sacked as education secretary, Robert Buckland lost his job as justice secretary, with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab replacing him - and taking the title of deputy prime minister too. Downing Street insists his new position running prisons, courts, and the legal system isn’t a demotion and doesn’t reflect his handling of Afghanistan. Mr Raab’s been replaced by Liz Truss, making her the Tory party's first female foreign secretary - and only the second woman to hold the role after Labour's Margaret Beckett. "We will build back better from the pandemic and deliver on your priorities," says Mr Johnson. He tweeted his new cabinet would "work tirelessly to unite and level up the whole country", adding: "Now let's get on with the job." The job of reshuffling isn’t over yet as changes continued late into Wednesday following an afternoon of announcements. Mr Johnson’s expected to rejig his junior and middle-ranking ministers, which could take days, and wider changes will also follow today. Prime ministers rarely wield as much power as on the day of the big hirings and firings, says our political editor Laura Kuenssberg. Keep reading to find out more about her take on the reshuffle. | |
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| New security pact to counter China |
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| With worries about China's growing power and military presence in the Indo-Pacific, the UK, US and Australia have decided to join forces. They’ve created a new security pact, named Aukus, so they can share advanced defence technologies as well as focusing on artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and cyber capabilities. It’s part of a plan to counter China’s presence and allows Australia - which has since scrapped a A$50bn (€31bn; £27bn) defence contract with France - to build nuclear-powered submarines for the first time. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the three nations were natural allies, adding: "This partnership will become increasingly vital for defending our interests, and... protecting our people back at home." This pact underlines the growing importance of the Indo-Pacific region to both the US and the UK, says our defence correspondent Jonathan Beale. | |
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| Will working from the office full-time return? |
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| Many of us have been working from home during the pandemic. For some that will have meant working at home full-time while for others that will have been shared with time in the office. So what happens when we move into a post pandemic world? According to a survey for the BBC, most people don’t believe full-time office working will return. The majority of those who took part say they would prefer to work from home either full-time or at least some of the time. And 70% of 1,684 people polled think workers would "never return to offices at the same rate". But there is a concern among managers that creativity in the workplace would be affected. | |
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| | | | | "This is a mad way to run the country," confessed a member of the government. Whether prime ministers wield sharp knives or attack with blunt spoons, reshuffle days like this are indeed a strange mixture of bravado and farce. Bravado when, earlier, one cabinet minister told me, "I think I'm OK," as, ashen-faced, looking nauseous and clammy, they were en route to see the prime minister before promptly being sacked. And farce when, as legend has it, on several occasions, would-be ministers end up jobless, because the post-it notes with their name on fell off the board. Forgotten, their career plunged to the floor too. The way the most senior government politicians are recruited and removed is bizarre and brutal. For weeks ministers have nervously inquired of journalists: "Is it on?" And inhabitants of the Westminster village who claim real knowledge of the plan are rarely those who truly know. But, whatever the curious British traditions of how it's done, it is what is done that makes the difference. | |
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| | Laura Kuenssberg | Political editor | |
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| | | | The prime minister’s cabinet reshuffle, which the Daily Telegraph says was "more extensive than expected", is carried in most of the front pages this morning. According to the Daily Express, it was Boris Johnson’s "biggest shake-up yet", describing it as a "ruthless cull to deliver Britain’s future". The i’s take on the changes which included Dominic Raab’s demotion, Gavin Williamson sacking and Liz Truss’s promotion is that Mr Johnson has sacked his "blundering cabinet allies". The Financial Times reports the reshuffle has been "broadly welcomed" by Conservative MPs, with a senior member saying "he's cleared out the dead wood". Read the newspaper review in full here. | |
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| | | Covid Call for period changes after jabs to be investigated |
| | | | UK Power prices soar after key cable hit by blaze |
| | | | France At least seven people die while swimming in choppy seas |
| | | | Space Amateur astronauts launch on 'inspiration' mission |
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| If you watch one thing today |
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| If you listen to one thing today |
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| If you read one thing today |
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| Need something different? |
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| How many times have you forgotten your password and then had to reset it? You won’t have to think about tapping the right keys on a keyboard anymore with most Microsoft accounts because they’re ditching passwords. You’ll be logging in another - more secure - way, according to the technology giant. Find out more here. We’re changing key with the next one - and it might strike a chord with you. It turns out about 1m people in the UK learnt an instrument and others took music lessons during the pandemic. Does this sound familiar? Take a look at what we discovered. And finally, researchers have learnt something new about camel sculptures carved into rock faces in Saudi Arabia. They’ve discovered they’re from the prehistoric era, and weren't created 2,000 years ago as first thought. Read more here. | |
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| | | | 1978 More than 11,000 people are feared dead after an earthquake hits the south-east region of Iran, destroying one town and damaging dozens of villages. |
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| Let us know what you think of this newsletter by emailing bbcnewsdaily@bbc.co.uk. If you’d like to recommend it to a friend, forward this email. New subscribers can sign up here. | |
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