Top story: Harsh environment ‘permeates welfare state’
Good morning – Warren Murray here to synchronise you with the news.
The Home Office is deporting vulnerable homeless people after luring them to “immigration surgeries” hosted by charities and places of worship that are supposed to be safe havens for them, the Guardian has learned. The Salvation Army, Sikh gurdwaras and a Chinese community support centre have been among bodies allowing Home Office teams in London to run the sessions, which are presented as a way that homeless people may be able to get help and regularise their immigration status. Instead, if enforcement officials conclude that attendees have no right to be in the country, they can be targeted for voluntary removal or deportation. The practice has been condemned by other charities and lawyers for deepening mistrust between homeless people towards authorities.
Simon Hattenstone and Daniel Lavelle today revisit the story of Gyula Remes, a Hungarian man who died on Westminster’s doorstep. Jean Demars writes that the hostile environment’s highly politicised agenda has “permeated every capillary and access point of the welfare state and civil society”.
‘Appalling’ – England’s Euro 2020 qualifier in Sofia came close to being abandoned after Bulgarian fans repeatedly racially abused Tyrone Mings, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford. Play was halted twice in the first half, and at half-time the Bulgaria captain, Ivelin Popov, approached an area of the stands where the chants were coming from to plead for his supporters to stop. Many Bulgarian fans then left the stadium with their team already 4-0 down, although some of the chanting continued. The FA chairman, Greg Clarke, described it as “one of the most appalling nights I’ve seen in football”. Gareth Southgate praised his players, saying he was “incredibly proud” they had taken a stand by having play halted twice. Barney Ronay indicts Bulgarian spectators for “gleefully taking the opportunity to abuse black footballers and to demonstrate in some cases that they are fascists … For now, no other European nation should be asked to play in Sofia.”
Trump rounds on Turkey – Just over a week after clearing the way for Turkish troops to pour into Syria, Donald Trump has now imposed sanctions on Turkey, called for a ceasefire and suspended trade talks witn Ankara. The region’s Kurdish forces have turned to a deal with the Russian-backed Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, to help fend off Turkey’s invasion. Three orphan siblings believed to be British citizens have been evacuated from one area under Turkish assault – they are thought to have travelled to Syria with their parents from London five years ago. Save the Children said: “Children in Syria who have fled Isis-held areas are innocent.” A UK government spokesperson said it would look at all such cases but “this process is far from straightforward.” The Turkish assault has dented Saudi Arabia’s confidence in Donald Trump, according to the kingdom’s ambassador to the UK, Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud. The ambassador called Trump a “tweet monster” and said: “The last thing we need is another front of chaos in the region and I think we just got it.”
Booker rules torn up – The judges of this year’s Booker prize have named Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo its first joint winners in almost 30 years. They chose two novels: Atwood’s The Testaments, a follow-up to her dystopian The Handmaid’s Tale, and Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other, which is told in the voices of 12 different characters, mostly black women.
“The more we talked about them, the more we treasured both of them and wanted them both as winners,” said Peter Florence, the chair of judges. “We couldn’t separate them.” The cash prize of £50,000 will be split between the two authors. Justine Jordan, the Guardian’s deputy literary editor, responds: “Two extraordinary books, then: but it has to be said that this feels like a fudge, weighing a huge event novel against a more obscure choice and trying to have it both ways.”
‘We need more time’ – Boris Johnson appears to have edged closer to the parliamentary numbers needed to pass a Brexit deal, with more hardline Eurosceptics and pro-deal Labour MPs indicating they could back a new agreement with the EU. It is likely to become clear within the next few days whether it will be possible to get a deal at Thursday’s European summit – the government will have to table a motion in parliament by Wednesday if it wants to convene MPs for a Saturday sitting to debate any agreement. There are indications from EU leaders that they think an extension will be needed to allow the complicated talks to stretch into next week. “We need more time,” said the Finnish PM, Antti Rinne, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency.
Tory lobbying for oil firm revealed – Theresa May and David Cameron each pressed the Bahraini royal family to award a multibillion-dollar oil contract to Petrofac, a company headed by the major Conservative donor Ayman Asfari, the Guardian has established. Asfari and his wife, Sawsan, have given almost £800,000 to the Conservative party since 2009 as personal donations. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has been investigating Petrofac over suspected bribery, corruption and money laundering. In February this year a former executive pleaded guilty to 11 counts of offering bribes in an attempt to secure contracts in Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
Head injury drug breakthrough – Tranexamic acid, which is cheap and widely available, could save tens of thousands of lives each year from dying of head injuries, researchers say. It slows the breakdown of blood clots and is already used to control heavy bleeding in people who have, for example, been shot or stabbed. New research suggests it should be rapidly administered to patients with mild to moderate traumatic brain injuries, for instance from a car crash. “If you reduce the bleeding you could save their life because they are bleeding more slowly,” said the study’s co-leader, Professor Ian Roberts of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “If you stop them bleeding it stops them developing a big bruise inside the head which can squash the brain and kill you.”
Today in Focus podcast: The Hongkonger’s tale
A Hong Kong protester describes why he has returned to the streets, week in week out, in the face of an increasingly brutal crackdown by the authorities. And: Polly Toynbee on the Queen’s speech.
The Hongkonger’s tale
Lunchtime read: The DIY pharmacist of Amsterdam
When Leadiant Biosciences raised the price of its synthetic liver enzyme CDCA from €30,000 to €150,000 year, the Netherlands’ health insurers refused to keep paying for patients’ treatment. So there was only one thing for pharmacist Marleen Kemper to do: make it herself, so that sufferers of a rare genetic disorder known as CTX could continue to receive the drug that gives them back their lives.
The respected hospital pharmacist at Amsterdam UMC’s Academic Medical Centre would always be the one to do something like this: at school she watched two classmates get ill and die, and carried into her career in medicine a steely determination to do right by her patients. Leadiant holds the exclusive EU rights to its version of CDCA, but pharmacies are allowed to make (or “compound”) a prescribed drug on a small scale for their patients. But when you undercut big pharma, things quickly get interesting.
Sport
Gareth Southgate felt his England players made a “major statement” in getting their Euro 2020 qualifier against Bulgaria halted twice as he reflected on a disturbing spectacle that will live long in sporting infamy. Elsewhere, Northern Ireland achieved what England could not as they beat the Czech Republic in Prague and Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 700th career goal when he converted a 72nd-minute penalty in Portugal’s defeat by Ukraine.
Michael Cheika has questioned the wisdom of Eddie Jones bringing the Australian rugby league legend Ricky Stuart into the England camp and behind enemy lines in the week of their World Cup quarter-final clash. Josh Adams’s outstanding impression on Test rugby has left him on the verge of a World Cup record for Wales as he prepares for the biggest week of his career. Adams has already scored five tries in Japan. And Ferrari were left to rue shambolic management of their drivers after Mercedes flexed their muscles at the Japanese GP and delivered a near-perfect showing at Suzuka.
Business
Government attempts to claw back pay and bonuses from executives who presided over the collapse of Thomas Cook are likely to recoup no more than £1m. Directors will appear before MPs today to explain how the company went bust while executives were awarded millions in remuneration. But it is believed that only a fraction will be returned to administrators. Stocks made modest gains in Asia overnight and the FTSE100 looks set to rise as well this morning. The pound is worth $1.262 and €1.144.
The papers
The Queen’s speech features prominently on a lot of the front pages today. The i has a large picture of the Queen and the headline: “Johnson’s wishlist”, the Express has: “Boris: I’ll get this amazing country moving again” and the Times reports: “Queen’s speech sets out PM’s election manifesto”. The Telegraph has a large picture of the smiling Queen and the assessment that “Johnson edges closer to Brexit deal”.
Racist abuse directed against English football players in Bulgaria leads on some of the front pages including the Mirror: “England stand tall against the racists” and the Sun: “Bulgar off, you racists”.
In other news, the FT leads on “Facebook fears digital currency delay as regulatory hurdles loom”, the Guardian has: “March of the ‘welfare robot’ triggers fears for poorest” and the Daily Mail reports on backlash from customers after Barclays announced it would end cash withdrawals at post offices: “15 million reasons to think again, Barclays!”
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