Top story: Javid tries to move on from Windrush fiasco
Good morning briefers. I’m Martin Farrer and these are the top stories this Tuesday.
As the new home secretary, Sajid Javid, vowed to “do right” in his new job, the victims of the Windrush scandal expressed their shock at the dramatic political fallout from their case. Several of them welcomed the appointment of Javid, the son of Pakistani immigrants and first non-white politician to hold one of the great offices of state. But Nick Broderick, who faced deportation to Jamaica after 60 years living in the UK, said Theresa May “has to take the blame as well”. Another, Sarah O’Connor, a nurse from north London, hoped their treatment would be fairer but also that the affair would highlight the resurgence of racism in Britain which she said the government’s policies had fired up. “I thought it had been stamped out,” she said.
The government tried to move on from the Windrush fiasco as May put faith in the ability of Javid to reset the immigration system. Striking a superhero-style pose outside his new offices on Monday, Javid disowned the “hostile environment” policy at the root of the government’s travails. His boss, however, did not. The prime minister was on the local election campaign trail and tried to distance herself from the debacle, insisting that Rudd’s departure was simply because she had misled the Commons.
The case also shows why it’s crucial that power be held to account and why independent, investigative journalism is so important, writes our editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner. The Guardian’s reporting, with the support of our readers, had helped exposed shocking policy and forced accountability at the top of government.
Cardinal charges – George Pell, one of the most senior figures in the Catholic church, will stand trial for alleged historical sexual offences after a court in Australia ruled that he had a case to answer. The cardinal, who was in charge of the Vatican’s finances until he was summoned back to his home country to face court last year, has always denied the accusations and pleaded not guilty at the hearing in Melbourne overnight. Although the magistrate threw out some charges because of unreliable witnesses, she gave the go-ahead to several others. Read how the day’s events panned out in our live blog here..
Some questions, Mr President – Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating links between Donald Trump’s election campaign and Russia, has drawn up a list of almost 50 questions he wants to put to the president. They focus mainly on obstruction of justice issues, according to the New York Times, which has obtained a copy of the list. One of the more dramtic questions is: “What knowledge did you have of any outreach by your campaign, including by Paul Manafort, to Russia about potential assistance to the campaign?” This breaks new ground as there was no previous evidence linking Manafort to an approach to Moscow. The questions also make clear that Trump is a subject, not a mere witness, in the investigation.
Iran accused – The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has accused Iran of cheating on the nuclear deal it signed with western powers in 2015. In a presentation with slides and photographs, he alleged that documents acquired by his intelligence agents prove Iran lied when it said it had never had a nuclear arms program. The New York Times reports that the documents were stolen from a warehouse by Mossad agents. Netanyahu’s accusation comes less than two weeks before Donald Trump is due to decide whether to continue to abide by the 2015 deal by waiving US sanctions against Iran.
Facebook’s ups and downs – Facebook is trialling a “dislike” button which would allow users to give comments a thumbs down as it tries to win back confidence about its privacy policy. The trial has started in Australia and New Zealand and means that when users hover over a comment, a box appears explaining how they can approve or disaprove. A Facebook spokeswoman said the trial was in its early stages and no decision had been made to roll it out to all 2.2 billion users. Meanwhile, the WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum has quit Facebook’s board in a dispute over plans to share the data of the users of the messaging service. Koum, who apparently plans to now spend more time with his collection of air-cooled Porsches, has always opposed having ads on WhatsApp.
Coup de théâtre – It’s not over until the skinny bloke sings, as they probably don’t say in the City. But yesterday the staid world of business was taken aback when Sainsbury’s chief executive, Mike Coupe, was seen singing the 42nd Street tune We’re in the Money as he waited to discuss his company’s £15bn merger with Asda on ITV news. Coupe, an accomplished musician, later apologised for his “inappropriate” choice of song. More seriously, our financial expert Nils Pratley thinks the singing grocer might have struck too optimistic a tone on a deal yet to win regulatory approval.
Lunchtime read: Venice barriers make tourists take the scenic route
It’s May Day today, of course, and that means a bank holiday across much of Europe. But in Venice it’s no cause for celebration as the city braces for one of its busiest days amid an influx of thousands of tourists. Overcrowding is destroying the city, according to many, and the authorities have decided to install turnstiles and barriers to separate visitors from locals. In a trial starting today, only those who have an Oyster-style card issued to locals will be allowed to take direct routes into the city from two key entry points – the railway station and the coach park. The rest will be forced to take the long way round via routes fenced in by one-metre high barriers, in order to control the huge numbers of tourists. Not everyone agrees with the plan to cope with what the Venetians call the “invasion” and “Bollino Nero” – or code black. One said: “It looks like we are living in prison.” Another activist said: “It announces to the world that, like Disneyland, Venice opens and closes with a gate.”
Sport
Dele Alli’s opener provided Tottenham with a springboard to move five points clear of fifth-placed Chelsea with a 2-0 win over West Ham; Mauricio Pochettino’s side will now pip Liverpool to third place if they win their final three matches. After his unlikely win in Azerbaijan, Lewis Hamilton is four points ahead of Sebastian Vettel in the F1 standings, but Mercedes face an uphill battle to match Ferrari. Philippa York has suggested the macho culture in professional cycling is preventing riders from coming out as gay. The weather failed to put a dampener on an intriguing final day of the County Championship’s third round, with Somerset bowling Yorkshire out for 202 to win by 118 runs, the first time they have triumphed in their opening two games since 1993. And the Australian rugby union international Nick Phipps has apologised after urinating on a bar while dressed as a cow on his stag night in a Sydney pub.
Business
The US government has postponed its decision on whether to impose tariffs on goods from the EU, stepping back from a potential trade war. On the markets, Australian shares were boosted by a similar reprieve from the US on trade, with many Asian markets closed. The pound is on $1.375 and €1.139.
The papers
The Mirror leads on the mounting pressure on Theresa May over the Windrush scandal with the headline “Mayday, Mayday”. The Sun reports that Javid is the UK’s first non-white home secretary and will be “his own man” on immigration, hinting at more a liberal policy approach. The Guardian says “Javid steps into the breach as May tries to halt Windrush crisis and the Times says “Javid to end hostile era for illegal immigrants”.
The Telegraph’s front page goes with the allegations that Iran lied over its nuclear deal, the Mail leads on the Lords’ vote against the Brexit bill with the head “House of unelected wreckers”, while the Express splashes on “Caring in crisis”. The FT likes the mergers boom in the City, saying “Bonanza day of deals hits as pace of M&A breaks records”.
For more news: www.theguardian.com
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