News Round-Up

• “Fix your country, Trump tells Starmer” – Donald Trump has escalated his row with Keir Starmer over Chagos and Greenland, reports the Telegraph.
• “Trump gatecrashes Davos’s cosy cocktail club” – Trump has ruffled feathers in Davos by turning up with tariff threats and geopolitical warnings, notes the Telegraph.
• “It’s a crowded field, but Bridget Phillipson’s failure to protect free speech in universities makes her the most useless Cabinet minister” – In the Mail, I take a pop at the Education Secretary for failing to implement the complaints scheme in the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act.
• “Lucy Letby will not be charged with any more crimes, prosecutors announce after investigation into allegations of murder and attempted murder against nine infants” – Prosecutors have decided not to bring further charges against Lucy Letby after an investigation into nine infant deaths, reports the Mail.
• “Bombshell dossier of ‘never before seen’ Letby docs could ‘prove she’s innocent’” – Campaigners have said a new dossier of case documents has strengthened claims Lucy Letby is innocent, claims the Sun.
• “Lucy Letby convictions must be reviewed, MPs say after cases closed” – MPs have called for a review of Lucy Letby’s convictions after the CPS announced no further charges would be, says the Telegraph.
• “Daily Mail owner’s Telegraph takeover to be investigated” – Lisa Nandy is minded to refer Lord Rothermere’s £500m bid for the Telegraph to regulators, reveals the Telegraph.
• “Allies warn Britain to reject Chinese super-embassy plans” – Britain’s allies have urged Sir Keir Starmer to reject plans for China’s ‘super-embassy’ in London, according to the Telegraph.
• “The failing Labour council leaders trying to put off an election” – Council leaders have been accused of putting off elections to dodge accountability, reports the Telegraph.
• “Labour MPs attack ‘unprecedented’ decision to cancel elections” – Labour MPs attacked plans to delay local elections after an in response to a Urgent Question in Parliament, says the Telegraph.
• “Sir Lindsay Hoyle: Local elections should go ahead” – The House of Commons Speaker says the postponed local elections should go ahead, according to the Telegraph.
• “Britain’s gridlock politics? Poll shows top five parties separated by just 10 points – with Reform’s lead ‘softening’ despite Tory defections” – A YouGov poll has put the top five parties within 10 points of each other, reveals the Mail.
• “Stop ‘nonsensical objections’ to leaving ECHR, Jack Straw tells PM” – Jack Straw has urged the PM to stop making “nonsensical objections” to leaving the ECHR, reports the Telegraph.
• “Businesses face ‘existential crisis’ from Labour’s hiring overhaul” – Employers have warned Labour’s hiring overhaul could trigger an “existential crisis” for businesses, says the Telegraph.
• “China’s population falls again as birthrate drops 17% to record low” – China’s population has fallen for a fourth consecutive year, with its birthrate plunging to a record low, writes Amy Hawkins in the Guardian.
• “Uber abandons pledge to hit Labour’s electric car target” – Uber has abandoned its pledge to hit Labour’s electric-car target before 2030, reports the Telegraph.
• “New study: Brazil’s relative sea level was 2+ meters higher and SSTs 3–4°C warmer 6,000 years ago” – Brazil’s relative sea level was over 2m higher and its SSTs 3–4°C warmer 6,000 years ago, writes Kenneth Richard in the NoTricksZone.
• “Is £100 million for a bat shed a waste of money? HS2 says not” – HS2 has defended spending £100 million on a bat shed as a proportionate environmental response, reveals the Times.
• “Church of England has a ‘gospel imperative’ to press on with £100 million slavery reparations plan, new Archbishop says” – The new Archbishop of Canterbury has insisted the Church of England should press on with its £100 million slavery reparations plan, claims the Mail.
• “Just a moment…” – In the Critic, Katie Lam MP urges the Church of England to abandon its £100 million reparations scheme.
• “Farage Refusing to Read the Room on Islam” – Nigel Farage has misread the mood by Reform’s top table with Muslims, argues Frank Haviland in the The Frank Report.
• “SAS chiefs in last-ditch effort to kill Starmer’s Troubles Act” – Retired SAS chiefs have mounted a last-ditch bid to block Starmer’s Troubles Act, says the Telegraph.
• “Most Britons lack trust in people with ‘different values’” – A new survey has found many Britons don’t trust people with ‘different values’, reports the Times.
• “‘Not always efficient’ to take fraudsters to court, says police commissioner” – A police commissioner has said it has “not always efficient” to take fraudsters to court, according to the Telegraph.
• “Sharia courts are an affront to liberal democracy” – Unofficial sharia courts are harmful to women’s rights and equality under the law, writes Andrew Doyle in his Sustack.
• “Nurse who called paedophile trans patient ‘Mr’ hails ‘common sense’ victory as she’s allowed to keep her job after facing disciplinary for speaking publicly about ordeal” – Jennifer Melle has kept her NHS job after being cleared over calling a trans patient ‘Mr’, says the Mail.
• “The police have spent 660,000 hours in the last 11 years investigating non-crimes” – Watch me table an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill scrapping non-crime hate incidents.

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