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| | Truss refuses to rule out real-terms benefits cut, as fiscal plan brought forward | |  | | | | | | | | | Even after scrapping plans to remove the top rate of income tax, the government still has to find £43bn for its tax-cutting growth plan. And despite pressure from fellow Conservatives, the prime minister is refusing to rule out real-terms cuts to benefits to help pay for it. Asked whether she would maintain a commitment to increase benefits in line with inflation, Ms Truss told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the government had to be "fiscally responsible" and bring debt down. However, she insisted she was "committed to supporting the most vulnerable", including providing an extra £1,200 to the poorest households. Read what she had to say.
After dropping his plan to scrap the 45p income-tax rate, Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng promised the Conservative Party conference he would deliver the rest of his "mini-budget". Cuts to the basic rate of income tax, the reversal of a recent National Insurance rise and cancellation of a hike in corporation tax are expected to be partly paid for by a squeeze on public spending. But after the government's announcement 11 days ago, without details of how the measures would be funded, the pound's value plummeted and rebounded, borrowing costs soared and the Bank of England bailed out pension funds. The chancellor has now indicated he will bring forward his explanation of how he will cut the UK's debt, from 23 November. A source says it's expected this month. | | | | | |
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| | North Korea fires missile over Japan | | | | | | | | | North Korea has fired a suspected intermediate range ballistic missile over northern Japan. The test prompted sirens warning people on the island of Hokkaido to take cover, before the missile fell into the Pacific Ocean about 3,000 km (1,860 miles) away, according to officials. It is Pyongyang's first launch over Japan since 2017 and appears to be designed to get the attention of Japan and the US, who have largely been ignoring leader Kim Jong-un, according to our correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes. Japan's prime minister condemned the launch as a "violent act". It comes days after Japan, the US and South Korea staged trilateral military exercises. | | | | | |
| | 'Loneliest man' to go home after 21 years in hospital | | | | | | | | | When Tony Hickmott, an autistic man, was sectioned after a mental health crisis in 2001, he was sent to a secure assessment and treatment unit. Designed to be a short-term safe space used in a crisis, it was a two-hour drive away from his parents, Pam and Roy. Two decades on, Tony remains one of about 2,000 people with autism or learning disabilities detained in hospitals in England. Last year, we highlighted his loneliness, living in segregation with little stimulation. Now, after a long fight by Tony's family and criticism of his detention from a judge, they have been told their son, 45, should next month be released into a new home close to where they live, in Brighton. "I can't believe it. It will be a real home... every day will be a bonus," says Pam, 78. Read Tony's story. | | | | | |
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| | | | | | | | | | | Hidden in dense vegetation along the coast north of Calais, two men are... crouching in the darkness. They swiftly prepare a boat to take migrants across the Channel. High above them in the pre-dawn gloom, the approaching buzz of a UK-funded drone signals the start of a familiar chase. Less than a kilometre away, French gendarmes scrutinise the two figures on the drone's thermal camera.
Within seconds the French officers have piled into a special buggy, also provided by the UK, and are bouncing across the sandy scrubland towards the site. It takes less than five minutes to get there, but the last 50m (164ft) must be covered on foot through thick, spiky vegetation, some of it chest-high. The two men flee, leaving behind the half-prepared boat, fuel and motor, and two sacks of life-jackets. | | | | | | | | | |
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| | | | | | | The front pages again focus on the policies of Liz Truss's government. The prime minister faces a fresh rebellion over spending cuts to cover the cost of further tax cuts, according to the i. Conservative MPs are plotting to avert a squeeze on benefits payments, the Guardian reports. The Daily Telegraph says rebels including former cabinet minister Michael Gove are "already breaking ranks" over moves to scrap a link between universal credit payments and inflation, in favour of a lower figure, such as the increase in average earnings. "Get a grip," is the Daily Mail's headline, reflecting the thoughts of "alarmed supporters worried about [Ms Truss's] determination to pursue the rest of her radical programme". | | | | | |
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| | | | | Abuse Care watchdog praised bosses at hospital | | | | | | | Trump Eight explosive revelations from new book | | | | | | | Kyrgios Tennis ace wants assault case dismissed over mental health | | | | | | | Denmark Queen 'sorry' after stripping grandchildren's titles | | | | | | |
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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? | | | | | | | | | Think about jewellery and what comes to mind? Gold and silver... diamonds and gemstones... pearls or beads, perhaps. Now, how about bacteria? It might sound disgusting but that's exactly what Chloe Fitzpatrick is using - winning herself a legion of fans, a design award and a commission in the process. Read how she does it.
And if doodling sounds like a more everyday type of art, how about using it to cover not just your walls but your bedding, you kitchen table, the crockery... even your microwave? That's just what Kent artist Sam Cox has done. Take a tour of his house to judge whether you'd like to wake up looking at his bedroom ceiling.
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| | | | | 1957 A Russian Sputnik satellite is launched into space, becoming first man-made object to leave Earth's atmosphere. | | | | | | |
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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. | | | | | |
