2022 November 19 Friday’s news by the Telegraph

A little bit later than normal, also presenting some news that would normally not catch the news. 😉

By Danny Boyle Good evening. Russia claims a successful test of its “Satan II” missile. We explore what that means, plus have the Autumn Statement fallout.

Evening briefing: Friday’s essential headlines Nuclear tensions | Russia today carried out its latest test of a new intercontinental ballistic missile that can carry multiple nuclear warheads. Kremlin military leaders claimed the launch of the system – dubbed “Satan II” by Western officials – was successful. After the last test firing, Vladimir Putin said the missile that can deploy with at least 10 warheads at a time will make Russia’s enemies “think twice”. Meanwhile, France re-ignited tensions with Australia after Emmanuel Macron warned the country had entered a “nuclear confrontation” with China.

Zara Aleena | Career criminal admits murdering new lawyer A predatory career criminal has pleaded guilty to murdering a newly trained lawyer as she walked home alone at night, just days after he was released from prison.Zara Aleena, 35, was ambushed from behind and viciously attacked by Jordan McSweeney on a quiet street in Ilford, east London, on June 26.CCTV showed the assailant stamping on Ms Aleena before leaving her bleeding and struggling to breathe with serious injuries. World Cup | Qatar announces shock alcohol ban at stadiums Beer will no longer be available to fans around stadiums at the World Cup after Fifa was forced into an embarrassing U-turn by Qatar’s ultra-conservative rulers.Yet Fifa and the Qatari organisers will still permit premium customers in hospitality at stadiums to drink as much as they want. Hospitality boxes cost about £19,000 per game. Scam | ‘Extra s’ email that cost Telegraph readers £500,000 China | Two women tied up and shamed for not wearing masks Two women were tied up and left in the street after they reportedly picked up a takeaway meal without wearing masks, in a humiliating abuse of power by officials enforcing China’s strict Covid rules. + Police in Guangzhou told Chinese media that they are currently investigating the case of two women.Abuse of power by officials and workers enforcing China’s draconian Covid restrictions has become increasingly common in recent months.Covid staff reportedly fear punishment if they make any kind of mistake in putting Xi Jinping’s zero-Covid policy into practice. Double trouble | Two famous Brian Coxes in hotel room mishap Scottish actor Brian Cox is known as the star of Succession playing Logan Roy, while Professor Brian Cox is a former musician turned physics professor who found fame presenting the BBC’s Wonders Of The Solar System.Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Friday, the two Brians explained a hilarious mishap they had been involved in the previous day while attempting to check into a hotel ahead of appearing on the show.

The big story: Tories ‘the party of high taxes’ – poll

After economists labelled “top-heavy tax rises and back-loaded spending cuts” of the Autumn Statement as “George Osborne rhetoric and Gordon Brown policy”, voters have had their say. According to an exclusive poll for The Telegraph, the Tories are now more associated with high taxes than Labour, with a majority of the public viewing the Conservatives as a party that raises taxes rather than cuts them. The survey found 42pc of people associate the Tories with high taxes, compared to 17pc for Labour. Jack Maidment reports that the poll, conducted on Wednesday, suggests that the Tories’ long-term reputation as the party of lower taxes is now firmly under threat. It came as Chancellor Jeremy Hunt pledged to remove the “vast majority of trade barriers” with the European Union to boost growth, as he appeared to call for closer economic ties. He rejected the prospect of rejoining the Single Market, but his comments indicated that the Government may want to change aspects of the deal struck by Boris Johnson, the former prime minister, at the end of 2020. Meanwhile, Mr Hunt scrambled to reassure critics of his proposed fuel duty rise that the Government has yet to make a decision on the contentious issue. Tory MPs are demanding an assurance that he will not go ahead with a planned rise in fuel duty following a warning it would add 12p to the price of a litre of petrol or diesel. Howard Mustoe reports on what it would mean for prices if put in place today.

‘Bring Back Boris’ loyalists gather Did the campaign to restore Boris Johnson to the leadership of the Conservative party start in a central London restaurant this week? The gathering of around 40 Tories was organised by members of the “Bring Back Boris” WhatsApp group. They had been invited to a French restaurant on the eve of the Autumn Statement. Christopher Hope notes the gathering was marked out for the calibre of MPs who attended.

Around 40 Conservatives gathered at L’Escargot restaurant to discuss one thing – how and when can Johnson return as Tory leader?

‘I’d pay more tax to cut mortgage’ By overseeing a sharp rise in the tax burden to its highest ever peacetime level, Mr Hunt inflicted increases worth billions of pounds on Britain’s workers, investors and landlords. As a reminder, these are the key changes at a glance – and you can enter your details into our calculators to work out new income, council and capital gains taxes. Our personal finance team spoke to taxpayers in St Albans, Hertfordshire, about how the Chancellor’s announcement will hit their pockets. Mark Kingswood, an IT contractor, said the increases would be worth it if the markets calmed and inflation was brought under control – as he hoped it would improve the outlook for his mortgage. Do you agree? Join the debate.

Comment and analysis

Matthew Lynn | Hunt’s attack on ‘unearned income’ is anti-capitalist Chancellor Jeremy Hunt went out of his way to attack what he himself chose to describe as “unearned income” in his autumn statement this week.He followed those words with actions, announcing an extra tax on dividends,a windfall levy on excess profits, new rounds of charges on landlords, an increase in the rates on property, and of course a steep rise in inheritance tax, even if that one was slipped into the speech so stealthily even Gordon Brown might have felt ashamed of the subterfuge.The truth is the entire premise of Hunt’s plans is flawed. In reality, there is no such thing as “unearned income”. All income is “earned”. Ross Clark | Electric car owners have been duped by government electric cars will be subject to vehicle excise duty from 2025, the main reason for their apparently low running costs is that these vehicles are excused from the hefty taxes levied on petrol and diesel models. Tom Harris | Tories could have scuppered Keir Starmer’s chances In the early months of the 2010 parliament, David Cameron’s coalition government succeeded in establishing the narrative that the structural deficit was all the fault of Labour overspending, rather than the drastic collapse of tax revenues caused by a recession which itself was sparked by the global financial crisis. Labour at the time was too focused on electing Ed Miliband leader to rebut any of these claims, and so lost a crucial argument. Michael Howard | UK can no longer expect others to pay its bills Conservatives believe in low taxes, so we don’t like to see them go up. But our commitment has always been to keep taxes as low as possible consistent with the achievement of other vital policy objectives, including maintaining effective public services and looking after the most vulnerable in our society. This is where striking the right balance becomes so difficult. But it seems to me that the need to spend more on the NHS and education is compelling. Jill Kirby | We are all the prisoners of an unreformed NHS Higher taxes are inevitable so long as the unproductive health service fails to learn from the likes of Singapore Jeremy Hunt made a bold claim for the future of healthcare in this country. “We want Scandinavian quality alongside Singaporean efficiency, both better outcomes for citizens and better value for taxpayers.”

World news: Imran Khan on failed assassination bid Standing atop the moving convoy, Imran Khan waved to his supporters. He had every reason to be cheerful. A string of recent election victories suggested he was on the cusp of returning to power in Pakistan as he led a march on the capital to challenge the government. Then the sound of gunfire rang out. “It was a straightforward assassination attempt,” he tells The Telegraph as he describes the attack in detail for the first time. In this exclusive interview with South Asia correspondent Joe Wallen, Mr Khan appears undeterred by the failed attempt on his life.

Editor’s choice

	Change the record? | ‘With her Vegas residency, Adele risks becoming a heritage act’ The singer’s delayed Caesars Palace stint will make her millions. But when Sin City moves on, where does her future lie?
	Treasure the egg… while you can | The kitchen’s unsung and multi-purpose hero
	Fashion | If Daniel Craig can be disco-ready aged 54, so can you – here is how

Business briefing: Fresh wave of strikes announced Civil servants in the Home Office, Border Force, Department for Transport and Defra are to take industrial action – affecting ports, borders and all areas of transport – in a dispute over pay, jobs and pensions. The PCS union is requesting a 10 per cent pay increase. It came after Royal Mail workers announced they are to launch a fresh wave of strikes throughout December in a round of industrial action set to cause Christmas post misery. See the full details of strike dates.

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Here is a selection of articles we think you’ll be interested in today.

All Russian war crimes must be punished, says Volodymyr Zelensky after MH17 verdict Two Russians and one Ukrainian man were found guilty of murdering the 298 passengers and crew members of Malaysia airlines flight MH17 in the Hague on Tuesday. A fourth Russian man was acquitted following an eight-year quest for justice over one of the bloodiest incidents of Russia’s first invasion of Ukraine eight years ago. Relatives welcomed the verdict but said more had to be done to bring others involved to justice. The verdict was read out in front of a court room packed with relatives of the nearly 300 victims killed in the incident. Live – Ukraine-Russia war latest: Russia ‘digging trenches 40 miles behind frontline’ as it prioritises defence Col Gen Sergey Karakaev, the commander of Russia’s strategic missile forces, said at a military conference on Friday that Russia had recently successfully tested its Sarmat missile, also known as Satan II. Barrister misses rape hearing after travelling 150 miles to wrong Newport Brad Lawlor, who attended Oxford University and achieved a first class degree, was due to attend the crown court in Newport, on the Isle of Wight, but instead travelled to South Wales. Suella Braverman seeks new deal to send illegal Channel migrants back to France Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, is due to meet ministers from the Calais group of nations – including France, Belgium and the Netherlands – to plot the next steps, after this week’s £63 million Channel deal with France to boost beach patrols and embed British officers in French control rooms. Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, said: “We would like to secure a returns agreement with France. Mercenaries deploy thermobaric weapons in Ukraine Heavy fighting has broken out in eastern Ukraine, where Russia’s Wagner mercenaries are firing thermobaric weapons to strike Ukrainian positions. Firey explosions and shockwaves could be seen in footage recorded in the Bakhmut area of Donetsk Oblast as the TOS-1A Multiple Launch Rocket Systems hit their targets. Russia has moved the battle eastward after retreating from Kherson, according to Ukrainian officials, with locals in the Luhansk region reporting heavy fire close by. Russia is said to be suffering heavy losses as Ukraine continues its counter-offensive.

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