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In today’s newsletter: The author of the investigation into government parties during lockdown has herself become the subject of an inquiry – but why was it held back?
Good morning. Once again, Westminster has been waiting for the Sue Gray report. But whereas last time Gray was the senior official reaching her view of Downing Street lockdown parties, this time she is not the author, but the subject, under scrutiny for leaving her civil service job to join Labour as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff.
Yesterday, after a day of just the sort of hanging about that became synonymous with her name last year, and a torrent of briefing that she had been found to have broken the civil service code, a ministerial statement finally arrived shortly before 6pm. And, after all that, it had almost nothing to say.
Coronation | Official warning letters have been sent to anti-monarchists planning peaceful protests at King Charles III’s coronation saying that new criminal offences to prevent disruption have been rushed into law. Meanwhile, a man was arrested after throwing items suspected of being shotgun cartridges into the grounds of Buckingham Palace.
UK news | A nurse accused of murdering seven babies wept as she told a court her “whole world was stopped” when she was accused of the “sickening” crimes. Lucy Letby denied harming any child and added: “I only ever did my best to care for them.”
Strikes | The NHS staff council, a body that represents more than a million NHS staff in England, has voted to accept a pay deal covering both 2022-23 and 2023-24. While unions representing a majority of staff voted to accept the offer, others including the Royal College of Nursing indicated that they plan to continue striking for a better deal.
Ukraine | Eight new Ukrainian brigades of soldiers, comprising 40,000 troops, have been formed to take part in a future counteroffensive, the country’s interior ministry said yesterday. But there is growing concern that the pool of Ukrainians willing to fight is diminishing as the war reaches the 15-month mark.
E-bikes | Fires sparked by faulty e-bikes and e-scooters have injured at least 190 people in the UK and killed eight, the Guardian can reveal, as a surge in public enthusiasm for battery-assisted travel is matched by a more than quadrupling in blazes since 2020. Experts warned riders against buying batteries in less regulated online marketplaces, particularly from China.
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