Tuesday briefing: ‘We cannot expect NHS to recover alone’

Top story: Cabinet signs off on funding package

Morning, I’m Virginia Harrison and these are today’s top stories.

Boris Johnson is poised to unveil his long-awaited plan to fix the “broken” social care system to MPs later today. The prime minister will tell mutinous MPs that the healthcare system is in crisis and they “cannot expect it to recover alone” as he faces a growing “red wall” rebellion over tax rises. Johnson will today frame the tax increase – which could raise up to GBP10bn a year with a 1.25% rise in national insurance contributions for employers and employees – as essential to combat the NHS waiting list crisis.

After significant cabinet wrangling, plans were signed off last night for the new social care and NHS funding package that Johnson will present to cabinet today. The NHS will get more money over the next three years than the Treasury had planned after last-ditch lobbying for a bigger budget by the health and social care secretary, Sajid Javid. Whitehall sources said the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, had been persuaded to increase the funding he intended to hand the NHS by at least GBP1bn, taking the expected rise from GBP5bn to at least GBP6bn a year. Concern over NHS funding was heightened last week when two powerful bodies made clear the health service in England needed no less than an extra GBP10bn a year to cope with Covid-19 and the huge backlog of care.

Northern Ireland protocol talks hit stalemate: Plans for post-Brexit checks on some goods entering Northern Ireland have been suspended indefinitely by the UK after negotiations with the EU reached a stalemate. Grace periods designed to ease the transition into new trading arrangements and checks on the island of Ireland have twice been extended as part of diplomatic wrangling labelled “the sausage wars”. Now, there’s been a fresh extension with no new deadline set for the completion of talks.

Dirty air: More global aid goes to fossil fuel projects than tackling dirty air, a new study by the Clean Air Fund (CAF) found. That’s despite dirty air being the world’s biggest environmental killer, responsible for at least 4 million early deaths a year. More people die as a result of air pollution than HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis combined. But the CAF says just 1% of global development aid is used to tackle this crisis, calling the situation “crazy and shocking”.

Bolsonaro rallies: Thousands of diehard Jair Bolsonaro followers have descended on Brazil’s political and economic capitals hoping to stage a colossal show of support for their beleaguered president. As Tom Phillips writes from Brasilia, it comes amid mounting fears over the future of Latin America’s largest democracy and of possible skirmishes with the government’s opponents. Police started blocking access to the central mall where crowds are expected to march in support of Bolsonaro in his clash with the judiciary over changes to Brazil’s voting system.

Michael K Williams: The actor, best known for his role as Omar Little in The Wire, has died at the age of 54. Williams, who is believed to have been found dead at his home in New York, also starred in Boardwalk Empire. He received an Emmy nomination earlier this year for the role of Montrose Freeman in the series Lovecraft Country, and had appeared in films including 12 Years a Slave and Inherent Vice.

‘Novel of the moment’: One of the most hyped book releases this year hits shelves today though some already have their copy of Sally Rooney’s hotly anticipated third novel Beautiful World, Where Are You. Excited fans snaked around the block on a muggy Monday evening in London to snag the book and catch a glimpse of the author. It’s already No 1 on Amazon and 50 booksellers across the country will open their doors early today to cope with an expected flood of demand. Among them is Warwick Books, which described it as “the novel of the moment”.

Today in Focus podcast: Burnout in the fight against wildfires

More than 40,000 wildfires have burned in the US so far this year, pushing the firefighters who battle them to their limit. Depression, alcohol abuse and post-traumatic stress are frequently reported by men and women who fight the blazes. Llew, a firefighter for 20 years, explains the impact the job had on his life.

Lunchtime read: ‘I gotta find a new queen to play!’

In a 35-year career, Angela Bassett seems to have done it all. She’s reportedly the highest-paid female actor of colour ever for a TV drama. Bassett is back on the big screen as an assassin and is moving into producing. The actor sits down with Steve Rose to discuss fairness, film-making and why acting is still her first love.

Sport

Emma Raducanu continued her astonishing three-week run from the US Open qualifying event towards the top tables of the sport by thrashing Shelby Rogers 6-2, 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the main draw. After the match, Rogers joined her compatriot Sloane Stephens in highlighting the abuse tennis players deal with on social media. In the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic weathered an early storm before beating 20-year-old wildcard Jenson Brooksby to move within three victories of the first calendar-year grand slam in men’s tennis in 52 years.

Europe retained the Solheim Cup, beating the United States 15-13 after a seesaw singles session in Toledo. Joe Root called on his England players to seek inspiration in the brilliant bowling of Jasprit Bumrah that twisted the fourth Test in India’s favour after lunch on the final day. Brazilian federal police have opened an inquiry to investigate the four Argentina players whose presence at Sunday’s World Cup qualifier in Brazil caused the match to be abandoned. George Russell’s move to partner Lewis Hamilton next season is expected to be formally confirmed by Mercedes on Tuesday after Valtteri Bottas announced he is to join Alfa Romeo. The little-known Robin Carpenter, riding for the second division Rally Cycling Team, hung on after a long break to take the double of stage win and race lead in the Tour of Britain. And two of the most senior figures in European football have attacked Fifa’s plans to reform the international calendar and implement a biennial World Cup, warning they risk diluting the game’s “jewel” and will put players’ health at risk.

Business

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has ordered a national security review of a takeover by a Chinese academic of a small Welsh manufacturer of graphene – the thinnest and lightest “supermaterial” known. In a rare move, Kwarteng instructed the Competition and Markets Authority to review the planned takeover by Taurus International or any companies associated with Dr Zhongfu Zhou. The FTSE100 is set to rise this morning while the pound will buy you $1.385 and EUR1.166.

The papers

Boris Johnson’s proposed tax hikes dominate many of this morning’s front pages, with the Guardian leading on “Our healthcare is in crisis, warns Johnson in bid to quell rebellion”. The Independent has a similar take, with “Reform social care or face ‘catastrophe’, warns PM”.

The Daily Telegraph quotes Tories calling the hikes a “sham”, while the Daily Express sees the story as Johnson ‘Sticking to his guns’, and quotes the PM saying “my government will not duck the tough decisions” in its headline. The Daily Mail frames it as a “Fiver a week to fix care crisis”, and warns Johnson not to “let overwhelmed NHS swallow it up”.

In other stories, i has an exclusive this morning on the government’s October “firebreak” to tackle rising Covid hospitalisations. The plan includes an extended half-term for schools and new mask rules, the paper reports.

The Times leads on migration, with home secretary Priti Patel threatening to withhold millions in funding from France amid record channel crossings.
The top story in the FT is the chair of the Financial Conduct Authority asking for greater powers to “challenge risky crypto ventures”.

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