Monday briefing: Johnson to push for US troops to stay in Kabul past deadline

Top story: Taliban blames US for ‘anarchy’

Morning, I’m Virginia Harrison and here are today’s top stories:

Joe Biden has insisted the evacuations of thousands of Americans and Afghan allies would have been “hard and painful” no matter when they started, in the latest effort by the US president to combat fierce criticism over his withdrawal from the country. His comments come a day before a G7 leaders summit, where Boris Johnson is expected to personally lobby Biden, pleading with him to keep American troops at Kabul airport beyond the end of August. The situation is putting a new strain on UK-US relations. The news came as Taliban forces sought to assert their authority, blaming the US for the “anarchy” at the airport and insisting they were the only ones capable of restoring order. A desperate situation continued on the ground in Kabul, just over a week since the Taliban took control of the country. At least 20 people have died so far in the chaotic scenes both on the tarmac and outside the airport. Tens of thousands have left via military flights and many more still seek to flee a return to Taliban rule – prompting the Pentagon to order six US airlines to help move evacuees outside Afghanistan.

‘Make work pay’ – Labour will today set out its proposal to overhaul the universal credit system by allowing low-income workers to earn more without seeing their welfare payments cut, in a move potentially costing billions of pounds annually. The shadow work and pensions secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, is expected to promise to “make work pay” as part of a wider strategy to create “jobs you can raise a family on”. The pledge is the first element of what is expected to be a significant overhaul of the wider work and social security system, including the universal credit benefit currently claimed by about 6 million people.

Prisoner plea – UK food firms are begging ministers to let them use prisoners to ease labour shortages, in a crisis blamed on the double blow of Brexit and Covid. Meat processors and others say they must have more day release workers as they can’t find enough staff. Trade groups representing the industry are exploring various options to fill vacancies, including ways to recruit current inmates and ex-offenders. The worker shortage isn’t just in food production – a shortfall of around 90,000 drivers is leading to gaps on supermarket shelves, while hospitality firms are also struggling to recruit enough staff. And there’s a Christmas warning, with poultry producers saying serious worker shortages could mean there aren’t enough turkeys to go round this December.

Legionella train outbreak – A union has declared a dispute with a rail operator, claiming there has been a “potentially lethal” legionella outbreak on its trains. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) said it has prepared its members on Thameslink for strikes if urgent action is not taken to resolve the issue. The RMT said seven toilets on four trains had actionable traces of the bacteria, which can cause legionnaires’ disease. Thameslink said a “very low level” of legionella had been found in a small number of toilets, which had been drained and bleached. “There is no recorded case of anyone, ever, having contracted [legionnaires’ disease] from a train,” the company added in a statement.

Gender pay gap – There’s been a sharp increase in the number of female directors at blue-chip firms in recent years but they’re still being paid a fraction of their male counterparts. Research by New Street Consulting Group found the average pay for FTSE 100 female directors stands at GBP237,000 – a little more than a quarter of the GBP875,900 paid to their male equivalents. The sizeable pay gap at board level is mainly due to the majority of female directors at FTSE 100 companies holding non-executive jobs which attract lower salaries than executive ones.

‘Spread your legs’ – A slip of the tongue from New Zealand’s Covid response minister has brought smiles to many in the midst of a growing Delta outbreak in the country. At a media briefing on Sunday, Chris Hipkins was updating the public on the number of coronavirus cases in the community, when he urged New Zealanders to socially distance when they go outside to “spread their legs”. He clarified that he meant “stretch your legs”. The country, and many in neighbouring Australia, are enduring lockdowns in a bid to contain growing virus outbreaks – a stark turn of fortunes for two countries once praised as world leaders in handling the pandemic. Follow developments in the pandemic at our live blog.

Today in Focus podcast: The rise of the Brazilian butt lift

This week we’re revisiting some of our favourite episodes, starting with at look at the world’s fastest growing cosmetic surgery. Despite mounting concerns over the number of deaths from the procedure, we explore the surging popularity of the Brazilian butt lift.

Lunchtime read: ‘We love everybody’

French drag couple James and ViviAnn Du Fermoir-de-Monsac make non-traditional wedding dresses, targeting those who don’t fit the vision of a typical bride. “We want people to be the best version of themselves on their wedding day,” says James.

Sport

Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist claimed her third major with victory at the Women’s Open but only after Nanna Koerstz Madsen double-bogeyed the 72nd hole when par would have forced a play-off. Thomas Tuchel suggested Romelu Lukaku gives Chelsea “another dimension” after the club’s GBP97.5m striker scored on his first appearance after re-signing in Sunday’s 2-0 cruise at Arsenal. Manchester United had to settle for a point at Southampton as Mason Greenwood equaliser extended their unbeaten away league run to 27 games, matching Arsenal’s top-flight record. Nuno Espirito Santo praised Harry Kane for helping Tottenham Hotspur to victory at Wolves in the striker’s first appearance of the season. In France, Marseille players did not return for the restart of their Ligue 1 match with Nice after ugly clashes with home fans, forcing the referee to abandon the game.

World No 1 Ash Barty picked up yet another trophy on her triumphant world tour, taking the Cincinnati Open title with a ruthless 6-3, 6-1 victory over surprise Swiss finalist Jil Teichmann. And Toyota ushered in a new era of sportscar racing as they ended the last, with another dominant win at the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Business

Sainsbury’s could become the latest target for a private equity buyout as the race for Morrisons highlights the attractiveness of the big supermarket chains to investors. The latter has agreed a GBP7bn offer from the US firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R), and speculation that Sainsbury’s could be next on the shopping list has pushed its share price up by 30% this year. The FTSE100 is expected to lift around 0.3% this morning, while the pound will fetch you $1.365 and EUR1.165.

The papers

The Guardian leads with “No 10 plea to Biden after Taliban show of strength”, reporting that at a meeting of G7 leaders this week, Johnson will “personally lobby” Joe Biden to keep US troops at Kabul airport beyond the end of the month. The Daily Telegraph echoes that line, splashing with “Johnson to push Biden on Afghan withdrawal” while The Daily Mail says “Don’t cut and run yet, Joe”. The FT leads “Johnson hosts crisis talks as role emerges for China and Russia”.

The Times leads on the Afghanistan evacuation efforts with “Mass airlift to evacuate 6,000 from Kabul chaos”, while i splashes with “Rift grows with US over Afghan withdrawal”. The Daily Express leads with “Time running out for trapped Britons”. Metro leads with “Para on Kabul front line: I was just doing my duty” next to an image of a British paratrooper who was seen cradling a baby at Kabul airport.

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