Morning news briefing, Friday 27 December
27 December 2019, 06:58
Good morning, here's all the UK and world news you're waking up to on Friday.
Morning, EJ here bringing you the morning briefing, and it's that strange period between Christmas and New Year when people are stuck in the 'nether zone' (to misquote Peep Show), nobody knows what day it is and nobody really has much to do.
Dump Trump
Which is exactly what Canadian broadcaster CBC did, when they cut his cameo appearance from Home Alone: 2. Predictably, as most things involving Donald Trump do, it caused social media backlash with people screaming 'censorship' and others calling for a boycott.
The President himself weighed in, blaming it on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and NATO payments.
Mr Trump, at the time a prominent businessman, famously made a brief appearance in the 1992 comedy, giving directions to Macaulay Culkin's Kevin McCallister in a hotel lobby.
However, all was not as it seems, and CBC had their defence out quickly. Click here to find out why Trump was cut.
Weather and Sales
Bad weather and record-breaking Black Friday spending are said to be the reasons for the biggest drop in Boxing Day footfall since 2009.
The wet weather conditions may have put off many Boxing Day bargain hunters from going out to shopping stores today in search of discounts.
In the period up to noon, footfall was down by 10.6 per cent on the same period a year ago, according to data company Springboard.
However, the forecast for the end of the year is good, with the Met Office predicting a dry start to 2020, but there are still dozens of flood warnings in place.
Boxing Day
The RSPCA is investigating after a leading Europhile lawyer announced on Twitter that he killed a fox with a baseball bat on Boxing Day.
Jolyon Maugham, 48, sparked outrage on Twitter by saying he killed a fox in his garden in London this morning, after it got tangled in chicken wire.
The British barrister tweeted "Already this morning I have killed a fox with a baseball bat. How's your Boxing Day going?"
The RSPCA got involved in the Twitter thread, replying: "This is distressing to hear. We'd urge anyone with firsthand knowledge to report it to us by calling 0300 1234 999.
"We’ve been made aware of this and are looking into it."
Mr Maugham also described how he had been hungover and that he was wearing his wife’s satin kimono as he killed the fox.
Netflix and Chill
Broadchurch and Doctor Who star David Tennant says the golden age of television has been "at the expense of independent film-making."
His comments came after some filmmakers warned the UK could face the loss of its independent movie business, hailed for dramas such as The King's Speech and Slumdog Millionaire.
The increasing power of US streaming platforms is said to have increased competition for stars.
Weather
Headline: Most areas dry but rather dull. Some rain in north.
Today: Residual light rain and drizzle in the south should ease but many parts staying cloudy, just a few brighter exceptions. Further north, windier conditions will bring further spells of rain, especially to northwest Scotland. Mild in the west and north.
Tonight: Many parts staying cloudy and frost-free, although here and there sufficient breaks to allow grass frost and fog. Further rain affecting some northern areas, especially west and northwest Scotland.
And Finally...
Some dates:
New Year's Day: 1 January 2020: Five days
Brexit: 31 January 2020 - 35 Days
Christmas: 25 December 2020 - 363 Days
In my morning briefing I always try to bring you a fun political or news fact, and today shall be no different.
-Did you know in the MPs cloakroom there are purple ribbons attached to the coat-hangers, designed to allow MPs to hang up their swords as well as their coats?
- The two red lines on the floor of the House of Commons are 2.5 metres apart, which, by apocryphal tradition, is intended to be just over two sword-lengths.
-While there are 650 elected MPs, there are only 427 seats in the Commons Chamber, which is why you often see MPs standing at busy times.
-The Division bell is the bell they ring when MP’s have to vote. The MPs then have 8 minutes to scurry from their boltholes and into the chamber to vote.
-Constitutionally, the monarch is not allowed to enter the House of Commons. The Queen actually has a throne in the House of Lords in which she sits for the traditional opening of Parliament.
That's it, you're up to date. I will be back at the same time on Monday, until then have a great weekend. EJ
