Your morning briefing, Friday 22 November
22 November 2019, 07:02
Good morning, here's your morning briefing with all the news you need to kick start your Friday and keep you informed as you move towards the weekend.
Well, it's almost the weekend, and it's EJ here bringing you all the news you need.
General Election - Fake News
Just a few days after the Conservative Party press office rebranded their official Twitter account to 'FactCheckUK' to Tweet about the performance of Jeremy Corbyn during the debates, the news broke on Thursday they had created a spoof website criticising the Labour manifesto which has been designed to look as though it has been made by their political rivals.
Read the whole story by Kate Buck here.
Meanwhile, on Thursday Labour were busy with Jeremy Corbyn launching the party's "It's Time For Real Change" manifesto ahead of the general election and here are the key details to take away.
The Labour party leader said the manifesto was “the most radical and ambitious plan to transform our country in decades” during a speech at Birmingham City University.
Mr Corbyn called his pledge to the electorate a "manifesto of hope" and promised he would "transform" the UK through renationalising water, energy, rail and mail.
In the 105-page document, he also vowed to protect the NHS, tackle the climate emergency and cap rents in the private rental sector.
Find out exactly what the manifest said here.
Meanwhile, yesterday was a day for housing with the Lib Dems promising to build an extra 300,000 homes if they are elected to power.
British Backpacker
A 27-year-old man has been found guilty of the murder of British backpacker Grace Millane whose body was found buried in a suitcase in New Zealand.
The young woman from Wickford, Essex, was strangled by the man she had met on dating site Tinder and with whom she spent several hours drinking in the centre of Auckland on December 1, 2018.
The pair returned to his apartment and Ms Millane was killed either that night or in the early hours of the next morning - the date of her 22nd birthday.
The jury of seven women and five men returned a unanimous verdict after just five hours deliberation at Auckland High Court.
Harry Dunn
The parents of Harry Dunn have called the government's decision to seek legal fees from them as "disgusting", but Dominic Raab has defended the plan.
19-year-old Harry Dunn was killed during a collision in Northamptonshire in August of this year.
The incident led to the suspect, Anne Sacoolas, leaving the UK to claim diplomatic immunity in the US.
The teenager's parents have said they intend to take legal action against the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
The Foreign Office said last month it would "seek costs" for any judicial review brought and argued the family has not found "any reasonably arguable ground of legal challenge".
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has defended the decision, saying the government has to "protect taxpayer's money".
It comes just a month after he said there would be "no obstacles to justice".
Mr Dunn's mother called the claims made by the FCO "completely disgusting" and said the family has been "misled" by Mr Raab.
An FCO spokesperson told LBC News that it is "normal government policy" to seek legal costs in cases such as this.
And Finally... Hot Chocolate!
It's got to that time of the year when it's very very cold, often when I get into work early I like to have a hot chocolate. Well, last night it was very hot chocolate when a lorry full of chocolate burst into flames on the A556 in Cheshire.
Thankfully police and firefighters were on hand to put the blaze out, and the road is now open again.
Weather
Headline: Showers or longer spells of rain, then drier later.
Today: Largely cloudy, with limited bright or sunny spells, these most likely across southeastern areas this afternoon. Showers or outbreaks of rain this morning, locally heavy, clear from most places later this afternoon. Chilly southeast wind everywhere, strong along the coast.
That's it, you're up to date. Have a great weekend whatever you are doing, and I'll be back at the same time on Monday. EJ
