A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda next week, from the team at Foresight News. Delivered to your inbox on Fridays.
Leading the week
The legislative programme set out in the King’s Speech on Wednesday was largely as anticipated, with the new Labour government including long-trailed measures on fiscal rules, energy, the railways and planning. Labour’s shiny new majority means the contents of the speech will be rubber-stamped without fuss after the final day of debate on Tuesday (July 23), but there will be interest in which amendments get chosen over the course of the debate and what impact they will have on the new government’s agenda.
An early battle is set to come over the controversial two-child benefit cap, which is notably being targeted by the SNP in an amendment which has already generated cross-party support and may be taken up by the Conservatives in an attempt to make a first mark as the official opposition. But the most contentious issue is Zarah Sultana’s proposal to suspend arms sales to Israel, which would be an early test of Starmer’s ability to keep left-wing Labour MPs onside. If chosen, the vote will come ahead of a Friday (July 26) deadline for the government to set out its observations to the ICC over the court’s jurisdiction to issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Sultana’s amendment joins calls from other Labour MPs to drop the challenge, which was initiated by Rishi Sunak’s government.
Next week also sees a role reversal for Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak in the first session of PMQs of the new Parliament on Wednesday (July 24). It’ll be interesting to see whether the pair maintain the collegiate tone they’ve adopted since the election or if Sunak uses the opportunity to start laying some groundwork for a future Conservative leader’s attack lines against the new government’s policies.
Elsewhere, Lib Dem leader Ed Davey can be expected to continue his calls for more spending on health and social care, while Stephen Flynn will be hoping to capitalise on the publicity for his party’s amendment and demonstrate that the SNP is not a spent force in Westminster. The most intriguing interaction, however, is likely to be between Starmer and Nigel Farage as we get a first look at how the Reform UK leader will try to hold the government to account and advance his party’s domestic priorities. Farage criticised the prime minister after yesterday’s European Political Community summit over the suggestion of a ‘reset’ of relations with the EU, and he’s likely to return to that theme and talk up the necessity of stronger ties with what he hopes will be a second Trump administration in a speech to the Washington-based Heritage Foundation on Monday (July 22).
The Paris Olympics get underway on Friday (July 26) with the opening ceremony ushering in a little over two weeks of sporting drama. In a departure from tradition, the ceremony is set to take place along the River Seine, with athletes and performers parading on boats and showcasing some of the City of Lights’ iconic landmarks, before it arrives at the Place du Trocadéro facing the Eiffel Tower. Performances from French-Malian superstar Aya Nakamura and Celine Dion, health permitting, are also rumoured though yet to be confirmed.
The first weekend of sport includes what are likely to be emotional appearances from Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal, who is playing in the men’s doubles alongside his compatriot and recent Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, and injury-beset British veteran Andy Murray, who will retire after the Games. In the pool on Sunday (July 28), medal events include the women’s 100m butterfly, likely featuring Gretchen Walsh, who set a new world record at the USA trials last month, and the men’s 100m breaststroke final, where Britain’s Adam Peaty is seeking a third Olympic gold medal in the distance after taking a year out to focus on his mental health. The marquee women’s and men’s 100m track finals are scheduled for following weekend, on August 3 and 4 respectively, while breakdancing makes its Olympic debut on August 9.
Looking abroad
The US Congress returns next week following the Republican convention and kicks off with what is likely to be a bombshell hearing on Monday (July 22) with Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle following the July 13 assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. Cheatle has faced harsh and at times sexist criticism amid questions over how the would-be assassin, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was able to take up a position on a rooftop some 130m away from where Trump was speaking and come astonishingly close to killing the Republican presidential candidate. The House Homeland Security Committee, which is conducting its own investigation, has invited Cheatle to appear alongside DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Chris Wray at a second hearing on Tuesday (July 23).
On Wednesday (July 24), Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to deliver a controversial address to a joint session of Congress, his first since the October 7 attacks. The speech will be closely watched given suggestions an Israel-Hamas hostage deal could be imminent and the charged political atmosphere in the US ahead of November’s election. A planned meeting with Joe Biden, which had been pencilled in for Monday (July 22) before Biden contracted Covid-19, may be delayed until later in the week depending on the president’s recovery.
The pair’s relationship is already strained – this would mark Netanyahu’s first trip to the White House since his return to power in 2022 – and talks that come after Wednesday’s address could be tense if Netanyahu, who enjoys widespread support among Republicans, views his speech as an opportunity to repair his alliance with Donald Trump ahead of November’s election. While the pair enjoyed a close relationship when Trump was president, Trump was said to be incensed by Netanyahu’s decision to acknowledge Biden’s victory in 2020 and has openly criticised the Israeli premier over security failings connected to the October 7 attacks.
Venezuela holds presidential elections on Sunday (July 28) as socialist former bus driver Nicolas Maduro seeks a third term in charge of the oil-rich South American nation. The last election, held in 2018, was marred by irregularities and led to opposition figure Juan Guaidó, the National Assembly president, being recognised by dozens of countries as Venezuela’s interim president. But Maduro was able to hold on to power and ultimately signed an agreement last year with the opposition Unity Platform, paving the way for next week’s election, which coincides with the birthday of Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chávez.
This time around, the opposition candidate is retired diplomat Edmundo González, who was chosen by the Unitary Platform after their preferred candidate, former lawmaker María Corina, was barred from running. Polling suggests González holds a comfortable lead over Maduro heading into the vote, but whether Maduro would accept defeat remains an open question.