• About
  • Newsletter
  • Contact us
Advance UK News Diary

July 4-10: Johnson at Liaison Committee, Whitehaven coal mine decision and US abortion challenges

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson
July 1, 2022
  • Slice 1

A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda next week, from the team at Foresight News.

Leading the week 

Fresh from an international tour he hoped would distract from issues at home, Boris Johnson faces the Liaison Committee on Wednesday (July 6) to answer questions about Ukraine, the government’s response to the rising cost of living, and integrity in politics and the rule of law. Johnson will be most comfortable on Ukraine, though as this week’s row over defence spending showed, even that isn’t without its domestic problems. On the cost of living, the prime minister will try to point to the £37 billion package announced in May and the first £650 support payments going out to low-income households later this month. But he’ll also have to grapple with Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey’s recent warning that the UK’s economy is suffering more than others, and the wave of strikes being threatened or carried out by unions demanding pay rises to deal with inflation that is expected to hit 11 per cent this autumn – expect at least a few jabs at Labour on that one. 

Johnson may struggle to redirect, though, when it comes to the integrity in politics and rule of law segment of the afternoon. The committee had no shortage of issues to choose from when they set the topic – the international law-breaking Northern Ireland Protocol Bill and steel import tariffs, two by-election losses related to sexual misconduct cases, and allegations over a mooted FCO job for Carrie Johnson are all just from the past fortnight, let alone Partygate – but the government’s handling of Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher’s resignation may end up taking centre stage. 

Pincher resigned from his role last night after allegedly drunkenly groping two men at the Carlton Club, and early reports suggested he would not lose the whip or face investigation because he had ‘done the decent thing’ and resigned. That line seems unlikely to hold until Wednesday, but Johnson will face questions as to why Pincher was appointed in the first place: he was forced to resign from the whips’ office in 2017 over complaints about his behaviour, and more recent allegations of misconduct were reportedly raised with Number 10 in February before he was given the job. 

Haig Colliery mining museum
Haig Colliery, Whitehaven / Wikimedia Commons

Communities Secretary Michael Gove is due to issue a decision by Thursday (July 7) on whether to approve the UK’s first new coal mine for more than 30 years, after the local council decided to review its initial decision to give the go-ahead for the deep coal mine at Whitehaven. Cumbria County Council approved West Cumbria Mining’s application to mine coking coal at a former chemical works plant in 2020, but opted to reconsider its decision the following year, and the Planning Inspectorate completed a report in April setting next week’s deadline for a final ruling. 

The question of whether to begin deep coal mining after such a long period has caused controversy in the area for many years: the council and local MPs have been in favour of the projected impact on jobs and the local economy and lately supportive of the potential disruption to Russian coal exports, while environmental groups (including the government’s own climate advisory body) have warned of the mine’s likely impact on emissions and questioned whether demand for coking coal remains high enough to justify resuming deep mining. The coal produced at Whitehaven would be used solely for steel production rather than energy generation so would not help to bring down household energy bills, meaning there is arguably no easy sell inherent in Gove’s decision, but Boris Johnson recently suggested to MPs that the plans are likely to be approved.


 Looking abroad 

The fallout from the Supreme Court’s June 24 ruling overturning the right to an abortion enshrined in Roe v. Wade is set to continue dominating the news in the US this week as state legislatures and courts consider abortion bans, so-called ‘trigger laws’, and appeals from abortion providers and civil liberties groups. Total bans have already taken effect in seven states, most of which do not include exceptions for rape or incest, and up to 26 states are expected to eventually enact varying levels of restrictions on reproductive rights in response to the ruling. Mississippi’s trigger law is set to take effect on Thursday (July 7) – pending a court challenge – while temporary restraining orders have been issued in Arizona, Louisiana and Utah, though these may yet be overturned. Hearings in cases challenging abortion bans are scheduled to take place on Wednesday (July 6) in Kentucky and Friday (July 8) in Arizona and Louisiana. 

Pro-choice protesters outside the US Supreme Court
Pro-choice activists protest outside the US Supreme Court

Following last week’s G7 and NATO summits where Ukraine dominated discussions, the conflict will continue to cast a shadow over international news next week. On Monday and Tuesday (July 4-5), Switzerland will play host to the Ukraine Recovery Conference, where attendees will discuss the scale of the damage caused by Russia’s war and what will be needed to eventually rebuild the country. The UN Human Rights Council will debate the situation in Ukraine on Tuesday (July 5), and the suspected Russian missile attack on a busy shopping mall in Kremenchuk on June 27, denounced as a war crime, and this morning’s strike on an apartment block in Odesa are almost certain to come up. 

G20 foreign ministers, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia’s Sergey Lavrov, gather in Bali on Thursday and Friday (July 7-8) to discuss preparations for the G20 summit in November, amid conflicting reports regarding the potential presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Lavrov will meet one-to-one with several counterparts, including Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, though Moscow has downplayed speculation in recent days over the potential for talks with Blinken, who is expected to meet with Wang in advance of planned talks between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping.


 

Also look out for...

July 4

Fuel price protests across the UK  

Criminal barristers continue strike action  

Angela Rayner at IPPR event on representation 

Mike Pompeo speech to Policy Exchange 

July 5

Finland and Sweden sign NATO accession protocol  

UK hosts Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom  

Large Hadron Collider Run 3 begins 

Wimbledon quarter-finals begin 

July 6

UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 begins; England play Austria 

European Parliament debate on UK NI Protocol legislation 

Dominic Raab addresses annual Judges Dinner 

NICs threshold increase takes effect 

July 7

OBR fiscal sustainability report 

Theresa May speech on restoring faith in politics 

Nadhim Zahawi at ADCS conference  

Hajj begins 

Wimbledon women’s semi-finals 

July 8

Verdict in Swiss trial of Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini 

Court hearing in Croydon tram crash prosecution  

Amanda Spielman addresses Festival of Education 

Wimbledon men’s semi-finals 

July 9

Appeal deadline for British citizens sentenced to death in Donetsk 

Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles final 

Durham Miners’ Gala 

July 10

Wimbledon Men’s Singles final 

Austrian Grand Prix 

Parliamentary elections in Republic of Congo 

Elections to Japan’s House of Councillors 

Statistics, reports and results

July 5

Band of England Financial Stability Report

UK Services PMI

SMMT car sales

Results from: Sainsbury’s (trading statement) 

July 6

FAO State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 

July 7

Office of Rail and Road (ORR) annual consumer report 

Children’s social care in England statistics (ONS) 

Council of Europe report on treatment of prisoners in England 

July 8

BRC footfall monitor 

FAO food price index 

Anniversaries and Awareness Days

July 4

US Independence Day  

10 years ago: Higgs boon discovery announced

July 5

National Bikini Day

July 7

One year ago: Haitian President Jovenel Moise assassinated

July 9

Five years ago: Iraqi Prime Minister officially defeat of ISIS in Mosul

July 10

Eid-al-Adha


Foresight News is an intelligence tool for media, government, PR and public affairs professionals to plan editorial coverage and media engagement. 

If you'd like to receive this newsletter by email, you can click here to sign up for free. 

If you’d like to speak to us about a subscription, email enquiries@foresightnews.com for a free demo and trial access. 

Tags

  • abortion
  • Boris Johnson
  • climate change
  • Conservative Party
  • cost of living
  • Ukraine
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Website terms & conditions

Designed by Interconnect. Powered by Standfirst.