Good morning. What an extraordinary, moving day. Whatever your view of the monarchy, it knows how to put on a show.
As Charlotte Higgins wrote, “The point of the giant immersive drama into which the UK has been drawn since 8 September is to persuade us to collude in the collective fantasy that the royals are more than human … to renovate the notion that in the royal family is encapsulated some ineffable and inalienable “Britishness” that binds the people of the UK together, despite our present woes.” You could feel it working on you as the day wore on. We might quibble with the couple who preferred the Queue to their own children, but on some level, they spoke for the nation: sad, yes, but also giddy at the magic of it all.
If the period of mourning for Elizabeth II has, on some level, felt like a national version of home-clothes day, Britain must now return to its present woes – and tectonic political events around the world have not slowed down because Charles has become king. For more on yesterday, see Caroline Davies’ magisterial news report, Esther Addley’s account of the crowds, or this suitably epic picture gallery. For today’s newsletter, Nimo Omer and I look at what’s next, from an emergency budget to the war in Ukraine. Here are the headlines.
Five big stories
Politics | Liz Truss has arrived in the US for the UN general assembly, her first foreign trip as prime minister. Truss will hold talks with Joe Biden and pledge at least £2.3bn military aid to Ukraine next year.
Leicester | Almost half of the 18 people arrested after violence between Hindu and Muslim communities in Leicester over the weekend came from outside the county, the Guardian has learned. Sir Peter Soulsby, the city’s mayor, said it was evidence that “there are people with other battles to fight who are coming to Leicester to fight them”.
Adnan Syed | A Baltimore judge ordered the release of Adnan Syed after overturning his conviction for the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee – a case chronicled in the podcast Serial. The judge said the state violated its obligation to share exculpatory evidence with Syed’s defence.
Energy efficiency | Insulating homes in Britain and installing heat pumps could benefit the economy by £7bn a year and create 140,000 new jobs by 2030, research has found. But critics say that a lack of government support means that people are not taking up such measures.
Iran | The head of Iran’s morality police has reportedly been suspended from his post as protests swept across Iran for a third day over the killing of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who was detained by the police after being accused of not wearing the hijab appropriately.
In depth: Truss, tanks and tax cuts
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Liz Truss: Britain’s economic problems are back on the agenda
It seems a long time ago that Liz Truss was having one of the most consequential first weeks in prime ministerial history, promising to freeze energy bills at an average of £2,500 a year at a cost of around £150bn. Now that the period of national mourning is at an end, she is trying to make up for lost time with a policy blizzard over the next few days.
“Britain’s economic problems return to centre stage this week,” Larry Elliott writes, pointing to the Bank of England’s interest rates decision on Thursday and Kwasi Kwarteng’s emergency mini-budget on Friday, where he is expected to announce tax cuts and more details on the consumer energy plan. On Thursday, new health secretary Thérèse Coffey will make an NHS announcement. And tomorrow, Jacob Rees-Mogg will set out the detail of the government’s support for businesses on energy bills.
“Truss has made the calculation that she wants to be pro-growth almost at all costs,” said Rowena Mason, the Guardian’s deputy political editor. “Even if it isn’t the image the Tories have tried to project in recent years, she has decided that clarity of message and purpose is the most important thing.”
Truss’s commitment to a deregulation agenda was signalled by reports last week that the government will lift the cap on bankers’ bonuses – an approach causing some disquiet among Tory backbenchers who fear she is creating a “complete open goal” for Labour.
“The truth is that it’s about whether the economy gets better,” said Rowena. “If we’re not in a recession next year – and a lot of that will be driven by things outside of the UK government’s control – then she’s going to be in a good place, whatever she’s done. If we are in a recession, people are going to be very, very unforgiving.”
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Labour: Starmer’s conference headache
If Truss faces a daunting agenda, Keir Starmer might be expected to be relishing the next week – but there are plenty of headaches facing the Labour leader. Party conference is due to begin on Sunday, and Starmer “has a clear narrative – that Truss is offering tax cuts with no way to pay for it, that she’s stolen Labour’s policy [on energy] but she won’t tax oil and gas companies”, Rowena said. “But he’s going to have to battle to get his voice heard above a new administration that people will be quite curious about.”
Meanwhile, Michael Savage reports that the leader of the opposition will also be on the defensive, with a real risk that a battle with unions – and some MPs - furious that he sacked frontbencher Sam Tarry for joining a picket line could create a series of negative headlines.
On the plus side for Starmer, said Rowena, “he is in a better position with delegates than in previous years – more of the people there will be supportive of him. So I’d be surprised if there’s a huge show of strength from the left.” But with motions proposed by unions on strike action likely to be joined by others on inflation-matching increases to public sector pay and the renationalisation of public utilities, “there could be some sort of showdown. The question is how bad it will be.”
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Ukraine: Still no end in sight
After recapturing thousands of square miles of land in the north-east, Ukraine’s military victories have galvanised support in the west. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been using these gains to try to lift the country’s spirits after months of unfathomable suffering. And there was good news yesterday in the symbolic capture of a village which means Russia no longer has full control of the Luhansk region.
Militarily, it will be extremely difficult for the Kremlin to turn the tide if the west maintains its current sanctions strategy, and continues to provide Ukraine with the weapons that it needs. However, there is no guarantee of that. Despite Ukraine’s requests for long-range army tactical missile systems, the US is hesitant to send any weapons that could strike inside Russia. As winter sweeps across western Europe and increased energy costs bite, there is a danger that disunity about sanctions will spread, too.
Russia’s military still has far larger stores of weapons and ammunition, while its soldiers are continuing to resist the Ukrainian offensive in the south. Moscow will have to decide which front to prioritise in the coming months, but Putin has made it clear that he has no desire to pursue a settlement. For more on how Ukraine has defied expectations thanks to an agile war effort that involves the whole of its society, including an online intelligence tool that anyone can use, see this piece by Chatham House’s Orysia Lutsevych.
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Italy: The far-right on course for victory
On Sunday, voters in Italy will be going to the polls, and a rightwing coalition, led by the far-right party Brothers of Italy, still looks the most likely result. (See this First Edition from August for more.) Their rise over the last few years has been slow but steady, says the Guardian’s Rome correspondent Angela Giuffrida. But this election could be seismic – with Italy on the cusp of electing its first far-right leader since the second world war.
The frank, charismatic style of party leader Giorgia Meloni has proved popular, and allows her to distance the party from its fascist roots. The issue, Angela says, is that “there are a lot of people in leadership positions within the party who still hold some of those ideals”.
If they win, it’s unlikely that Meloni will rock the boat too much, Angela says, because Italy is the biggest beneficiary of the European Covid-19 recovery fund, and doing anything drastic could put almost €200bn at risk. “They need that money to try and revive the country’s economy,” says Angela.
This election could nonetheless have far reaching implications for Italy: not only does Meloni have hardline stances on immigration, same-sex marriage and abortion, but a landslide victory for Brothers of Italy could also change the way Italy is run, : “A big enough win could give them enough power to alter the constitution.” For more on how Italy got here, read Jamie Mackay’s comment piece from yesterday.
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King Charles: An early test for his new neutrality
In one sense, nothing about yesterday changes anything for King Charles: he became king at the moment of his mother’s death. All the same, the obvious moment of transition represented by the Queen’s funeral will renew attention on what kind of monarch her son will be.
In his first address to the nation as monarch, he said: “It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply.” Nonetheless, he is understood to view the climate crisis as an area where he can continue to exert an influence – if more subtly than before.
In Fiona Harvey’s piece last week, Charles’ former advisor and former director of Friends of the Earth Jonathon Porritt said that he would “definitely not” speak out on the climate any more – but it has been suggested he may continue to make his voice heard in private forums. He has cancelled a trip to the Cop27 summit in Egypt in November, but Joe Biden’s climate envoy John Kerry told the BBC at the weekend that he “very much” hopes Charles will continue to push for action “in the appropriate way”.
There are some more mundane subjects in Charles’ in-tray too, from Prince Harry’s memoir to his own popularity; Robert Booth runs through some of them here. And for more on the formal protocol around his accession, see Rachel Hall’s explainer.
What else we’ve been reading
The last round on the Queen’s funeral: Marina Hyde on a day that felt both unprecedented and unrepeatable, Jonathan Freedland on how Britain must now “confront what has laid buried for so long”, Hadley Freeman on Harry’s role, Amelia Gentleman on the mood in Windsor, and four readers on why they avoided the whole thing. Archie
Steve-O from Jackass has written a self-help book. Tim Jonze’s interview begins with a question: “Who on Earth is going to take life advice from a man who has repeatedly stapled his scrotum to his thigh?” The answers are surprisingly convincing. Archie
Alex Hern visited a convention centre in London to experience the future of theme parks. From monster trucks on hydraulics to nine-foot-tall aliens, Hern discusses how technology is enhancing the experience for thrill-seekers. Nimo
Few TV shows are more promising as subjects for the series How we made than Eurotrash, and sure enough, presenter Antoine de Caunes and narrator Maria McErlane deliver the goods. “We broadcast at 10.30pm, which was perfect,” says de Caunes. “By that time, everyone in Britain is drunk.” Archie
In this fascinating piece, Luke Harding and Isobel Koshiw spoke to Ukrainians in liberated cities about what life was like under occupation. Nimo
Sport
Chess | Magnus Carlsen has resigned from an online match after making only one move, reigniting a feud with his opponent. Carlsen was playing 19-year-old Hans Niemann, who has faced allegations, strenuously denied, of cheating against Carlsen in a past victory - but has admitted to cheating in online games previously.
Cricket | England will play their first match on Pakistani soil for 17 years on Tuesday in the first of a seven-game Twenty20 series. Injured pace bowler Chris Jordan, who has played in the Pakistan Super League, said fans there would be “overjoyed” by England’s return.
Football | Russia is urging Uefa to ban the manager of the Ukraine men’s national team after he expressed a wish to fight Vladimir Putin’s invading forces, the Guardian reveals. The Football Union of Russia has accused Oleksandr Petrakov of discriminating against Russians and failing to remain politically neutral.
The front pages
Newspapers gave their front pages to Queen Elizabeth II’s final journey back to Windsor. The Guardian’s splash reads “The final farewell” while the Mail has “Her final journey” and the Mirror goes with “…until we meet again”.
The Times has “Carried to her rest” and the Express says “God rest our Queen”. The Telegraph opts for “An outpouring of love” while the i newspaper says “The end of the Elizabethan age.” The FT chooses a quote from Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, for its headline: “People of loving service are rare in any walk of life. Leaders of loving service are still rarer.”
The Sun says “We sent her victorious” and the National in Scotland has “The last farewell”.
Today in Focus
The Russian soldier exposing the horrors of life in Putin’s invading army
The Guardian’s Moscow correspondent, Andrew Roth, on his extraordinary meeting with ex-paratrooper Pavel Filatyev, the highest-ranking officer to speak about fighting in Ukraine.
Cartoon of the day | Ben Jennings
The Upside
A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad
Janet Williams had no idea that sodium valproate, a drug she had been taking for her epilepsy, can cause problems in pregnancy. Because of complications, both of her sons have been affected by the drug and Williams and her husband are now full-time carers. Williams loves her children dearly, but she feels misled. “I wouldn’t change the lads for anything,” she says, but had she been given the information, Williams says, perhaps she wouldn’t have had kids. So, Williams co-founded In-FACT (the Independent Fetal Anti-Convulsant Trust) in 2012 and now dedicates her time to raising awareness about the condition and supporting families. Her organisation secured a massive win in 2018, when the UK medicines watchdog, the MHRA, declared that sodium valproate was no longer to be given to women or girls who can have children unless they are informed of the risks.
Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday
Bored at work?
And finally, the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow.
