News diary 10 – 16 June: Parties reveal manifestos, Euros kick off

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

Rishi Sunak outside No 10 Downing Street on Sunday October 30, 2022. Picture: PA Wire/Victoria Jones

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

Leading the week

While this week’s D-Day celebrations were meant to offer a break from the campaign and an opportunity for national unity, Rishi Sunak’s decision to skip the main international ceremony on Omaha Beach has derailed his messaging today, with the prime minister forced to apologise this morning.

While Labour leader Keir Starmer was pictured speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron, Sunak returned to London to pre-record an interview with ITV which airs on Wednesday (12 June).

While the focus of that sit-down was on accusations that Sunak is a “liar” after a back and forth about Labour’s tax claims following Monday’s first TV debate, he’ll almost certainly face questions on his France trip at a live Sky News event in Grimsby on Wednesday. For his part, Starmer will be hoping to counteract criticism of his performance this week after seeming rattled by Sunak’s persistent attacks on tax, and both will be looking to tee up some good lines for ITV’s multi-party debate on Thursday (13 June).

Away from the posturing and questionable calculations, the three main parties are also expected to launch their manifestos next week and set out their offers to voters in black and white.

The Lib Dems, whose leader Ed Davey is having the time of his life in this campaign, kick things off on Monday (10 June), having already announced a series of proposals on the environment, healthcare and veterans. The Conservative offering, which is expected on Tuesday or Wednesday before the prime minister heads off to the G7 (more on that below), will likely build on Sunak’s familiar pledges on immigration and the economy alongside the party’s recent announcements on defence spending and promises to cut taxes.

Labour’s manifesto, which is expected on Thursday, will be heavily scrutinised for any hidden tax hikes (or suggestions its sums don’t add up) while appealing to both businesses and workers. It will also reportedly include a promise to recognise Palestine before the end of any peace process.

Manchester City begins a potentially bombshell arbitration battle on Monday (10 June) against the Premier League’s Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules, which prevent clubs from inflating the value of deals with businesses linked to their owners, forcing them to be independently assessed for fair market value. The private two-week hearing, first reported by The Times, will see the club complain of a ‘tyranny of the majority’ and ‘discrimination’ targeting Middle Eastern-owned teams.

Critics say that if the challenge is successful, clubs with billionaire owners like City, Newcastle, Chelsea and Aston Villa – who are thought to be supporting City in the legal claim – would have free rein to outspend other clubs, increasing the disparity between top and bottom. The arbitration will be a precursor to another legal battle in November which promises to be one of the most high-profile cases of the year, when the Premier League brings 115 charges of breaching Financial Fair Play against the Citizens.

For many of City’s players, on-field matters will take their complete focus next week, as the first summer football tournament in three years begins when Scotland and Germany kick off the UEFA Euro 2024 Championships on Friday (14 June) in Munich. Having faced off against one of the favourites in their first game, Steve Clarke’s ‘Tartan Army’ will likely be relying on better results against Hungary and Switzerland in the following week to see them through to the first-ever EUROs knockout stage in the country’s history.

England fans will have to wait two more days to see the Three Lions in action when England face Serbia on Sunday (16 June). England, who have already emerged as the bookies’ favourites going into the tournament, will be hoping that their wealth of attacking talent will power the team through to the final of what manager Gareth Southgate has confirmed will be his last tournament in charge of the team. Other standout games over the weekend include Spain v Croatia and Italy v Albania on Saturday (15 June), and Poland v the Netherlands on Sunday.

Looking abroad

This year’s G7 summit, hosted by Italy’s right-wing prime minister Giorgia Meloni, begins on Thursday (13 June) in Puglia. In keeping with recent gatherings, the guest list won’t be limited to leaders from the grouping – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has made several trips abroad recently, is set to join in person and will hold a second meeting in as many weeks with US President Joe Biden on the margins. Despite the recent controversy surrounding his homophobic remarks at a private gathering of bishops, Pope Francis is also due to attend and take part in a discussion on artificial intelligence.

Other guests include Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Argentine president Javier Milei, while Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is also rumoured to have received an invite. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had been expected as well, though the results of recent elections which saw his ANC lose its parliamentary majority have raised questions over the trip. Despite topics such as AI and climate change being on the agenda for discussion, the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine are likely to dominate this latest gathering of world leaders.

Immediately following the G7, Switzerland will play host to the two-day Ukraine Peace Summit from Saturday (15 June). The build-up to the conference has been somewhat overshadowed by news that Biden won’t be joining, and is instead dispatching Vice President Kamala Harris, accompanied by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Zelenskyy used a recent speech at a security conference in Singapore to criticise China’s decision not to participate in the summit, though he said over 100 countries had agreed to send representatives. But given China has decided not to attend, and Russia was not invited, it remains unclear what tangible outcomes the summit might produce when it comes to ending the conflict.

After yesterday’s move by the European Central Bank to cut its interest rates for the first time in five years, all eyes will be on Jerome Powell when he holds a news conference on Wednesday (12 June) following the US Federal Reserve’s latest rate-setting meeting. Although the Fed is not expected follow the ECB’s lead, once again markets will be parsing Powell’s remarks for any indication of when an eventual cut might come.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook is set to speak at the company’s annual developers’ conference on Monday (10 June), which traditionally focuses on software and product updates. The event will be closely watched for news about how the company is incorporating AI amid concerns it’s fallen behind the likes of Google and Microsoft, whose vice chair and president Brad Smith is set to be grilled by lawmakers on Thursday (13 June) at a hearing on cybersecurity failings at the company in the wake of a damning report from the Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB). Tesla shareholders, meanwhile, hold their annual meeting on Thursday, which will be closely watched for the outcome of votes on reinstating Elon Musk’s estimated $56 billion compensation package as well as a connected vote on relocating the company’s state of incorporation from Delaware to Texas.

Also look out for

June 10

BBC Panorama interview with Rishi Sunak
Lucy Letby re-trial on attempted murder charge
Harry Dunn inquest
BRICS foreign ministers meeting
FDA committee reviews Eli Lilly Alzheimer’s drug

June 11

BBC Panorama interview with Nigel Farage
UK labour market and wage statistics
Harriet Harman speaks at the FT Women in Business Summit
ECHR judgment on challenge to UK wrongful conviction compensation
Jordan hosts conference on humanitarian support for Gaza
Germany hosts Ukraine Recovery Conference

June 12

Monthly estimate of GDP
Green Party manifesto launch
BBC Panorama interviews with John Swinney and Rhun ap Iorwerth
London fundraiser for Donald Trump
ECHR hearing in Ukraine and the Netherlands’ case against Russia over flight MH17
250th day in captivity for Israeli hostages
IOC Executive Board meets on doping
USA v India at T20 World Cup

June 13

NATO defence ministers meet