A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda next week, from the team at Foresight News.
Leading the week
Three years on and after weeks of public wrangling over ministerial communications, the Covid-19 inquiry kicks off in earnest next week as evidence hearings begin on Tuesday (June 13) in the module looking at the UK’s preparedness and resilience. Inquiry chair Baroness Hallett will deliver a statement to open proceedings, followed by a short film focused on experiences of loss suffered by people across the UK affected by the pandemic. Hearings are scheduled to continue over the next six weeks and will see a steady stream of notable figures called as witnesses, with former prime minister David Cameron and former Chancellor George Osborne expected to give evidence amid speculation the inquiry will look at the impact of austerity policies on NHS preparedness.
Next week’s witnesses include Professor Sir Michael Marmot, chair of the 2010 Marmot Review into health inequalities, who is scheduled to appear on Friday (June 16). The initial set of hearings from Module 1 is due to run until July 20, with the potentially more scandalous Module 2 – examining the core decision making and political governance of the Johnson government – set to open in autumn.
Immigration continues to dominate the agenda next week with some key developments in the government’s plans to tackle the small boats crisis. The last legal attempts to stop asylum seeker camps being built in Wethersfield and Scampton are heard on Monday (June 12) in the Court of Appeal. Should these prove unsuccessful, the government will be given the green light to start building the camps, with plans to move people in later this summer. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced this week that the first of the asylum seeker barges, the Bibby Stockholm, which will be berthed at Portland Port, is expected to receive male asylum seekers by the end of June.
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The government’s plans to send migrants further afield are also in the spotlight as the House of Lords continues consideration of the Illegal Migration Bill on Monday and Wednesday (June 12 and 14) following a marathon session this week. Several peers, including Conservative former immigration minister Lord Timothy Kirkhope, have voiced their opposition to the legislation and have tabled an amendment that would prevent the government from breaching international treaties with plans to remove any asylum seekers who arrive via small boat crossings. Sunak’s plans will face further scrutiny on Friday (June 16), when the National Audit Office publishes its report on the government’s plans to transform the asylum system.
The latest instalment of an unwanted ratings-winner for ITV will play out on Wednesday (June 14) when chief executive Carolyn McCall is quizzed by MPs on the channel’s handling of Philip Schofield’s relationship with an employee and subsequent departure from This Morning. The drama began amid rumours of a rift between Schofield and his co-host Holly Willoughby and has led to the effective end of the daytime TV stalwart’s career amid suggestions that there is a toxic culture at ITV, with presenters from multiple programmes on the channel speaking out since Schofield announced his departure from the famous sofa.
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In a Culture, Media and Sport committee session on the draft Media Bill last week, ITV executive Magnus Brooke faced questions about the atmosphere on This Morning and the heavily-criticised comments from editor Martin Frizzell, though Wednesday’s hearing with McCall will involve a much more in-depth review of ITV’s initial investigation into Schofield’s affair and the channel’s approach to safeguarding and complaint handling. As a prelude to the ITV hearing, the committee will question the BBC’s director general Tim Davie and chief content officer Charlotte Moore on Tuesday (June 13) in a session which is likely feature questions on recent strike action by staff and the corporation’s plans to make further cuts to local radio services.
Looking abroad
Donald Trump will appear in court in Miami on Tuesday (June 13), making history once again by becoming the first former (or sitting) president to appear charged in federal court as he is arraigned over his handling of records. Trump’s court appearance once more puts his would-be rivals for the Republican presidential nomination in the awkward position of backing the former president or appearing to side with an allegedly ‘weaponised’ Department of Justice. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who this week officially entered the race, may be the exception to the rule, and the former Trump-ally-turned-arch-critic is scheduled to take part in a live CNN town hall on Monday (June 12) night, having said he would wait for charges to be confirmed before making a judgement.
The wide-ranging ramifications from the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine on Tuesday mean the conflict in Ukraine is set to dominate international news again next week. The destruction of the dam prompted fresh concerns around the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi plans to visit in the coming days.
Outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is visiting Washington on Monday and Tuesday (June 12-13) for talks with US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Beyond discussions over the allied response to the dam’s destruction, Stoltenberg is likely to use his meetings in DC to compare notes on negotiations towards securing ratification of Sweden’s bid to become a fully-fledged member of NATO. Sweden’s accession is supposed to happen in time for next month’s NATO summit, and efforts have intensified following the recent re-election of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey. Stoltenberg then heads back to Brussels, where NATO and Swedish defence ministers are gathering on Thursday and Friday (June 15-16). Members of the US-led Ukraine Defence Contact Group are due to meet on the Thursday morning ahead of the formal NATO meetings.
Meanwhile, the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which Russian President Putin is scheduled to address, runs from Wednesday to Saturday (June 14-17), though reporting on what Putin has to say about prospects for the Russian economy may be limited after the forum banned journalists from ‘unfriendly countries’ from attending. Finally, a delegation of African leaders is slated to visit Kyiv on Friday (June 16) and then St. Petersburg on Saturday (June 17) for talks aimed at brokering a peace.
Also look out for
June 12
- House of Commons debate proposals to exclude MPs
- James Cleverly at committee session on Integrated Review
- Cleverly and Maroš Šefčovič at EU-UK Forum annual conference
- Gillian Keegan at Margaret Thatcher Conference on Opportunity
- Chloe Smith among speakers as London Tech Week begins
- Yair Lapid testimony expected in Benjamin Netanyahu trial
- Ukraine presents arguments at ICJ case against Russia
- NATO begins Air Defender 2023 exercise
June 13
- Rain Newton-Smith at business committee session on the CBI
- Andrew Bailey at Lords committee on Bank of England independence
- Unemployment statistics
- UNISON national delegate conference opens
- European Parliament votes on Artificial Intelligence Act
- One week ago: Nova Kakhovka dam destroyed
June 14
- Junior doctors begin three-day strike
- PMQs and debate on defence policy in the House of Commons
- Suella Braverman at home affairs committee session on the Home Office’s work
- Monthly UK GDP estimate
- King Charles hosts Windrush reception at Buckingham Palace
- Deadline for payments in Clop crew ransomware attack
- EU Ambassadors discuss Russia sanctions
- Russia presents arguments at ICJ case brought by Ukraine
- Women’s Prize for Fiction
June 15
- DCMS Qs and debate on government migration policies
- King Charles attends Anglo-Portuguese alliance service
- EU hosts Brussels VII Conference on Syria
- 2023/24 Premier League fixtures announced
- US Open Championship begins
June 16
- The Ashes first test begins
- England play Malta in UEFA EURO 2024 qualifier
- John Allan steps down at Tesco AGM
June 17
- King Charles takes the salute at first Trooping the Colour
- Angela Rayner addresses Co-operative Party local government conference
- Orgreave Truth and Justice campaign annual rally
June 18
- Finnish president hosts annual Kultaranta talks
- Constitutional referendum in Mali
- Emmanuel Macron attends Mont Valerien Commemorative Ceremony
- UEFA Nations League final
- Canadian Grand Prix
- US Open final round
- Father’s Day
Statistics, reports and surveys
June 12
- UBS expected to complete takeover of Credit Suisse
- NAO report on making tax digital
- Results from: Oracle
June 13
- Universal Credit statistics
- Quarterly figures on suspected drug deaths in Scotland
- US Consumer Prince Index
- OPEC Monthly Oil Markets report
June 14
- Federal Reserve interest rate decision
- UNHCR report on forced displacement
- IEA Oil 2023 report
- Reuters Digital News report
- BRC report on UK retail diversity and inclusion
- NAO report on smart meter rollout
- UK trade statistics
- G20 quarterly GDP growth
- Target annual shareholders’ meeting
June 15
- National child measurement programme figures
- Statistics on school applications and offers in England
- UK regional trade figures
- Scotland natural capital accounts (2023)
- European Central Bank interest rate decision
- Monthly press conference on Chinese economic data
- Results from: Halfords Group
June 16
- EU Inflation Statistics
- Bank of England/Ipsos Inflation Attitudes Survey
- Tesco trading statement
Anniversaries and awareness days
June 12
- Russia Day
- World Day Against Child Labour
- London Tech Week (to June 16)
- Men’s Health Week (to June 18)
- National Blood Week (to June 18)
- BNF Healthy Eating week (to June 18)
- Seven years ago: Orlando Pulse attack
- 120 years ago: Kitemark established
June 14
- Falklands Liberation Day
- World Blood Donor Day
- Flag Day (US)
- Donald Trump turns 77
June 15
- National Beer Day
- World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
- National Clean Air Day
June 16
- Seven years ago: Jo Cox was murdered
- Day of the African Child
- Cystic Fibrosis Wear Yellow Day
June 17
- World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
- Civic Day
- Drowning Prevention Week (to June 24)
- Independent Bookshop Week (to June 24)
- National Picnic Week (to June 25)
The news diary is provided in association with Foresight News.
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