News diary 22-28 April: Lucy Letby appeal bid, Jeffrey Donaldson in court, Trump trial opens

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

Leading the week

The Rwanda bill will return to the House of Commons for a fourth round of ping-pong on Monday (April 22) after peers once again thwarted the government’s attempts to pass the bill this week by voting for amendments on Wednesday night. Home Secretary James Cleverly accused Labour of political cynicism after the House of Lords approved two amendments on military-related exemptions and the treatment of Rwanda as a safe country, while there were suggestions that opposition parties had gone back on an agreement to vote the bill through.

Both may be true, but this latest delay to the passage of the government’s flagship legislation will be particularly unwelcome for Rishi Sunak as he contends with publicity-hungry rivals, record low approval levels and a string of embarrassing scandals. The silver lining, however, is that there’s now little scope for further disruption and the bill should be approved on Monday or Tuesday (April 23) at the latest. All that will be left then is the small matter of making the deportation scheme operational and getting flights off the ground, with the prime minister’s springtime target looking less and less likely as the government anticipates legal challenges once the legislation receives Royal Assent.

Speaking of scandals, Tory MPs will welcome the opportunity to deflect some attention away from their own internal travails when Angela Rayner stands in for her boss at Deputy PMQS on Wednesday (April 24). The row over Rayner’s living arrangements has been one of the biggest talking points in Westminster of late and the Conservative benches will now relish a chance to target Labour’s deputy leader directly. Rayner has so far been backed by Keir Starmer and the shadow cabinet, not to mention others from elsewhere on the political spectrum, but the news that police are now looking into her tax affairs may see that support tested over the coming weeks.

The case of the UK’s worst child serial killer in history, Lucy Letby, is heard at the Court of Appeal from Monday (April 22). Despite being found guilty of murdering seven babies while working as a nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015 and 2016, she has maintained her innocence and is appealing for a retrial of her case. She’s not the only one – Letby’s supporters are set to stage a protest outside the court on Thursday (April 25) as the hearing wraps up.

Another high-profile case could come to a close next week, as the jury prepares to consider the verdict in the trial of Constance Marten and Mark Gordon. With both prosecution and defence teams giving closing speeches this week, the jury is due to consider gross negligence manslaughter charges over the death of the pair’s baby Victoria, whose body was found in a carrier bag after they went on the run in January, sparking a nationwide manhunt. They are also charged with concealment of the baby’s birth, causing or allowing her death, and perverting the course of justice by concealing the body.

In Northern Ireland, former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson is scheduled to appear for a first hearing at Newry Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (April 24) charged with historical sexual offences, including rape. Donaldson’s wife Eleanor also appears as part of the same investigation, charged with aiding and abetting. The announcement of the charges in May shocked the political world in both Stormont and Westminster, coming just months after Donaldson led the DUP back into a power-sharing agreement with Sinn Fein after a two-year hiatus. Donaldson resigned following the allegations, but has said he will be ‘strenuously contesting’ the charges.

Looking abroad

With opening statements possible as soon as Monday (April 22) in Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial, the former US president’s legal struggles are likely to dominate the news again next week. A hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday (April 23) on whether Trump has already violated a gag order in the case, with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office alleging he has ‘unquestionably’ violated the order by publishing social media posts attacking former porn star Stormy Daniels and his former attorney Michael Cohen. On Thursday (April 25), attention turns to the Supreme Court, where arguments will be heard in the historic case over Trump’s claim of immunity from prosecution over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, though Trump won’t be allowed to make the trip to DC to witness proceedings.

The risk of a significant escalation of conflict in the Middle East has dominated much of the week in the wake Iran’s attack on Israel last weekend, and it looks set to continue in the wake of Israel’s initial military response overnight. Monday (April 22) is shaping up to be a busy day, as European Union foreign ministers gather in Luxembourg to discuss the situation in the Middle East among other topics, while in New York the UN is due to the release findings from the independent review into UNRWA following Israeli accusations that 12 of its employees participated in the October 7 terrorist attacks.

On Wednesday (April 24), the UN Security Council is due to be briefed by the UN’s coordinator for humanitarian aid to Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, following claims earlier this week by UNRWA’s chief that Israel continues to block aid deliveries amid a ‘man-made famine’. The European Parliament is also due to debate the ramifications of Iran’s attack on Wednesday with EU High Representative Josep Borrell. Finally, Sunday (April 28) marks the latest deadline for Israel to submit a report to the ICJ on measures it’s taking to ensure basic services and humanitarian assistance, including access to food, as part of proceedings brought by South Africa over its claim that Israel is committing in genocide in Gaza.

Also look out for…

April 22

Liz Truss addresses Heritage Foundation in Washington DC
House of Lords considers Leasehold Reform Bill
High Court hearing in Moderna case against Pfizer and BioNTech over Covid vaccine
Hearing in Nottingham Forest appeal against PSR ruling
Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi due to begin Pakistan visit
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expected to visit Iraq
Copernicus European State of the Climate report

April 23

MPs debate Football Governance Bill in the House of Commons
High Court hears challenge to UK government over arms sales to Israel
Huw Pill speech to Booth School of Business
Anjem Choudary in court on terrorism charges
Hearing in Trump hush money trial over gag order violations
UN Security Council debate on sexual violence in conflict

April 24

Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer at PMQs and renters reform bill debate in HoC
CMS committee chair Caroline Dinenage at VLV Spring Conference
North Macedonia presidential election
US Supreme Court hears Idaho abortion law challenge
David DePape sentenced over Paul Pelosi attack

April 25

Westminster Abbey ANZAC Day service
Channel 4 hosts local elections debate
Victoria Atkins and Wes Streeting at RCP conference
Viktor Orban and Geert Wilders speak at CPAC Hungary
BP AGM

April 26

Paris 2024 Olympic flame handover ceremony
Emmanuel Macron at citizens’ meeting on end-of-life care
Second polling day in Indian general election
Challengers film released
Gold Cup Meeting

April 27

Premier League season continues
White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner
European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases opens

April 28

Premier League: North London derby
Saudi Arabia hosts World Economic Forum special meeting
Israeli report on provisional measures due in South Africa’s ICJ case over Gaza genocide accusations

Statistics, reports and results

April 22

SIPRI report on world military expenditure
ILO report on climate change and workers’ health
Rightmove House Price Index
CBI Industrial Trends survey
People’s Bank of China loan prime rate announcement
Results from: Verizon

April 23

UK Public sector finances
IEA Global Electric Vehicle Outlook
ISE Graduate Development survey
Flash UK PMI
Results from: Tesla, Spotify, Taylor Wimpey, Associated British Foods, General Motors, Renault, Halliburton, Visa

April 24

Amnesty State of the World’s Human Rights report
Annual figures on regional economic activity by GDP
Annual stats on Freedom of Information Act requests
Quarterly housebuilding data
Results from: Meta, Boeing, Heathrow, IBM, Iberdrola, AT&T, Eni, Roche, Heineken, Reckitt Benckiser

April 25

Q1 GDP for the US and South Korea
OECD Taxing Wages report
IEA report on batteries and secure energy transitions
Quarterly crime statistics (England and Wales)
Energy trends and prices
Safety in custody and offender management statistics
Sickness absence in the UK labour market
SMMT automotive production statistics
FCA data on customer complaints against regulated firms
CBI Monthly Distributive Trades survey
Results from: Alphabet (Google), Microsoft, Fujitsu, Intel, Sainsbury’s, Barclays, Banco Sabadell, WHSmith, AstraZeneca, Merck, Unilever, BASF, Repsol, Deutsche Bank, Drax, Dow, Travis Perkins, Nestlé, GE Vernova (General Electric), Comcast, American Airlines