News diary 7-13 October: Extinction Rebellion begins fresh climate protests and Hillsborough police chief faces retrial

Foresight News provides a look-ahead to the key events that need to be in your news diary for next week…

Protesters return to the streets of London on Monday as Extinction Rebellion begins two weeks of climate demonstrations in the capital.

The group plans to blockade 12 key points around Westminster and target specific corporations, ministries and infrastructure to highlight the climate emergency. The Met Police confirmed they will be sending specialist teams to London to deal with the planned action.

David Duckenfield (pictured) appears at Preston Crown Court to face a retrial on 95 counts of manslaughter in relation to the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. The former South Yorkshire Police officer was initially tried earlier this year but the jury was discharged after failing to reach a verdict. The retrial is expected to conclude early next month.

Parliament is set to be prorogued on Tuesday at the second time of asking after Boris Johnson last week unveiled fresh proposals for the Northern Ireland backstop in an attempt to secure a Brexit deal before the 19 October deadline.

The plans were well-received by previously sceptical Tory MPs, though fiercely critical responses from opposition leaders and discouraging noises from European capitals suggest agreements from either Parliament or Brussels may still be beyond the Prime Minister.

Kristalina Georgieva makes her first major public appearance as International Monetary Fund managing director since replacing Christine Lagarde in the role when she delivers the traditional “curtain raiser” speech ahead of the fund’s annual meetings later this month.

The speech previews the key issues to be addressed at the meeting, which sees the release of the IMF’s flagship reports on the global economy and financial sector, and is likely to give a fuller indication of Georgieva’s priorities for the fund in the coming months.

The US Supreme Court hears oral arguments in three consolidated LGBT+ discrimination cases. The cases consider whether the termination of employment for being gay or transgender violates Title VII of the 1963 Civil Rights Act which bars discrimination on the basis of sex.

The cases mark the first time the civil rights of transgender people have been considered in the Supreme Court.

On Wednesday, the World Trade Organisation releases its flagship annual report on global trade. The World Trade Report analyses trends and current trade policy issues, and last year predicted an increase in the impact of digital technologies on global trade.

This year’s edition focuses on the future of services trade, a theme especially relevant for UK officials given the dominance of service industries in the British workforce, and comes after the WTO sharply downgraded forecasts for trade growth for 2019-20.

The Rugby World Cup continues in Japan with the penultimate round of the pool stage. Key midweek matches see Wales play Fiji and Scotland take on Russia, while the weekend will feature England v France on Saturday, and Scotland v Japan and Wales v Uruguay on Sunday.

John Bercow stands down at the end of October and the House of Commons will elect a new Speaker on 4 November. On Thursday, the Institute for Government hosts a hustings-style event for candidates to pitch for what has become the most-scrutinised role in Parliament.

Candidates seeking to fill Bercow’s chair include deputy speakers Lindsay Hoyle and Eleanor Laing, who recently questioned her boss’s impartiality, Tory grandees Henry Bellingham and Edward Leigh, and, despite the opposition of her local party, Mother of the House Harriet Harman.

A man is expected to appear at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on a public order offence following an alleged incident outside the constituency office of Jess Phillips MP. The alleged offence took place on the afternoon of 26 September, with numerous reports suggesting that Michael Roby attempted to break into Phillips’ office while shouting “fascist”.

The Labour MP has been vociferous in criticising Boris Johnson’s recent use of language in Parliament, and revealed she has been subjected to numerous death threats.

Donald Trump holds a “Keep America Great” rally in Minnesota, which follows criticism from the Minneapolis Mayor and City Council President who have indicated that Trump’s actions and rhetoric are not welcome in their community. Trump narrowly lost the state to Hillary Clinton in 2016.

The Nobel Peace Prize is announced in Oslo on Friday, awarded to a person or group considered to have done the most to prevent armed conflict, foster fraternity or promote peace.

This year’s contenders include teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, who is considered a frontrunner but may be ineligible depending on if the panel feel there is a tangible link between climate change and violent conflict. US President Donald Trump is also a nominee, though he doesn’t seem hopeful, saying he would “get a Nobel Prize for a lot of things, if they give it out fairly, which they don’t”.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visits India for an informal summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following a meeting between President Xi and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan just days before.

The summit is expected to focus on trade and investment ties, though Beijing has expressed concern over the ongoing tensions in Kashmir; the situation could become further complicated when India assumes control of the China-bordering Ladakh region later this month.

Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer delivers a keynote address at the Co-operative Party Annual Conference on Saturday, two days before the Queen’s Speech. Starmer is likely to continue to put pressure on the Labour Party to back Remain in any second referendum, as he continues his bid to prove to supporters that he would make a good successor to Corbyn.

Former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson participates in a Festival of Politics discussion with Andrew Marr on the representation of women in British politics.

Davidson stepped down from her leadership role at the end of August, saying she wanted to spend more time with her family and making it clear that she was conflicted over Brexit and the national party’s position. Her successor, interim leader Jackson Carlaw, has no such qualms, recently showing his support for both Boris Johnson and the possibility of a no-deal Brexit.

The SNP is the last major UK political party to hold its autumn conference, as delegates meet in Aberdeen on Sunday. Alongside its domestic agenda, indyref2 and Brexit are expected to dominate speeches; in his own conference speech, Prime Minister Boris Johnson accused the SNP of conspiring with Labour to put Corbyn in Number 10 in exchange for a second independence referendum.

For their part, the SNP’s leader in Westminster Ian Blackford has said said that the SNP are ready to bring down Johnson’s government, urging other opposition parties to take action.

On Sunday, voters in Hungary and Poland go to the polls for both local and parliamentary elections respectively. While the ruling Fidesz party will expect to maintain its dominance in Hungary’s municipalities, recent polling shows the race in the capital Budapest between incumbent Mayor István Tarlós and opposition candidate Gergely Karácsony is close.

In Poland, the Law and Justice party looks set for a convincing victory with former Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński possibly set for a return to the forefront of Polish politics.

Meanwhile in Tunisia, political outsiders Kais Said and Nabil Karoui face a run-off vote following presidential elections on 15 September. In the first round of voting, Said claimed a narrow lead over Karoui, who has been allowed to run despite currently being jailed following an arrest in August on tax evasion charges.

The news diary is provided in association with Foresight News.