Squiz Today – 7 June 2022

THE SQUIZ
UK PM Boris Johnson has survived a vote on his leadership this morning. Enough of his Tory colleagues were able to force the confidence vote, which Johnson won 211 to 148. He has been fighting off his internal and external critics for months over the so-called ‘partygate’ scandal, and the pressure started building again a few days ago when an official report into the gatherings was released.

BACK IT UP A BIT… 
Put simply, ‘partygate’ refers to gatherings hosted by Johnson and other senior members of the government in 2020-21 while Britain was locked down due to the pandemic. Police investigated 12 get-togethers and issued more than 100 fines – including to Johnson, making him the first serving British PM to have been found to have broken the law. Then senior public servant Sue Gray released a report finding the parties resulted from “failures of leadership and judgment”, and some were alcohol-fuelled events. Since then, calls for Johnson to resign have been hella loud – and he was booed heading into a church service for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee last week. And on Monday morning (late yesterday our time), it was confirmed that enough of Johnson’s colleagues wanted a confidence vote to find out whether he had enough support to continue as leader of the party. 

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? 
Well, Johnson has won the vote, but he’ll have to watch his back. Under the party’s rules, they get one shot a year at removing their leader in a process that starts with a confidence vote. That’s failed this morning, but Johnson’s victory is far from convincing. Given just 63 votes protect him from defeat, he will face pressure to go in the coming weeks/months. That’s what happened to former Conservative party leader/PM Theresa May back in 2019… For Johnson’s part, he’s told his colleagues to stick with him and “I’ll win for you again”. Note: the next general election is due in January 2025.

Pedalling through Oz-Indo talks

Nothing says neighbourly bonhomie like 2 blokes in business attire going for a morning bicycle ride… Maybe we should just be grateful that PM Anthony Albanese and Indonesian President Joko Widodo spared us a full-blown MAMIL sighting… After making it into the meeting room, Albanese ticked off his key points on trade and investment, building stronger people-to-people links, foreign aid, security, and joint action to combat climate change. He also promised an additional $470 million for aid programs in the region and said he would appoint “a dedicated high-level roving regional envoy” to coordinate Aussie efforts. Albanese also committed to attending the G20 meeting in Bali in November – remember, former PM Scott Morrison was not happy Russian Vladimir Putin RSVP’d yes… Widodo said he was “delighted” Indonesia was Albanese’s first of many bilateral talks during his prime ministership.

Getting ready for another rate rise

The Reserve Bank board meets today to make its monthly decision on interest rates, and economists are tipping a 0.25-0.4% rise. That would see them head upwards to at least 0.6%. Governor Philip Lowe signalled further hikes last month when official rates went from 0.1% to 0.35%, but many experts say strap yourself in thanks to growing inflation worries. As cost of living pressures ramp up, calls for wage increases are growing. Yesterday, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced that the public sector wage cap will be lifted to 3%, and healthcare workers will receive a $3,000 bonus for their work during the pandemic. NSW and Victoria are facing state elections in the coming 9 months, so expect more where that came from…

Russia targets western donations in Kyiv

After recently focusing their efforts on Ukraine’s east, Russian forces have launched airstrikes on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv for the first time in more than a month. Russia’s Defense Ministry said they’ve destroyed tanks provided by Europe, but Ukraine says that’s a fib. The latest attack came as Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out at the uptick in Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, saying it will see Russia “strike at those objects that we haven’t yet struck”. While the US has stopped short of providing Ukraine with long-range missiles, the UK will become the first nation to do so despite Putin’s threats. Analysts say it marks a significant shift in the West’s approach to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russian forces are close to capturing the entire Luhansk region in the country’s east. Top officials say the fight to hold onto control of Severodonetsk has turned it into the “hottest” area of the entire conflict.

More weather woes for southeast Oz

Get set to shiver through another week if you’re from those parts as the latest blast from Antarctica moves across the region. The weather bureau has issued multiple severe weather warnings for damaging wind gusts and blizzard conditions for southern NSW and much of Victoria, with winds of up to 130km/h likely in some parts. Sydneysiders are set to battle 90km/h winds, which will drop temperatures to 6C tomorrow and Thursday. And southern parts of the Sunshine State won’t escape the chill either… The cold front is expected to bring more heavy snowfall in alpine regions in NSW and Victoria over the coming days and could fall at low elevations in Tassie today. Which is good news for those keen to take advantage of an early ski season, but not so much for everyone else…

Minjee Lee makes it rain

After clinching the US Open title yesterday morning, Perth’s own Minjee Lee has pocketed a cool $2.5 million – the biggest single payday in women’s golfing history. The world #4 finished 13-under for the premier tournament in women’s golf – 4 shots better than American runner-up Mina Harigae. It’s an incredible feat that cements her place as one of the best talents Australia has ever produced. It’s the 26yo’s 2nd major title after winning the Amundi Evian Championship in July last year, and yesterday’s win is set to make her the #2 ranked female player. Next up is the Women’s PGA Championship later this month – and a win there would see her take the #1 spot, knocking off Korean Jin Young Ko. Her coach Ritchie Smith said “she wants to be a legend of the game, and to win [the US Open] is a big step forward.”

Labradors have moved into the 5th spot for dangerous dog registrations on the Gold Coast City Council. The lab is a popular family breed, but some are having a hard time adjusting to life after pandemic restrictions and all the socialising that comes with it.

Humpback whale populations are booming, and heaps of ’em have been spotted along the east coast ahead of the peak watching season later this month. Conservationists say it’s a “wonderful success story”, but the work to protect them isn’t done.

It’s long been theorised that giraffes evolved their long necks to reach food up high, but new fossils unearthed in China of their sheep-sized prehistoric ancestor revealed the boys’ penchant for fighting with their heads and necks probably saw them elongate over time. Weirdos…

The Reserve Bank makes an announcement on interest rates

World Food Safety Day

Birthdays for Liam Neeson (1952), Mike Pence (1959), Bear Grylls (1974), Michael Cera (1988), Emily Ratajkowski (1991)

Anniversary of:
• the founding of the British Museum (1753)
• the Vatican City becoming a sovereign state (1929)
• the Supreme Court of the United States deciding on Griswold v. Connecticut, legalising the use of contraception by married couples (1965)

Wednesday
4.00am (AEST) – Soccer – World Cup Playoffs – Australia v United Arab Emirates – Qatar