Good evening. Trouble continues for NatWest today as the chief executive of Coutts quit over the Nigel Farage banking scandal, with the Prime Minister declining to back group chairman Sir Howard Davies over the row. A phone-hacking claim by the Duke of Sussex has been thrown out, while Andrew Malkinson has vented his anger at having to pay prison “board and lodgings” should he win compensation for being wrongly convicted of rape.
Coutts chief resigns as pressure mounts on NatWest
The fallout from the Nigel Farage de-banking scandal continues, with Coutts’ chief executive becoming the latest to resign over the furore. Peter Flavel said the treatment of the former Ukip leader had “fallen below the bank’s high standards of personal service”. The news heaps pressure on Sir Howard Davies, the NatWest Group chairman, with Rishi Sunak today declining to say whether he had confidence in him following his handling of Dame Alison Rose’s departure as the firm’s chief executive. Some NatWest customers say they are closing their accounts because of the bank’s treatment of Mr Farage.
Judge throws out Prince Harry phone-hacking claim
The Duke of Sussex has been dealt a blow in his phone-hacking claims against News Group Newspapers (NGN), after a judge ruled that only part of his lawsuit will go to trial at the High Court. The Duke has accused Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper group of unlawful activities to gather information on him from the mid-1990s until 2016. The royal claimed an agreement between Buckingham Palace and NGN to delay any claims until other litigation over hacking had concluded prevented him from taking action earlier. However, Mr Justice Fancourt ruled in favour of an argument by NGN that the Duke was aware enough of the phone-hacking scandal to bring his case sooner.
Miscarriage of justice victim will have to pay prison ‘board and lodgings’
Andrew Malkinson may now be a “free man” after being wrongly jailed for 17 years for rape, but the miscarriage of justice victim’s battle is far from over. The 57-year-old has said that he now faces an “uphill battle” to win compensation – and even if he does, he will be liable to pay prison “board and lodgings”. Mr Malkinson said the idea of such deductions “is so abhorrent to me that I am sickened by it”.
Today’s essential headlines
Scottish independence | Humza Yousaf has unveiled a blueprint for Scotland to copy the EU and revert to burgundy passports should the country gain independence. A Scottish Government report said a separate Scotland would follow the bloc’s “recommended layout, size and colour”, even though experts have warned it could take years to gain membership. Mr Yousaf claimed that switching passport colours could speed up the membership process.
Money | Savers now face paying tax on pots as small as ￡8,000 Crime | Matt Ratana’s killer sentenced to a whole life order Weather | July 2023 could be hottest month in 120,000 years Labour | Keir Starmer’s popularity sinks in Red Wall Brexit | UK will return to EU in future, says Tony Blair Comment and analysis Michael Deacon | Let the nightmare in Japan be a warning to childless millennials Andrew Lilico | Prevention is no longer an option. We must adapt to climate change Nigel Farage | My war on woke banks is about to rapidly expand Telegraph view | The misbegotten idea opera should forget Tom Stevenson | Contrarian investing is harder than it looks Pictured: The A-list guests at Mick Jagger’s birthday party
Celebrities turned out for Mick Jagger’s 80th birthday party, with Jerry Hall and Lenny Kravitz among the guests. Hall, who split from the Rolling Stones rocker after a 22-year relationship, was joined by her children Georgia May, 31, and Elizabeth Jagger, 39. See pictures from the star-studded event here.
World news: ‘Hostilities intensify’ amid Ukranian counter-offensive ‘breakthrough’
“Hostilities have intensified significantly,” Vladimir Putin has admitted after Ukraine’s counter-offensive appeared to break through Kremlin defences in the south-east of the war-torn country. The Russian president claimed that “all attempts at counter-offensive have been rebuffed, and the enemy sustained great losses and was repelled” – despite a major assault by Western-trained troops. Meanwhile, Melissa Lawford reports that hyperinflation looms over a crumbling Russian economy, and Lewis Page’s column warns that Putin is about to declare war on the whole world. Our live blog has all the latest from the war in Ukraine.
Feature of the day
The real reason the Princess of Wales wears ‘cheap’ jewellery
Catherine has been described as “a disappointment” for wearing high street jewellery – but is it all part of her strategy
Read the piece
Business news: ITV warns of ‘worst advertising recession since the financial crisis’
The “very tough” downturn in the advertising market is the worst since the 2008 financial crisis, ITV’s chief executive has warned. Dame Carolyn McCall called it the “worst advertising recession we’ve seen since the global financial crisis” and said it was taking a toll on the media company’s revenues and share price. Her comments are likely to fuel recession fears as growth stalls and the Bank of England keeps raising interest rates in its battle with inflation. Also today, the European Central Bank raised interest rates to a 22-year high in the eurozone’s own fight against inflation. For all the latest business news, follow our live blog.
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Sport briefing: Today’s essential headlines Ashes | England vs Australia – latest scores from the Oval Football | FA bid to boost dwindling refereeing numbers at grassroots level Jamie Carragher | The Saudis are coming and I fear for global football Tennis | Novak Djokovic’s father calls for him to retire Cricket | England lobby for greater Test match flexibility after Old Trafford washout
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