The week in numbers

35

Popular eighties band Fairground Attraction are reuniting for a new tour after an absence of 35 years. Led by Scottish singer-songwriter Eddi Reader, all four original members of the band are back for the new tour. The band has released a new single titled What’s Wrong With The World?

4

The UK Government has been urged to “come clean” on the nuclear infrastructure at Faslane after new images of a submarine returning from patrol showed obvious rust and missing panelling. The Vanguard-class submarine is one of four which are supposed to patrol the oceans carrying the UK’s nuclear weapons deterrent.

24

The National contributor Owen Jones has quit the Labour Party after 24 years as a member. In a post on Twitter/X, the London-based writer said people deserved better than “the race to the bottom between Labour and the Tories”.

91% 1

Unions have raised concerns about Ofcom proposals which could allow Channel 4 to allocate 91% of its production budget to projects in England. The broadcasting regulator is consulting on the licence renewal for Channel 4 as the current licence ends on December 31 this year.

Mark Drakeford will officially step down as First Minister of Wales this week. He will tender his resignation to the king on Tuesday. His successor Vaughan Gething will become the first Black man to hold the role.

2019

West Yorkshire Police are investigating alleged racist comments made by Tory party donor Frank Hester about Diane Abbott at a meeting in 2019. The force said it was working to establish whether a crime had been committed.

6

Laurence Fox should pay “at least six-figure sums” in damages to two people he referred to as paedophiles on social media, the High Court has been told. The actor-turned-politician was successfully sued by former Stonewall trustee Simon Blake and drag artist Crystal over a row on Twitter/X.

£165,000

Home Secretary James Cleverly spent £165,000 flying out to Rwanda on a private jet to sign Rishi Sunak’s deportation deal, it has been revealed. The one-day round trip took place on December 4 following the Supreme Court’s finding that the African nation was an “unsafe country”.