Evening Briefing: Friday 9 October 2026
- If your contract has a non-compete clause: the prime minister says they “have gone too far” and will set out changes alongside the Budget on 28 October. Around five million jobs in Britain are covered by one, typically for six months after leaving.
- Filling up: Brent recovered through the afternoon to $103.85 after Iran said it would pursue vessels beyond the Strait of Hormuz. Separately a hurricane has shut in 63% of American Gulf production, with diesel stocks at their lowest for the time of year since 1982.
- If you have children at school: a second head teachers’ union has passed a motion of no confidence in Ofsted’s leadership and will survey members on whether to ballot for industrial action.
America Sanctions the International Criminal Court Itself
Marco Rubio has announced sanctions on the court as an institution rather than on individual judges, blocking its property under American jurisdiction and barring United States companies and citizens from dealing with it. “Either the ICC w…
Iran Says It Will Now Pursue Ships Beyond the Strait
“From now on, dealing with offending vessels will not be limited to the Strait of Hormuz,” the Revolutionary Guard said, warning that any vessel using an unauthorised passage “will be pursued throughout the region and its punishment will b…
Ethiopia Accuses Eritrea of an All-Out Invasion of Tigray
In a letter to the United Nations Security Council, Ethiopia’s foreign minister Gedion Timothewos calls Eritrean troop movements into Tigray a “blatant act of aggression that engages Ethiopia’s inherent right to self-defence”, and says for…
China Agrees to Halve Hybrid Car Exports to the European Union
The deal “opens the prospect of cutting China’s export of hybrids by more than a half”, the EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said in Beijing — several million vehicles over four years. “It is the first time that China has accepted to m…
France Concedes 3,000 Teachers and Brussels Catches the Protest
The education minister Édouard Geffray has promised 3,000 extra supply teachers within days, directed at the roughly 500 schools in greatest need — the first material concession of a three-week movement in which 6,877 people have been arre…
Burnham to Curb Non-Compete Clauses Covering Five Million Jobs
Non-compete clauses “have gone too far”, Andy Burnham told a summit in Manchester, promising detail alongside the Budget on 28 October. Around five million jobs in Britain carry one, typically running six months after an employee leaves. H…
The King Settles Andrew’s £1.5m Royal Lodge Bill
The Crown Estate assessed £1.8m of dilapidations on Royal Lodge when Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor surrendered his lease, against about £302,000 of compensation he was owed for leaving early — a net £1.5m. It is understood the King paid that…
Bank Tax Break Has Cost the Public £6bn, Says the TUC
The 2023 cut to the bank surcharge, from 8% to 3%, has cost £2.3bn, £1.7bn and £2bn in successive years on the TUC’s reading of HMRC receipts. Over the same period the four largest banks made £200bn of pre-tax profit and paid a record £25b…
Second Head Teachers’ Union Passes No Confidence in Ofsted
The Association of School and College Leaders has passed a motion of no confidence in “the ability of Ofsted’s leadership to address the damage being done by the new inspection system”, calling the grading arrangement an “overbearing mess”…
Lib Dem Treasury Spokesman Quits to Try to Unseat Davey
Charlie Maynard, the party’s Treasury spokesman and MP for Witney, has resigned from the frontbench and wants Sir Ed Davey replaced. It is the second frontbench departure in a week, after the care and carers spokesperson Alison Bennett fou…